Small radiator leak -- use stop leak?

[rationull]

The GF's 1993 Volvo 850 has been losing a little bit of coolant lately. I think what's happened is that the fins are rubbing against the fan shroud when the car's on and that's caused a small rupture.

The original radiator burst a tank maybe a year ago and the only thing I can think of is that either the aftermarket radiator fits differently than the original one or that the jerk who installed the new one (me) messed something up on installation. When the job was done I was embarrassingly left with some kind of bracket I left off but nothing seemed loose so I figured everything was OK. I don't think that bracket has anything to do with this but I suppose it's possible.

Here are a couple of pictures of where the fan shroud meets the radiator underneath the car:

The wedge in the second picture is what holds the shroud to the radiator at the bottom. There are two of them.

At any rate I found coolant drips on one of the little wedges. It hasn't been dripping to the ground, but the level's been going down slowly.

The car's got almost 200k on it and we're hoping it'll last us another three years or so (maybe 40k miles). I'm wondering if it's an acceptable solution to just use some kind of "Stop-Leak" stuff or if I'm really going to have to pull and possibly replace the radiator again, and try to figure out how to prevent this next time.

Any input or experiences with radiator leak pellets?

 

[HTSS_TR]

My 1994 Lexus LS400 had a small coolant leak several years ago, I used Barr's Stop Leak and no more leak since then.

 

[bdcardinal]

contact Boston Volvo and see how much an OEM replacement radiator is.

 

[junebug]

I've used Bar's Leak on two cars(86 Nova/ Corolla and 88 Dodge Aries). Worked well both times. Excellent product. I like stuff that works! Wally or parts store for about $3.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
contact Boston Volvo and see how much an OEM replacement radiator is.


I can get an OEM radiator for around $200 I'm pretty sure. The real issue is that I don't really want to tear into the job if using a stop-leak solution will work just as well in practice for a problem like this. I can't think of what else the problem would be besides a small tear resulting from fan shroud contact.

Of course the problem is this could continue to get worse. Really I'm just seeing how lazy I can be. I may have to bite the bullet and replace it again.

 

[Ignatz]

I'm a big fan of Barr's leak and it will help your leak, but I think you need to address the contact problem. It would be nice while everything is "cold" to pump up the cooling system and see how bad the leak is.

 

[onion]

The only time I reccommend stop-leak is if you're in a pinch and need the car to be operational for a little while... or if you mean to get rid of it.

In your case, I think you're gonna have to pull that radiator out. Seeings how thst radiator is fairly new, the cheapest option would probably be to have your local radiator shop patch it. Most can repair aluminum these days.

 

[rationull]

Actually that's a good point that I hadn't thought of. Since the problem isn't with the plastic tanks it's probably repairable. I'm not sure what I'll do about the actual cause though... I might be able to somehow shim out the fan shroud I guess.

 

[demarpaint]

It is always best to repair or replace the radiator if leaking. In a situation where you just rather not repair or replace it, the Bars Stop Leak and a lower pressure raditor cap has done the trick. Just keep in mind it can let go at anytime, and the lower pressue cap will decrease the cooling system efficiency.

Frank D

 

[Volvohead]

While I like Bars, I would dump the poor-fitting aftermarket radiator in this instance. There are a lot of places you can confidently fit aftermarket parts in an 850. The radiator is not one of them.

OEM Volvo radiators are more expensive, but very worth it. Much cheaper than a replacement long block. If you've got missing or broken brackets, best to replace them now, too. Perhaps Bay 13 has the procedure so that you can ID the missing bracket(s).

That 200k '93 is just broken in. New rad and a fresh fill of Volvo coolant, and you're good to go.

Keep an eye on the timing belt. It's only a 50k one on the '93, and you're about at the interval.

 

[rationull]

Yeah, timing belt is coming up soon. We're really only at 193k right now.

When I replaced it last time I used premix Prestone universal coolant, not Volvo coolant. Hopefully that's not a problem. Cooling seems to be just fine.

Bay13 doesn't have a radiator replacement writeup IIRC but if I have to do the job again I'll probably be able to figure out where the bracket goes. The Chilton's manual might have some pictures that give it away too, but I doubt it.

The radiator had some initial fitment issues (one of the mounting bolts ended up coming loose) but I took care of those long ago. I'd blame them for the trouble but the coolant loss only started pretty recently so I can only assume the problem is continued rubbing.

 

[Volvohead]

There was a pdf of a UK version Haynes manual floating around the Internet at one time. Maybe you can find that.

Also, if you ask the right people over at SS, you might get access to an old Vadis disk, which will have everything you need, including parts numbers.

 

[rationull]

Just for some follow up information, I'm still not quite sure what course of action to take long term but according to a trusted member of a volvo forum I go to the OEM radiators touch the bottom of the fan shroud too, just like in the picture.

It still really looks like the leak's happening like I think it is but I'm not sure what to make of that. I got some Barr's and I think I'm going to use that and see what happens. I may take the fan shroud off and see about putting some kind of foam tape around the edges or something but I'm not sure. I'll also see if maybe the radiator mounting has loosened with time or something and tighten it up if need be.

Worse case I'll still replace it but I figure a little stop-leak can't hurt to try. If I do replace it I hope I still have the few bolts left over from last time (not my best work...).