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Technical SEALING A RADIATOR

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Eric Wolf, Jun 22, 2015.

  1. Eric Wolf
    Joined: Jun 14, 2015
    Posts: 15

    Eric Wolf
    Member

    I've got a tiny pinhole leak at the bottom of the radiator in our recently-purchased '30 roadster. The previous owner says to tip in a little Silver Seal. I've heard this stuff can plug up engine water passages but the previous owner says "Pffft!" and the guy at the local NAPA says he's heard it works and has never heard of any problems. What's the skinny?
     

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  2. I used Silver Seal before on a couple cars, BMW, 36 Ford, and had good luck with it...
    I'd use it again,
     
  3. Gman0046
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 6,256

    Gman0046
    Member

    I never use radiator stop leak of any kind. After seeing the gunk it builds up behind freeze plugs it wouldn't even think about it. How about heater cores and other water passages? I'd remove that radiator, have it boiled out, pressure checked and repaired. If you've got one pin hole there could be more just waiting to follow. A radiator is this last thing I'd mess with doing a half assed repair. Do it right or don't do it at all.

    Gary
     
    Texas Webb and da34guy like this.
  4. Get it out and have it gone over by a good radiator shop or it will let you down. JW
     
    ace5043 likes this.
  5. Firecat7
    Joined: Dec 11, 2011
    Posts: 273

    Firecat7
    Member

    POR15...or chassis saver , may take 2 coats. can you see the hole. I repaired a honeycomb rad this way. so far still holding.proof will be time. haven't used car many miles yet. $2000 for new rad, made me improvise. stop leaks have never worked well for me. have used por15 for gas tank repairs too. only thing I found to hold back gas. jus remember....its a oneway ticket. once you use it, no more able to solder. good luck
     
  6. Don's Hot Rods
    Joined: Oct 7, 2005
    Posts: 8,319

    Don's Hot Rods
    Member
    from florida

    The brand you mentioned is probably a lot like Alumaseal that I am familiar with (little flakes of aluminum that melt into the hole and seal it up) It is the least of the evils as far as damage, but ones like Bars Leaks and some of the others are really bad. I used some Bars Leaks in a car one time, and later, when I tore the engine apart, all the cooling passages had this solid concretelike mass that I had to chisel out to reopen them. Never again.

    Have a radiator shop do it right.

    Don
     
  7. G-son
    Joined: Dec 19, 2012
    Posts: 1,475

    G-son
    Member
    from Sweden

    Brass radiator? Easily soldered, as long as you've got access to the leak.
     
  8. scrap metal 48
    Joined: Sep 6, 2009
    Posts: 6,124

    scrap metal 48
    Member

    I use to work at a Chevy S10 assembly plant and the last thing they did before start up was drop 2 pellets of stop leak into the radiator, fill it with antifreeze and start it up for the first time.. I've never had a problem and have used it plenty of times in my old beaters.. Maybe I'm just lucky...
     
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  9. 5brown1
    Joined: Apr 13, 2008
    Posts: 242

    5brown1
    Member

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  10. wsdad
    Joined: Dec 31, 2005
    Posts: 1,257

    wsdad
    Member

    What kind/brand was it?
     
  11. I've heard pouring a tablespoon or so of black pepper (as in, the shit from your kitchen..) into the radiator does the trick.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  12. Black pepper worked for me several times,
    but repair is really best.
     
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  13. ...................................You have to add it with a whole egg.......seriously. It's gotten a lot of people home before.
     
    Tony Martino likes this.
  14. BLUDICE
    Joined: Jun 23, 2006
    Posts: 1,516

    BLUDICE
    Member

    black pepper and a whole egg - for sure?? is this permanent or temporary??
     
  15. .........................Temporary, and only if it's a pinhole leak.
     
    porknbeaner likes this.
  16. Yep ^^^^^

    I have used silver seal and Bars even pepper but nothing beats a little dab of solder on a pin hole.

    The egg is not necessary, just pepper it and go on and yes it is temporary. I kept the Pusher going that way for a year once when I was working too many hours to make a repair, pepper about once a month and keep on truckin'. I eventually had time to drain it and solder up the hole and that fixed it.

    I didn't even use silver solder (the solder of choice) a propane torch and a little soft solder did it.

    here is a quick tip for everyone reading this thread, if you do not know how to solder it is a skill that you should have. Lots of things get soldered on these old heaps that we drive. You can even solder up a fuel tank with a soldering iron and some silver solder, and using a soldering iron instead of a torch you won't blow yourself up.

    Get some tin or copper and some solder and learn. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2015
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  17. Solder is your best bet for a permanent repair,but black peper will get you home in a pinch. HRP
     
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  18. Gman0046
    Joined: Jul 24, 2005
    Posts: 6,256

    Gman0046
    Member

    My Grandpa told me that back in the day folks used horse shit to fix a leaking radiator. The oats swell up and plug the leak. I've never tried it though.

    Gary
     
  19. Doesn't work on a pressurized system. Common fix for the Ts was oats in the radiator. My granddad said he tried it on a later pressurized system and it blew out the tank.
     
  20. 54fierro
    Joined: Jul 6, 2006
    Posts: 493

    54fierro
    Member
    from san diego

    Ive had good luck with Silverseal and Alumaseal.
    I would never recommend the Bars leak stuff, I used that stuff and it created a world of problems until I flushed it out. Along with the mess it made when my radiator puked.
     
  21. 41 C28
    Joined: Dec 17, 2005
    Posts: 1,772

    41 C28
    Member

    If it is just seeping and not squiring out clean the area real good and apply a little JB Weld. It worked for me as a temporary fix over a year ago and is still working fine. That way there is no need to worry about clogging up the inside of the radiator.
     
  22. scrap metal 48
    Joined: Sep 6, 2009
    Posts: 6,124

    scrap metal 48
    Member

    Hey sling shot, I don't know the brand but it came 2,000 pellets to a box...
     
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  23. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,261

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    Do it once, do it right. Solder. How long and often do you expect to keep making temporary fixes.
     
    G-son likes this.
  24. Maverick Daddy
    Joined: Nov 26, 2008
    Posts: 4,461

    Maverick Daddy
    Member

    Ive used black pepper several times, with good results.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  25. If this is the same stuff, Cadillac sold these pellets 6 to a box for use in HT4100 V8s.
    Hit up a local Cadillac dealer, preferably one that's been in business through the bad years (HT4100 era).

    Cosmo
     
  26. scrap metal 48
    Joined: Sep 6, 2009
    Posts: 6,124

    scrap metal 48
    Member

    We assembled 800 S10 Blazers in an 8 hour day so 2 pellets per truck damn near finished a box...
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  27. Diavolo
    Joined: Apr 1, 2009
    Posts: 824

    Diavolo
    Member

    If the previous owner is so proud of silver seal, why didn't he do it himself and you would never have seen a leak?

    I used aluma seal and it sealed- the core of my radiator. Ended up having to pull it and have it professionally done anyway.
     
  28. Chevy Gasser
    Joined: Jan 23, 2007
    Posts: 720

    Chevy Gasser
    Member

    Nothing at all wrong with bars leaks, silver seal, and such. I've used it in dozens of cars. I really prefer bars leaks copper, it is a little better quality thus more permanent. If you plug a radiator with recommended amount, you were due to pull the radiator anyway. Pepper will work temporarily too but don't tighten radiator cap all the way tight. I've heard more than a few new manufacturers factory install a stop leak.
    I have had no problem with air conditioned units either. I have used it successfully in diesel engines but know what you have. Some of the new diesels have a coolant filter so that will not work good with a radiator sealer. Leaking head gaskets have also been fixed but if you have a valuable engine it's time to pull the head and do it right.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  29. I caught a rock in the radiator of my daily driver 68 chevy shortbox out on the interstate. I knew as soon as the fan blew anti freeze up through the hood louvers all over my windshield. Pin hole in a tube back in the middle of the radiator and I was 40 miles from any town.....I put the tobacco from 2 cigarettes down the neck and the leak sputtered to a stop in 15 seconds. I finally had it repaired 2 years later when it began to seep.
    I also had a leak in my brand new 34 ford Walker radiator [self inflicted] and had it repaired immediately...taped thick cardboard over the core like I should have in the first place.
    I'd remove it and have it professionally repaired now.
     
    lothiandon1940 likes this.
  30. verde742
    Joined: Aug 11, 2010
    Posts: 6,558

    verde742
    Member

    throw an egg in it, when you brought it to our shop in the 70's, the egg was like a rubber plug..

    At radiator school, they told us it was temporary fix, to get the car to the shop..
    B.S. It worked long than that, many times..
     

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