radiator leak (1 Viewer)

[droopydawg]

Leaks at the seam in the top.
Do any of you trust the JB Weld stuff/powder that you just pour in and it makes its way to a leak and seals it? What about the other JB Weld that you mix the two tubes and spread it on?

(Looking for a quick, not so pretty fix)

Thanks

(78 Mus-turd yellow 40)

 

[Poser]

Picked one up from CCOT before I went to the Hills...


http://store.yahoo.com/coolfj40/radfj19thru1.html


Works great!


Good luck!


-Steve

 

[HawkDriver]

This post was fairly recent, might help.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=55044

 

[droopydawg]

This post was fairly recent, might help.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=55044

Thanks. I will try brazing, since I already have the stuff to do it. If it does not work, least I have not wasted any additional money trying it.

 

[sonoranfun]

aluminum radiators cannot be repaired.

I wouldn't do business with CCOT just based on that! That's total crap, I just got one fixed without any issue at all. I may be missing something here like always but unless somebody points it out to me I'll say you're MUCH better of with a $190 alum eBay special!

 

[IDave]

Picked one up from CCOT before I went to the Hills...


http://store.yahoo.com/coolfj40/radfj19thru1.html


Works great!


Good luck!


-Steve

Steve:

I have found the aftermarket radiators I have seen have a drain cock that is fairly flush with the bottom of the radiator. They do not have the extention that goes out the bottom through the small hole in the radiator frame like the factory radiator, and the hole does not line up quite with the frame hole, either. How did you deal with that? Or are CCOT's OK that way?

 

[Landpimp]

I just had the same leak show up on my 82 fj40, i replaced the rad with one from Performance Raditator, 4 core for $170, OEM quailty.

Dave, the late models do not have the extention for the drain cock, at least both my OEM 82 rads didn't have it, but my earlier 40/5's did.

Also want to say the Performance Rad is Tacoma(which is the headquarters for Performance I think) is a top notch outfit. After I got the rad in, I noticed the filler neck was leaking(could hardly see it). So I stoped by Performances rad shop, they took the old neck off, put a new one on for me when the rad was in the cruisers. To be honest it was prolly not a quailty issue, I "may" have lightly droped the rad on its neck or had it upside down resting on its neck when I was putting the drain cock in The kid that worked on it for me, his brother has a built 40 and had a pair of ball and claw axles laying outside the shop........it felt like home

Also Performance does not show a rad online for a 81-3 fj40, but its the same as a 79.

 

[IDave]

Dave, the late models do not have the extention for the drain cock, at least both my OEM 82 rads didn't have it, but my earlier 40/5's did.

I noticed Steve's is a 69, if it is still close to stock, it will be like mine. There's no way to drain the things (except to remove the lower radiator hose and run the coolant all over the front of your engine), AFAICT.

 

[Cat Scan]

Hey Droop,

Not to insult you or anyone else here, but are you absolutely sure that you are dealing with a leak in the tank?

On my 78 I tried to deal with what appeared to be a leak at the seam on the top tank for a while. Then I noticed that it always appeared after the cruiser was warmed up and always appeared near the top radiator hose bib first and traveled across the seem almost to the other side of the radiator.

I continued to check tightness of radiator clamp, so I was pretty sure it must be the seam. Then, I decided to put two clamps on the hose. Leak stopped. So it was the hose all that time.

Well, you were looking for an easy fix. Thought I would share this with you.

CS

 

[Landpimp]

good point, I had this also, ran from the hose all the way around to the front of the rad.. But then the seam went

Hey Droop,

Not to insult you or anyone else here, but are you absolutely sure that you are dealing with a leak in the tank?

On my 78 I tried to deal with what appeared to be a leak at the seam on the top tank for a while. Then I noticed that it always appeared after the cruiser was warmed up and always appeared near the top radiator hose bib first and traveled across the seem almost to the other side of the radiator.

I continued to check tightness of radiator clamp, so I was pretty sure it must be the seam. Then, I decided to put two clamps on the hose. Leak stopped. So it was the hose all that time.

Well, you were looking for an easy fix. Thought I would share this with you.

CS

 

[HawkDriver]

Hey Droop,

Not to insult you or anyone else here, but are you absolutely sure that you are dealing with a leak in the tank?

On my 78 I tried to deal with what appeared to be a leak at the seam on the top tank for a while. Then I noticed that it always appeared after the cruiser was warmed up and always appeared near the top radiator hose bib first and traveled across the seem almost to the other side of the radiator.

I continued to check tightness of radiator clamp, so I was pretty sure it must be the seam. Then, I decided to put two clamps on the hose. Leak stopped. So it was the hose all that time.

Well, you were looking for an easy fix. Thought I would share this with you.

CS

Whell... I feel very insulted, in fact I'm gonna go cry about it
jk, Good call.

 

[droopydawg]

Hey Droop,

Not to insult you or anyone else here, but are you absolutely sure that you are dealing with a leak in the tank?

CS

No problem. I am a FJ rookie, but have been getting my hands dirty on cars and motorcycles for about 25 years now. Just the weekend garage mechanic sort of stuff and an occasional clutch replacement, but that is it.
Yep, when 40 is warmed up, and once I noticed green stuff dripping onto the ground, I opened hood and noticed a narrow jet of of the green stuff spraying out of a, then, tiny little hole in the front upper seam. Looks like someone has used JB Weld or something similar in the seam in about a 2 inch length. Over the last week and a half, the opening has gotten longer, as though the JB stuff is working its way off.
This is wife's rig (lucky beech) and she only has a 1 1/2 mile commute (again, lucky beech) so the leak is not a big enough concern to buy a $150.00 rad yet. I just want to make sure the green stuff stays in there for a while. She is not much for the maintenance of anything and I dont want to worry about her driving with the radiator empty, cause she does not know better.
If brazing it closed or a good clean-up and more JB Weld will get us to next year until we have better opportunity for a new rad, that would be great.
Just bought this rig last monday, and the rust and replacing some panels and being able to put on the sides and roof before winter is more important right now. (winter in atlanta? well, maybe not.)
Have not heard if anyone ever used that brown powdery stuff made by JB Weld that you just pour into the Rad, so perhaps I should stay away from that?
Thanks

 

[snailwagon]

I think it is best to stay away from any powders that you pour into your radiator. Seems like the ability to clog holes is not all that selective, probably not good. Recently I had my radiator in my toy pickup turn into a sprinkler from where it was poorly patched and painted over. I was far away from home so I just picked up a pack of that radiator patch/putty junk available from any autodrone outlet. It worked very well as a temporary fix(for the week I actually used it) and was only $4.
But new radiators are a beutiful thing, my 55 has never been cooler with a new radiator and shroud.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Usually anything you just pour in doesn't work, and if it does, not for long. Mine was recently leaking from the bottom tank. I tried stop leak, of course it only worked for a couple days. So I removed the radiator and cleaned up the seams with my wire wheel on my 4" grinder. Then my fiance's brother the plumber fluxed the crap out of it and soldered it all up. Did the top tank too, just for good measure. Hasn't leaked a drop since. And it's been about a thousand miles or so. Of course If I wasn't broke due to getting married in 2 weeks I would have just bought a new radiator. Radiatorbarn.com seemed to be the cheapest.