Hi everyone,
My Jetta has a radiator leak in the top left. It's a 650$ repair and I'm short on money right now since I just moved. The leak is slow enough that I only need to top off my overflow bottle once a day.
What are my options for this issue besides paying for a proper repair? I realize it's unlikely anything can fix the problem, but I imagine it may buy me some time.
Has anyone had good results with Bar's Stopleak?
If I could find the hole could I try some epoxy over it or something?
What about just letting it go and topping it off every night?
Thanks!
2003 Jetta Radiator Leak
- Thread starter llmercll
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Hit the junkyard and get a new radiator. I owned a mk4 VW. You can do the radiator swap yourself in one afternoon.
This is most likely either rot or failed plastic and it might quickly get worse.
The only cure is a new rad.
If you google around, you can certainly find one for less than six-fiddy and installation shouldn't be too difficult.
Check Rock Auto as a first resort.
Willing to DIY? Most radiators are not all that difficult to replace...my beautiful wife that doesn't know jack about cars (until she met me of course) was able to change the radiator on my truck after I had surgery. You can do it too. Shop amazon and you might be able to get away with a 50-150$ radiator, look at reviews.
How can a radiator job be $650?
An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.
I would youtube it and DIY.
I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.
If new radiator and/or diy not feasable now, THE most recommended product on bitog for radiator leaks is Bars Leaks Tablets. AC Delco tabs the same.
https://www.amazon.com/Bars-Leaks-HDC-Radiator-Tablet/dp/B000KKND3Q
For the cost of the repair, you can buy a new radiator. Check RockAuto.
Originally Posted By: JustinH
How can a radiator job be $650?
An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.
I would youtube it and DIY.
I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.
Originally Posted By: Chris142
5 hrs labor plus evac and recharge the ac
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: JustinH
How can a radiator job be $650?
An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.
I would youtube it and DIY.
I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.
Originally Posted By: TinyVoices
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: JustinH
How can a radiator job be $650?
An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.
I would youtube it and DIY.
I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.
Well, if you have a set of sockets and a few torx bits, this is a $60 repair.
This looks like a straightforward r&r, no a/c work involved:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=330782
Amazon has the radiator for $45 delivered 2-day/prime (it says "used" but it is an open box return or cosmetic blem):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000C7VYSI/ref=dp_olp_all_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=all
Add a gallon each of the right blood type of Pentofrost and of distilled and you're done. $60.
A few years ago, my Element went through 2 radiators over the course of a few months. At that point, I found that there was a metal bracket that was loose that was rattling against the radiator, eventually causing it to leak through. I found the leak by using a pressure testing kit, saw exactly where the coolant was shooting out.
I didn't have time to do the replacement again, so what I did was empty out the coolant, then use some Quiksteel epoxy putty to put over the hole. I put the cooling system under a slight vacuum with a hand vacuum pump hoping to help suck in the epoxy. 2 years later, it's still holding. I expected it to start leaking after the first winter. I even bought a new radiator, I just haven't put it in.
I'd personally be a little worried about putting anything into the coolant to try seal the leak, just in case it damages anything else.
Replacing the radiator is the easy part. It's removing all the interference (such as cooling fan assemblies and radiator hoses/clamps) and reinstalling it that is the harder part. Coolant hoses and clamps can be a bit touchy when trying to remove/reinstall/reseal them. My mechanic charged me $600 for a radiator diagnosis and replace. Turned out the leak was from the internal transmission cooler. The radiator was cheap. The labor wasn't. If it happened again, I'd probably tackle the job myself - having to remove much of the front end of the car.
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
My mechanic charged me $600 for a radiator diagnosis and replace.
This car is 14 years old,try a bottle K-SEAL radiator repair $12 at AAP!
You need to determine what coolant your car has as you are going to need coolant as well. Might still be the factory G12 or whatever but someone could have switched it for dexcool. You could also use dexcool if you wanted to, but you would have to flush the entire cooling system if your car has G12 or whatever the later versions are.
If you have a 2.0 litre engine the rad should be a piece of cake. There is quite a bit more room in front of the engine with a 2.0 than a 1.8 or a VR6. VR6 is going to be tough, it takes up almost all of the engine bay. You should also take a peak at the cooling fans, as this is the time to change them if one or both are not working.
I have a 2003 1.8 Jetta that I flushed as I had to replace the cooling fans. I used dexcool and it is fine, but my coolant elbow is leaking about a year later. I do not believe the dexcool caused that.
Originally Posted By: llmercll
If I decide to do this myself should I buy anything besides the radiator? Will I need new hose clips or hoses for instance? How about a sensor?
Originally Posted By: llmercll
If I decide to do this myself should I buy anything besides the radiator? Will I need new hose clips or hoses for instance? How about a sensor?
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