Plastic Radiator has a Crack.

[EA82]

Noticed a crack on the radiator, vehicle is a Ford van. Has anybody used any type of epoxy that has worked or is my only otpion to replace the radiator, also is there a possibility of the radiator bursting while engine is hot ? The crack measures a little bigger than one inch. Thanks guys, here's a couple of pictures.

 

[mclasser]

You'll have to replace the rad otherwise it could end up gushing coolant at the most inopportune time, like when stuck in traffic during a thunderstorm. Overheating my car is one of my worst nightmares.

 

[09_GXP]

I used an epoxy on my Dad's old Park Avenue that had close to 300k on it. It held pretty well for the couple months before he got a new car so I can't report on the longevity beyond this. Since it was at the top of the radiator I dropped some coolant and cleaned the area really well prior to application. If you are wanting to keep the van for a while I would get a new radiator on order. Use some epoxy to hold it over until then.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: 09_GXP
I used an epoxy on my Dad's old Park Avenue that had close to 300k on it. It held pretty well for the couple months before he got a new car so I can't report on the longevity beyond this. Since it was at the top of the radiator I dropped some coolant and cleaned the area really well prior to application. If you are wanting to keep the van for a while I would get a new radiator on order. Use some epoxy to hold it over until then.


+1

 

[Nick1994]

Time for a new radiator.

 

[Kool1]

Being in Florida with the summer heat, I would change the radiator rather than run the risk of damaging the engine if the radiator decides to completely blow. The crack is a sign of worse things to come.

 

[Kuato]

Replace with metal radiator and drive on!

 

[Tomioka]

2004 so that's about 12 years which is a good run for a plastic tanked rad. I've always seen them crack around the 10 year mark.

 

[Trav]

+1 on replacing that, don't frig around with it you will pay more in the end. Nothing like a hot summer day sitting in traffic and having the thing spew coolant all over gods creation, that would be bigger than a huge PITA.

 

[artificialist]

I once saw a car that had a radiator held together with epoxy. The radiator eventually suffered a failure in the transmission cooler, and the repair bill went up substantially as a result.

Just replace that radiator. You got your fair share of life out of it. Hopefully someone has a Motorcraft or Visteon/Vision OE replacement part at a low price.

 

[zzyzzx]

Replace radiator. When I saw the thread title I was expecting it to be a Toyota.

 

[circuitsmith]

I was riding in an in-law's Toyota minivan in the mountains of Jamaica when the epoxied radiator top gave way.
Somewhere on the 'net I read of using the windshield washer fluid in this situation.
That was enough to get us where we could get more water, and a fillup every 15 minutes or so got us home.
I was the hero that day.

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
2004 so that's about 12 years which is a good run for a plastic tanked rad. I've always seen them crack around the 10 year mark.

I'm beating the odds then so far (knock wood) on an 01 Tacoma still original rad. Knock wood again.

As for topic I'll say this, if you plan on keeping the vehicle for any substantial length of time, skip the temporary fix and get a new radiator.

 

[EA82]

Thanks for the replies guys, vehicle runs really good, even with 200K+ on the clock the engine purrs. Im planning on keeping it so a new radiator is in order, looking at getting the radiator at AAP with a coupon code.

 

[circuitsmith]

Addition to my Jamaica story above: I found out the radiator had been epoxied about 2 years earlier.
I wouldn't consider doing a patch job like that, but in JA new parts are more expensive and people "make do".

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Replace radiator. When I saw the thread title I was expecting it to be a Toyota.

I was thinking it was any major Japanese car company, or it was a Korean company.

It amazes me that after 25 or more years of building the those of radiators, they still crack in the same place and have a similar lifespan. The other weird thing is that several suppliers make those radiators, but they all fail the same way.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Kuato
Replace with metal radiator and drive on!
all metal ones are getting scarce! Plus the cost is astronomical compared to a ptr

 

[tbm3fan]

Had a tiny crack in the top of a Mazda 626 radiator. Tried epoxy just for the [censored] of it and it lasted 1 week before spraying once again when under pressure. New radiator went in after that.

 

[Lubener]

Any fix will be temporary. Replace the radiator and don't jam the hoses up where they bottom out on the radiator and stress it out. I had a motor mount on its way out that screwed up my radiator. The engine moved more than it should and kept tugging on the hose.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Kuato
Replace with metal radiator and drive on!
all metal ones are getting scarce! Plus the cost is astronomical compared to a ptr

In some cases, Koyo makes and sells welded all aluminum radiators for about $250. Here is an example:
http://www.lancershop.com/customer/product.php?productid=2800&cat=134&page=1

Anyway, I wouldn't bother buying one, I would just buy an aftermarket Denso and drive it for another 7+ years.