Radiator Nipple Fix Walk-Through... (1 Viewer)

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Same here.
Looks good, think you'll be OK.
But - would have been a little more solid to choose one way or the other, but not both.
Permanent seal with JB Weld, or replacable with PTFE tape.

Advantage to using JB Weld as the thread sealant is - you can keep the thread pressure very low - less expanding stress on the plastic.
Plus it adds broader structural tie-in. Stronger next time you smack it. You got a little of that, can add more fillet for strength.
Advantage of PTFE - so easily re-doable.
If it ever starts seeping, you maybe can soften the epoxy with some careful heat and remove.
 
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No, @084runnerltd , the OP, used both.
@TriTran, responding just above, used just PTFE.

@TriTran, where did you get that brass nipple? I couldn't find anything except the usual plumbing barb fittings.
 
lol, didn't even notice the dates. Talking to someone long gone. :doh:
 
Bambusiero said:
...
Advantage to using JB Weld as the thread sealant is - you can keep the thread pressure very low - less expanding stress on the plastic.
...
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. If I were to do it, would use epoxy and just snug the fitting. But, good radiator can be had for ~$100ish, so other than a temporary fix until the new one arrives, don't see the point?
 
I don't worry about it with my current radiator (all metal) but with the original...I simply took a piece of 3/4" wide aluminum flat stock, bent it into a hat section, popped a couple holes in the feet of it and the fan shroud. Pop riveted it to the fan shroud. That way you have a metal hat section over the top of the nipple to protect it and REMIND you not lean on it...etc.

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Nipple Guard01.jpg
Nipple Guard02.jpg
 
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This is an old thread, but I'm glad it's still up. Thanks for all the info. After mine broke yesterday, I saw this write-up and it inspired me to go out and pick up what's needed to give it a shot. It did it late at night and let the JB Weld set. I woke up and drove 60 miles today without any issues. I kept checking, not a drop. It's not pretty but it feels a whole lot stronger than the stock nipple. I added a hill of plumbers tape at the hose end to create a tighter seal. When the stock clip didn't want to get over the little hump, I realized that I can use a clamp on steroids because the threaded pipe is brass. I'll probably get a new radiator,, but I feel like this would last for a long time.

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Clydespop said:
This an old thread, but I'm glad it's still up. Thanks for all the info. After mine broke yesterday, I saw this write-up and it inspired me to go out and pick up what's needed to give it a shot. It did it late at night and let the JB Weld set. I woke up and drove 60 miles today without any issues. I kept checking, not a drop. It's not pretty but it feels a whole lot stronger than the stock nipple. I added a hill of plumbers tape at the hose end to create a tighter seal. When the stock clip didn't want to get over the little hump, I realized that I can use a clamp on steroids because the threaded pipe is brass. I'll probably get a new radiator,, but I feel like this would last for a long time.

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A friend that was giving me a hand bottoning my truck up after my LS swap broke mine. The radiator was near new. Eager to drive the truck I did this repair and ordered a new radiator. That was 3 years and almost 40,000 miles ago and the new radiator is still in the box. 🤣
 
thatcabledude said:
A friend that was giving me a hand bottoning my truck up after my LS swap broke mine. The radiator was near new. Eager to drive the truck I did this repair and ordered a new radiator. That was 3 years and almost 40,000 miles ago and the new radiator is still in the box. 🤣
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Okay, that's just awesome to hear. I keep my 95 Cruiser as a second car and I don't have any long trips planned for it in the near future, so I think I'm going to hold off on ordering a radiator. Worse case, I use my AAA service to tow anywhere within 100 miles and drop the cash for a new one when needed. I have a mechanic I use for stuff that I can't or don't want to do. I broke mine at the end of installing a new fan clutch. I sent him a photo of the broken nipple and asked him if I just bought myself a new radiator while trying to save myself money. He said "Yes, definitely". I'll show him this fix. He wasn't saying yes to get money out of me. He knows I would put a new one in myself. Mechanics don't think the way the rest of us do, because they're dealing with other people's money. I wonder what the success rate is for others on this thread, as far as how long the fix lasted. I'm betting they don't think about it much anymore because they're not having any problems. I can see it not lasting as long as yours did if you don't take your time to do it right though. Thanks for the update. I'll check in down the road too so the next guy who breaks this poorly situated plastic piece will have more history to go by. The nipple guard that MoJ just posted seems like a good, logical idea.
 
Clydespop said:
Okay, that's just awesome to hear. I keep my 95 Cruiser as a second car and I don't have any long trips planned for it in the near future, so I think I'm going to hold off on ordering a radiator. Worse case, I use my AAA service to tow anywhere within 100 miles and drop the cash for a new one when needed. I have a mechanic I use for stuff that I can't or don't want to do. I broke mine at the end of installing a new fan clutch. I sent him a photo of the broken nipple and asked him if I just bought myself a new radiator while trying to save myself money. He said "Yes, definitely". I'll show him this fix. He wasn't saying yes to get money out of me. He knows I would put a new one in myself. Mechanics don't think the way the rest of us do, because they're dealing with other people's money. I wonder what the success rate is for others on this thread, as far as how long the fix lasted. I'm betting they don't think about it much anymore because they're not having any problems. I can see it not lasting as long as yours did if you don't take your time to do it right though. Thanks for the update. I'll check in down the road too so the next guy who breaks this poorly situated plastic piece will have more history to go by. The nipple guard that MoJ just posted seems like a good, logical idea.
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Heck, all add that I wheeled in Utah/Colorado for a 2 weeks in the dead of summer with this repair I trust it that much.
 
Imo, this repair is stronger than ha I got a new plastic radiator.

Although I am the OP, so maybe I am a little bias. But I don’t see any reason to buy a new radiator if you find yourself in this predicament.
 
084runnerltd said:
Imo, this repair is stronger than ha I got a new plastic radiator.

Although I am the OP, so maybe I am a little bias. But I don’t see any reason to buy a new radiator if you find yourself in this predicament.
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I'll tell you, things looked bleak for me, but worked out in the end. I saw your post, checked to see what time Home Depot closed, and got there at 9:40pm, 20 minutes before closing. Wasn't able to get started until midnight. The tapping bit I bought came with a drill bit. For some reason I couldn't get the threaded brass pipe to catch threads after tapping. It was too tight, even when trying without any pipe tape just to get it started. I spent a long time trying, but and eventually decided to bump up one size with another drill bit. This was a Hail Mary pass. Once opening the whole up bigger, there's no going back. Also, would my tapping bit create new threads if it's not being used in a hole that was created with the drill bit it came with? At that point I decided that this wasn't working, I have to buy a new radiator, so what the hell? When I got to the point where I needed to use channel locks to turn the pipe, I was suddenly encouraged. It was hard enough to turn that I can tell the fit was tight. I removed any exposed plumbers tape so that the JB Weld had only a clean, sanded plastic and brass surface to deal with. Taking your time and leaving the first couple of threads exposed without tape to avoid cross threading is good advice. I knew that if I cross threaded, I couldn't start over with a wider threaded pipe, because now you're dealing with a hose fitting issue. Although, maybe there's a fix around that with a hose adapter, but I wouldn't have been able to wake up and drive my car right out of the garage. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time 7 years ago to create the write-up. So wait, does this mean that your fix has lasted for 7 years? I'm just now realizing this.
 
Clydespop said:
I'll tell you, things looked bleak for me, but worked out in the end. I saw your post, checked to see what time Home Depot closed, and got there at 9:40pm, 20 minutes before closing. Wasn't able to get started until midnight. The tapping bit I bought came with a drill bit. For some reason I couldn't get the threaded brass pipe to catch threads after tapping. It was too tight, even when trying without any pipe tape just to get it started. I spent a long time trying, but and eventually decided to bump up one size with another drill bit. This was a Hail Mary pass. Once opening the whole up bigger, there's no going back. Also, would my tapping bit create new threads if it's not being used in a hole that was created with the drill bit it came with? At that point I decided that this wasn't working, I have to buy a new radiator, so what the hell? When I got to the point where I needed to use channel locks to turn the pipe, I was suddenly encouraged. It was hard enough to turn that I can tell the fit was tight. I removed any exposed plumbers tape so that the JB Weld had only a clean, sanded plastic and brass surface to deal with. Taking your time and leaving the first couple of threads exposed without tape to avoid cross threading is good advice. I knew that if I cross threaded, I couldn't start over with a wider threaded pipe, because now you're dealing with a hose fitting issue. Although, maybe there's a fix around that with a hose adapter, but I wouldn't have been able to wake up and drive my car right out of the garage. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time 7 years ago to create the write-up. So wait, does this mean that your fix has lasted for 7 years? I'm just now realizing this.
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Glad it worked for you.

I could probably find out if it is still holding up, I sold it to another member on Mud....after that I bought and H1, then came back to my senses and bought a 100 series...sold that about 6 months ago and on to something else....but I am sure I will return for a 200 series....I am a slow learner.

I really think after this fix you won’t have to worry about that area leaking again during the life of the radiator...but I guess only time will tell.
 
084runnerltd said:
After swapping coolant, fan clutch oil, installing new thermostat and hoses...I was replacing the fan shroud that broke a week prior and all was complete. While installing it, I broke the plastic radiator nipple.

I will probably end up buying a new radiator before I go on a long distance trip in the rig next summer.

You will need:

21/64 Drill Bit
1/8 NPT 27 tap
1/8 x 2 Threaded Pipe
JB Weld
Plumbers Tape
Vise grips/channel locks
Some sort of Cleaner
Distiller Water / Coolant



1). Drill into the radiator slowly using the 21/64" bit and remove plastic as it feeds out. Don't go in to far...I could feel when I reached a different material while drilling. You don't need to apply much pressure, let the drill bit slowly crawl in.

2). SLOWLY start the tap, turning it into the plastic. I would turn in 1-2 revolutions and back it out. This allowed me to remove plastic scraps along the way and reinforce the threads I had just created. I threaded in to about 3/4 of an inch and cleaned up the area.

3). Wrap plumbers tap around one end of your threaded pipe. Remember to wrap in the direction that you will be screwing the pipe in. Also, recommended to not tape the first one to two threads. (This allows you to make sure your threads line up properly...remember this is metal on plastic, so it would be quite easy to cross thread it).

4). Start threading the pipe by hand, once you can no longer turn it by hand, grab your channel locks or vise grips and SLOWLY turn in the pipe.

5.). Clean the area well, removing any tape, plastic and coolant from the area.

6). Mix up the JB Weld and apply.

7). Seal around the entire pipe/opening.

8.) I removed the hose from the engine and "screwed" it onto the other end of the pipe and re-applied the clamp. You will lose some coolant from this. I am sure you could force it over the threads, but I didn't want to apply any unnecessary pressure on the area....it threaded on smoothly.

9). Hook up the tubing and clamps or replace the hose if needed.

10). Top off coolant with distilled water / coolant that was lost along the way.

11). Update life insurance and invite your wife to drink the kool-aid. Or you could just clean it up.

12). Marvel at the money you saved.


Hope this helps someone...normally I am always asking everyone else for their help, hopefully this will help return the favor.

Also, I don't claim that this is the right process, but I am confident this is sealed and stronger than the flimsy plastic that was their.

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I don't know if anybody still sees this thread, but I'm reporting back after just under 2 1/2 years. Still holding up without a single problem. Best fix I've come across on any thread.
 
I replaced my radiator about a year ago - not because the nipple broke off but because I had a new one sitting for years and I didn't want to drop it or mess it up
 
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