I have a crack in the side tank of my radiator (plastic) & was wondering if anyone has patched one of these things successfully? New radiator lists for $219-239. The local shop will put a new tank on & rod it out for a cool $100 bucks, which might be a good option as summer is nearing and I live in the high desert in SoCal! BTW...it' a 2000 with the 3.0 & 5spd.

 

No patch that I know of for rad tanks. Let the fellow put a new tank on the old one. If you have kept the antifreeze up to date, there should be no reason to rod it out, but it is a good idea to look at the tubes while the tank is off. The price quoted seems a bit high, like about $100 too high, but the last one I bought was a couple years ago, so ...
tom

 

I bought a new "Ready-Rad" from Advance Auto year before last, for a little less than $100, for my Taurus, so maybe shop around some more.

Salvage yard, for a low mileage donor, may be another option, as well as having a radiator shop replace the faulty tank, if the radiators innards are ok, as has been suggested.

More thoughts for pondering.

 

I'll definantly shop around more...it's been cracked for over a month now. I make sure to keep it filled with fluids. It never overheats but we are approaching our time of year with days of 100+ degree temps! The shop I talked to sad they rod em out no matter what since the tank is off. Thanks for the input!

 

I have used JB weld to patch a cracked plastic tank on a radiator. Worked pretty good for a few months, when the ex traded the car in. The crack was about 3/4" long.
Just make sure the area is 100% clean and dry. I used carb cleaner and some emory cloth to prep the area. Then be sure to let it sit for 24hrs before adding coolant.

I just didn't want to invest $150 in a new rad, when I knew she wasn't going to keep the car for more than 6 months.

 

Any patch is more than not a "Temporary Fix". To increase the longevity of the repair and depending where the crack is you might consider isolating the fracture by drilling a VERY SMALL hole at each the end of the crack to prevent it from continuing its journey. Use the closest to a hair thickness drill bit that you can find then follow the advise of the others in relations to prep and application. JMHO.
Rog

Oh, by the way...LMC wants $190.00 for a new Radiator + shipping.

 

kawa is right and good advice- I just jb welded (I've used this stuff dozens of times) my own plastic rad. tank on my 2001 Ranger after a low speed front end collision. Should hold pretty good. I once used JB weld to repair an aluminum block on a Saturn (world famous for cracked blocks) and it held up great, and also on anold Ford 6.9 diesel to repair a seized glow plug relay when the only other option was to remove the cylinder head......4 bucks spent saved my many times

 

I have actually done two different temporary repairs on the plastic radiators. method 1.as stated above use JB weld, making sure to prep the living crap out of the surface before hand. method 2. If you have access to a plastic welding setup you can put a patch over it, my personal preference was to try to weld as much of the crack itself closed, then coat the crack with RTV trying to get as much into the crack as possible then welding the patch over top of it. Longevity wise I wouldn't rely on either of these for more than 6 months absolute max. But for short term fix until you can afford a proper repair they are both good options.

 

You must do your shopping at the NAPA on Main st. and i agree with devildog, JB weld and super glue and duct tape and band-aids, are all great temporary fixes, but in the long haul, expect to replace the whole radiator. oh, and NEVER, i repeat NEVER use the cheap stop leak stuff at any parts store. it will clog your cooling system. other than that, have fun this summer in Victimville and Hysteria and Crapple Valley!!! lol (i can say that cause i used to live up there too)

 

I had to pull mine once, and the polypro tank was out of polyethylene. Got some welding rod, and hadn't had a problem in years. Got it at Plastic Welding Rod

 

is the radiator original? if so then 12 years old. i would replace it if that is the case. as others have said do not use stop leak..