The past couple of days I noticed a coolant leak when I started my Mazda B4000 (4.0L engine). My mechanic put a pressure gauge on the radiator and we noticed a slow drop in pressure. There was also moisture where the core and radiator meet. He said I'll be needing a new radiator soon, but we put in some sealant in the meantime. Is this a common occurrence? He referred to it as "Ford Disease". BTW, the truck has 111,000 miles and it's probably the original radiator.

 

were was the leak at?

 

Sounds like you need to find a mechanic that is not so biased against Ford. Ford buys radiators from the same vendor(s) that GM, Chrysler, and other buy theirs from. Ford is not Modine, LOL.

On the leak, I assume you mean the leak is between the core and one of the tanks. For the price of a new one (show carefully and buy a name brand) VS a potentially botched repair, I'd buy new. All radiators fatigue with time and eventually will develop a leak. Thermal stress at the joints is the cause. He is correct, you will want to replace it soon. My experience with a failing tank/core interface is that they split with no warning and you loose all of your coolant.

 

I wouldn't advise using a sealant, which I am assuming is some kind of "stop leak". That stuff is a last resort measure, at best. Personally I'd never put it in my own cooling sysem unless I knew I was going to be replacing the engine at some point. You don't need that stuff circulating throughout your heads and block when we're only talking about a leaky radiator.

As mentioned, buy a new, name-brand radiator with a warranty and install it along with a nice fresh 50/50 coolant mix (drain the whole system for the repair). You might even think about replacing the hoses while you are at it.

 

Mine is leaking also. I tried the stop leak crap and it didn't do a thing. The location is in a seam on the top on the passenger side. It only leaks when the radiator is warm (not hot), but no pressure is built up. When it's hot and pressure builds up, no leaks at all. Even a pressure test we did a few times showed no leaks. Strange.

Oh well, new radiator for me in the VERY near future. I'm thinking about doing it myself. I have the Haynes book but it doesn't go into much detail about doing it. They do make it sound easy. Take off the hoses, the transmission connection, then unbolt the mounting bolts. Is it really that easy? (I plan to go ahead and replace the hoses and the thermostat while I'm in there.)

One other question. Any recomendations as to where to get the radiator? AutoZone, Pep Boys, NAPA, Ford, or internet mail order? CowboyBilly9Mile mentioned to get a name brand, but I don't know a name brand of radiator from a brand name of ballet shoes.

Thanks!!

 

Modine is a major supplier of radiators for OEM and aftermarket applications. Price shop at the places you noted, then start playing the numbers games with a few parts suppliers, pressuring them to meet and beat someone elses price. I got mine a few years ago (Modine) for around $130 at Schucks. I'd expect that to be a bit higher now thanks to inflation. I think they had a deal going where they would meet and beat anyone else price by something like 5 or 10%. The brands you want to stear clear of are the made in china or taiwan ones. Sure, the price is probably attractive; the quality is often not.

Installation really is straight forward; here's a few pointers. Pay attention to the rubber isolators that slide into the radiator and through which the mounting bolts go. On your old radiator, there are two clips that secure the lower side of the flange on the fan shroud. You will have to reuse these clips if the new radiator does not include them. Install them before installing the radiator. Use pliers and/or a hammer and punch to install the clips (be careful, the aluminum is soft). Before installing the new radiator, rinse out debris that gets trapped between the A/C condensor and the radiator. Set the bottom of the core on a hard surface when installing; do NOT set the radiator on the tanks and pound those clips on. On the thermostat, I'd suggest seeing Ford for an OEM one. Make sure the bleeder on the thermostat is at the 12 o'clock position to encourage easier bleeding when filling the cooling system. When replacing the heater hoses, do not yank on them to remove from the heater core (unless you want a damaged heater core/leak); instead use a knife and cut the old hose. Use a knife to cut any other hose that is being stubborn to remove. Cut carefully to avoid scoring a deep line into metal although you would probably not get a leak even if you did. Note the routing on the hoses before removal so you can install the new one in the same fashion. Watch for wear and abrasion on the old hoses; if possible adjust position or hose length to eliminate future abrasion on the new hose. This would also be a good time to flush the system (before beginning hose, radiator, etc replacement) if it's been awhile. When done with installing the radiator etc, fill the radiator and purge air with the heater turned on. Remember to check tranny fluid (ATF) and replenish. Oh, you might consider installing hose clamps on the burp tank line at both ends. If you saw my thread from last month, you'll know why.

This should be the bulk of it along with pointers. Let us know how you make out on the deal.

 

I'll second that. I put stop leak in my wifes '90 mustang and not only did it stop the leak, it plugged up the heater core as well. Didn't have heat worth a damn in that car after that. I flushed the system more times than I can remember and never got the heat to work well again. I ended up replacing the radiator about 2 weeks after putting in the stop leak.

 

Thank you so much Bill for the great information!

 

I don't trust the cheap stop-leak stuff, however I have had good success with a product called Iron Tite which is designed for Hiway tractors. It's a lot more expensive than the Dept store stuff but it works. I used it a couple of times when my farm tractors developed small coolant leaks during the busy season and I just wanted to keep them going until the first rainy day. I never had any problems plugging rads or heater cores. Now this was used in cast iron engines with copper rads so I can't say how it would affect aluminum, a check of the label would probably tell you that. Ditto the advice to replace it ASAP though, my experience has shown that little leaks will almost always suddenly become very large leaks, usually at the most inconvenient moment possible. Good Luck

 

Just Remember To Flush The Engine Before Ya Put That New Radiator In You Dont Want To Dirty It Up

 

If you want to try an alternative repair instead of replacing the tank....

You might look and see if the leak is actually between the plastic end tanks and the core. If it is, the leak may be from weakened crimps on the metal "fingers" which hold the end caps in place. Carefully remove the radiator, squeeze the metal fingers with a large pair of channel lock pliers. You'll see them tighten slightly. (My pliers are approx 16 inches long). Be very careful doing this. Reinstall the radiator and try it out. I repaired my Ranger and Explorer radiator this way about a year ago. It's still going good.

My opinion is to never use stop leak, (or any other "additive") for any reason.

Hope this helps.

 

I'm not recommending this but:

when I was a teen we had an '81 Olds customer cruiser wagon. after 10 years and 100k, it started to have problems. 3 times I used a stop leak on that car, and 3 times it worked. That's the only time I had to use it. I remember it well because I opened up the jar and it looked like rabbit turds in coffee.

 

Refering to the last reply I've used the rabbit turds in a jar of coffee. It's called Bars leak it ended up putting off the new radiator purchase for about 4 months. It was an old work car wouldn't put it in anything I cared about.

 

Guys I hate to let the air out of your tires but here it is! EVERY new engine that leaves detroit has a measured amount of stop leak in the cooling system! Just enough to make sure that nobody complains about small leaks... It has been thataway for many years.
Big JIm

 

Yep-R, I even have the part number for the pellets in my F150 Owners manual. Stop leak is an insurance also for engine gasket leaks, and radiator leaks. I just use about 1/2 tube after each coolant change. I still have good heat, and no problems.