Fan shroud, oil pan, I'm ready to kill somebody..... (1 Viewer)

[NYNick]

Some of you may know I put the oil pan gasket on after sanding, priming and painting the pan, only to find pin hole leaks in the pan itself. Argh. New pan and gasket on order, here we go again.

Meanwhile, while doing my Rodney Flush, I noticed a coolant leak from the bottom of the radiator somewhere. I had drained the coolant and added some Prestone flush stuff recently(probably my big mistake), anticipating a future back flush and refill; and I don't think I had a leak before. After fighting the fan shroud, A/C and battery tray, I simply gave up on the shroud and had my wife run the car while I inspected the back of the radiator for a leak/spray of some sort, while I held the shroud out of the way. Can't see a leak from the fins, but it looks like there's coolant collecting on the bottom radiator 'tray' and coming out there.

So, before I pull the stupid radiator and get another one, is there something I can do to prove it's the radiator itself? Is there some kind of shade tree pressure test I can do, maybe?

God it's frustrating. Seems like every time I do something, something else pops up somewhere else.

Oh, did I mention the fouled plug on #1 cylinder? Saving that for another post with a picture for you guys to diagnose.

Thanks guys..

Nick

 

[toolman]

Nick,
For my experience with radiators in general, if you think it's not rock solid, just go ahead and pull the radiator and take it to a radiator shop where they can inspect,repair and pressure test it correctly. Trust me...you will be headaches ahead. No leaks, no stranded somewhere you don't want to be and most important, no overheating the engine which will kill it faster than anything else.
AND...while your waitin on your radiator to get back from the shop, take that fan shroud and cut it in to a top and bottom piece just about half way. Makes it much easier to deal with in the future and does not affect it's performance.
Tim

 

[FJ60Seth]

I bought a cooling system pressure tester. I think it's a really worthwhile tool to have. It pinpoints where a hose, water pump, etc is leaking so there's no guessing. It's also useful for bleeding air out of the system and eliminating internal leaks as a symptom.

 

[Dynosoar]

x2 pressure test is the ONLY way to go.

Dynosoar

 

[Elbert]

pressure tester is the way as mentioned above...its the best tool to check for leaks of the cooling system,, get a good flashlight and make sure the system is full prior to pressurizing.

 

[NYNick]

Pressure test

I saw a reference to this kind of PT somewhere during my search here. This hookup is genius. Compressor with small nipple attachment into to overflow hose and clamped with the overflow hose clamp. Pumped up to 20lbs and observe. Looks for sure to be the bottom of the radiator. I'm betting that Flush stuff sitting in my radiator made this happen.

I'll do the Autozone thing just to be sure, but this hookup sure told the story quickly. Thanks guys, I've calmed down a little...

 

[hambone008]

Dang Nick that sounds like the story of my short lived Cruiser life! Oh well stick with it the payoff is well worth the busted knuckles and cursing. How'd your flush go? I'm about to do my first this weekend. Where was the easiest point of hookup for the exit hose thats going into the bucket? How long did it take you start to finish? Take it easy man hope all goes better for ya.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Any idea how old the radiator is? IIRC its fairly cheap to get a radiator re-cored, maybe that is an option you might want to consider.

 

[OyajiJon]

The last time I had a radiator re-cored (a year and a half ago), it cost me over $400. Not cheap...I live on the CA coast, though, so high overhead raises prices.

Good luck.

 

[NYNick]

Speaking of the radiators, if it is leaking should I buy; 1)OEM $500 2)Aftermarket $125-350 (CCOT for example) 3) Used $75-200 (Cruiserparts.net). Seems like re-core isn't worth it at these prices.

Hambone, Rodney went ok. Disconected transmission line at passenger side bottom of the radiator. Bought 5/8 hose, 2 feet worth, and jammed it on the radiator fitting. Had the wife hold it at 2000 rpm and watched it flow for a minute or two at a time. Didn''t really get heavy flow, but ended up flushing 3 gallons worth. Stuff looked good to begin with however. Maybe 1/2 hour for her, 1 hour for me draining pan etc.

Thanks guys...

 

[NYNick]

BTW, the radiator is original to the truck; 1988.

 

[jeffsclan]

Hijack

I bought a cooling system pressure tester. I think it's a really worthwhile tool to have. It pinpoints where a hose, water pump, etc is leaking so there's no guessing. It's also useful for bleeding air out of the system and eliminating internal leaks as a symptom.

Do you let the air bleed out the overflow? I've never thought of this. It sounds like another good use for this tool oh and the pressure tester too

 

[Estancio]

Speaking of the radiators, if it is leaking should I buy; 1)OEM $500 2)Aftermarket $125-350 (CCOT for example) 3) Used $75-200 (Cruiserparts.net). Seems like re-core isn't worth it at these prices.

I asked the same question a few years ago and was advised to get a NEW OEM. No regrets on the OEM as the price was almost the same as re-coring. This was after 20 years of use and two previous radiator repairs. Those other repairs were reasonably priced -- re-soldering the tank to the core. If that's where your leaks are, then you might get off easy.

 

[hambone008]

Speaking of the radiators, if it is leaking should I buy; 1)OEM $500 2)Aftermarket $125-350 (CCOT for example) 3) Used $75-200 (Cruiserparts.net). Seems like re-core isn't worth it at these prices.

Hambone, Rodney went ok. Disconected transmission line at passenger side bottom of the radiator. Bought 5/8 hose, 2 feet worth, and jammed it on the radiator fitting. Had the wife hold it at 2000 rpm and watched it flow for a minute or two at a time. Didn''t really get heavy flow, but ended up flushing 3 gallons worth. Stuff looked good to begin with however. Maybe 1/2 hour for her, 1 hour for me draining pan etc.

Thanks guys...

Awesome Thanks. I wouldn't bother with a re-core I'd go after market unless you plan on doing anything extremely demanding even then I think the coin you save would be well spent elsewhere. Coolcruisers has the CCOT for 320.00. Not bad at all, and from what I hear a good product.

 

[Elbert]

don't buy used, I would not put money towards getting the radiator "re-cored" when you can buy an OEM new one for a little more. IF you plan to keep the truck get a OEM radiator...if not get one from any of the parts stores...I think even Autozone carries replacements.

 

[boerboel313]

Our older Cruisers are like boats and houses. There is aways work to be done on them and when you think it's a easy fix. It's not.

 

[csd4682]

I dont mean to hijack, but I am at a crossroads myself. I am in the process of swaping motors (got the old one out yesterday, new going in today) and I know my radiator was leaking but I gave it a bandaid and fixed it using stop leak. Now I know this is not a long term fix, or at least it hasnt been for me in the past. Now my options are put the radiator back in as is and hope for the best, recore or buy new. Now the money is the biggest thing here, as replacing my motor has not been a cheap process and I really cant afford another 300.00 repair. I have been reading about recoring this morning, and this is the only place I have found where people seem to think that its not a good idea. Why is everyone against a recore? The leak I had was very minor so my radiator might be able to be repiared without a recore. I am not keen on putting the radiator back in the 60 as is, because it was a pita to get out, so I think it would be foolish to put it back in. Again, I amvery curious as to why you guys are against a recore. From what I have read, most places that do a recore, are using a better core than you would get it you buy an aftermarket radiator. Buying OEM is out of the question due to the cost, so I am just trying to decide what option I should take. Thanks for any input, and sorry again for the hijack.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

For me a new motor = new rad (and water pump, too). I read the above as being against recores for the cost relative to a whole new rad.

 

[NYNick]

Removing radiator

So I hooked up a compressor to my overflow line and confirmed my radiator is leaking through the front fins. As I eyeballed the removal process and checked the FSM I see there are some A/C lines going into the radiator, and the FSM says simply "discharge the refrigeration system".

So, how does one do that? Just loosen the fittings and let the gas depressurize the system? Isn't that R-12 or something?

Thanks guys. The rest is pretty self explanatory, although I'm sure it's harder than it looks/reads.

 

[OyajiJon]

They make a tool to evacuate refrigeration systems that should be used. I once loosened a fitting on a condenser and blew freon/oil all over my face. If I wasn't wearing glasses, I think I would have been in trouble. Please don't do that.