Temporary Radiator Suggestions? (1 Viewer)

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jaymar

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So, here's the thing. Radiator leaks like a sieve (2/3 gallon fill-up before departure, another before coming back. I have a five-mile range before I'm in the 200s with heater/rear heater blasting and coasting in neutral as much as possible. AND it's time to visit the CA Smog Police, who will run the thing for half an hour AFTER I clear the codes and run it up and down the freeway for twenty minutes. Clearly none of that is possible. Yes I have a new and costly radiator that's been sitting here a long time, waiting to go in. BUT I also have a HG leak that's not getting fixed before the smog test. No way that new rad goes in before the HG and @NLXTACY-style vinegar flush... SO I need a radiator that will work for a while, and not take a leak on the test floor.

( And, yes; I'm aware it's a messed-up situation, thanks. :) But it is what it is for the moment. )

Any suggestions on affordable options here?
 
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So, here's the thing. Radiator leaks like a sieve (2/3 gallon fill-up before departure, another before coming back. I have a five-mile range before I'm in the 200s with heater/rear heater blasting and coasting in neutral as much as possible. AND it's time to visit the CA Smog Police, who will run the thing for half an hour AFTER I clear the codes and run it up and down the freeway for twenty minutes. Clearly none of that is possible. Yes I have a new and costly radiator that's been sitting here a long time, waiting to go in. BUT I also have a HG leak that's not getting fixed before the smog test. No way that new rad goes in before the HG and @NLXTACY-style vinegar flush... SO I need a radiator that will work for a while, and not take a leak on the test floor.

( And, yes; I'm aware it's a messed-up situation, thanks. :) But it is what it is for the moment. )

Any suggestions on affordable options here?

I have one but I’m in Oregon
 
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I don't understand why you don't install the radiator you have laying around.
Because it’s pricey, I can’t afford another one, and I’m not gonna risk blowing it out with the head gasket issue. :)
 
Because it’s pricey, I can’t afford another one, and I’m not gonna risk blowing it out with the head gasket issue. :)

Why would you blow it out? The radiator cap will allow excess pressure out.

Install the radiator you have, refill the vehicle with distilled water, add a bottle of head gasket sealer containing sodium silicate, and run the engine according to the directions on the bottle. Drain and refill with 50/50 coolant.

Then drive the vehicle until you have the time or resources to replace the head gasket.

And no, it won't clog your nice, new radiator. Nor will it clog any coolant passages. Scary? Less so than what you're currently doing to your Cruiser.
 
My experience was different, although I didn't add the headgasket/block sealer, the PO did it before I bought a 95 FZJ80. I agree however that it is very tempting to dump in a bottle of headgasket sealer and just drive it (for anyone, including me).

But once I started taking the engine apart from a 95 model apart I learned that the sealer (Sodium Silicate) had coated every internal surface of the cooling system: the pipes, hoses, head, block, and the radiator.
---------------------------------------------------------


Below are some photos of what I found, the PO apparently had dumped in (more than one bottle??) of head.gasket/block sealer (undisclosed during the sale). He was running just water so it was mixed with rust.

If I can find it I'll post up photos of the smaller water bypass pipes that were blocked by the sealer when it flaked off the internal surfaces of the cooling system. This may have been the result of me trying to clean the system before I had it apart but my guess is sooner or later it could have happened by itself.

I don't have a good photo but the bottom of the water jacket (block) was full of large flakes of the hardened sodium silicate that had dropped to the bottom.

Oil cooler full of flaking block sealer.jpg


OIl cooler plate covered in rust.jpg



This clearly shows how the sealer built up a thick coating on the internal surface of the oil cooler cover which then began to flake off.

WP_20210220_16_59_37_Rich.jpg



This next one shows the inside of the U pipe up near the heat control valve.
All the hoses and pipes were similar. Click twice to see the build-up, looks like zillions of tiny stalactites:

Heater pipe removed after other cleaners.jpg



If you double click on this photo looking into the radiator and look closely you can just barely see that it's not just rust, there is a thick coating tightly adhered to the inside surface of the radiator. This is after multiple (6+) attempts to clean it out using a few different types of cooling system cleaners including Thermocure. They barely touched it.

Rust or coating after other product.jpg



So one question is, how much does this coating affect heat transfer?? IDK

I'm not an expert in this topic, just sharing. My guess is the PO of this 80 had dumped in multiple bottles of sealer thinking he had a head gasket leak, but it turned out the problem was a four inch crack in a cylinder wall.
 
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This one compares two used Thermostats: one which came out of a clean system and the other out of the same engine as above that had block sealers added along with a poorly maintained cooling system. Most of what is stuck to the Thermostat however is the sealer, it crumbled when touched.

Again, double click and look closely keeping in mind this is after multiple
attempts to flush the system; with various cleaners (about 6 IIRC). They may have weakend the attachment of the sodium silicate but didn't remove/dissolve it.

----- Neglected system with sealer -------- Clean system without sealer ------

FZJ80 Thermostat examples used with block sealer and without.jpg
 
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My experience was different, although I didn't add the headgasket/block sealer, the PO did it before I bought a 95 FZJ80. I agree however that it is very tempting to dump in a bottle of headgasket sealer and just drive it (for anyone, including me).

But once I started taking the engine apart from a 95 model apart I learned that the sealer (Sodium Silicate) had coated every internal surface of the cooling system: the pipes, hoses, head, block, and the radiator.
---------------------------------------------------------


Below are some photos of what I found, the PO apparently had dumped in (more than one bottle??) of head.gasket/block sealer (undisclosed during the sale). He was running just water so it was mixed with rust.

If I can find it I'll post up photos of the smaller water bypass pipes that were blocked by the sealer when it flaked off the internal surfaces of the cooling system. This may have been the result of me trying to clean the system before I had it apart but my guess is sooner or later it could have happened by itself.

I don't have a good photo but the bottom of the water jacket (block) was full of large flakes of the hardened sodium silicate that had dropped to the bottom.

View attachment 3129920

View attachment 3129921


This clearly shows how the sealer built up a thick coating on the internal surface of the oil cooler cover which then began to flake off.

View attachment 3129923


This next one shows the inside of the U pipe up near the heat control valve.
All the hoses and pipes were similar. Click twice to see the build-up, looks like zillions of tiny stalactites:

View attachment 3129926


If you double click on this photo looking into the radiator and look closely you can just barely see that it's not just rust, there is a slightly off-white/orangish coating adhered to the inside surface of the radiator. This is after multiple attempts to clean it out using a few different types of cooling system cleaners incluiding Thermocure. They barely touched it.

View attachment 3129927


So one question is, how much does this coating affect heat transfer??

IDK.
Point well made! we really don't know what the OP's have done to our buggy's...
 
My experience was different, although I didn't add the headgasket/block sealer, the PO did it before I bought a 95 FZJ80. I agree however that it is very tempting to dump in a bottle of headgasket sealer and just drive it (for anyone, including me).

But once I started taking the engine apart from a 95 model apart I learned that the sealer (Sodium Silicate) had coated every internal surface of the cooling system: the pipes, hoses, head, block, and the radiator.
---------------------------------------------------------


Below are some photos of what I found, the PO apparently had dumped in (more than one bottle??) of head.gasket/block sealer (undisclosed during the sale). He was running just water so it was mixed with rust.

If I can find it I'll post up photos of the smaller water bypass pipes that were blocked by the sealer when it flaked off the internal surfaces of the cooling system. This may have been the result of me trying to clean the system before I had it apart but my guess is sooner or later it could have happened by itself.

I don't have a good photo but the bottom of the water jacket (block) was full of large flakes of the hardened sodium silicate that had dropped to the bottom.

View attachment 3129920

View attachment 3129921


This clearly shows how the sealer built up a thick coating on the internal surface of the oil cooler cover which then began to flake off.

View attachment 3129923


This next one shows the inside of the U pipe up near the heat control valve.
All the hoses and pipes were similar. Click twice to see the build-up, looks like zillions of tiny stalactites:

View attachment 3129926


If you double click on this photo looking into the radiator and look closely you can just barely see that it's not just rust, there is a slightly off-white/orangish coating adhered to the inside surface of the radiator. This is after multiple attempts to clean it out using a few different types of cooling system cleaners incluiding Thermocure. They barely touched it.

View attachment 3129927


So one question is, how much does this coating affect heat transfer??

IDK.
It would probably work fine going down the road?? but once you begin to stress the system, then you will notice the loss of heat transfer.. Its called a "radiator" for a reason, lol.. and you've proven that there isn't a lot of heat transfer away from the heat source in your vehicle..

In your situation I would definitely opt for a new cheap radiator, flush it, and fill it with something good, lol..
 
If you need to ask to borrow a radiator then maybe it’s time to rethink Land Cruise ownership 🤷‍♂️

Just sayin
 
If you need to ask to borrow a radiator then maybe it’s time to rethink Land Cruise ownership 🤷‍♂️

Just sayin

Death first. Have you priced a Ron Davis lately?
 
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Why would you blow it out? The radiator cap will allow excess pressure out.

Install the radiator you have, refill the vehicle with distilled water, add a bottle of head gasket sealer containing sodium silicate, and run the engine according to the directions on the bottle. Drain and refill with 50/50 coolant.

Then drive the vehicle until you have the time or resources to replace the head gasket.

And no, it won't clog your nice, new radiator. Nor will it clog any coolant passages. Scary? Less so than what you're currently doing to your Cruiser.
How about corrosion from exhaust gases and fuel? Anyway, I'm not subjecting the radiator-in-waiting to that. Ain't gonna happen. :)
 
How about corrosion from exhaust gases and fuel?

What part of a radiator is corroded by exhaust gases and/or fuel?

You're letting perfect be the enemy of good, and the 'perfect' in this case sounds largely imaginary.

You're currently regularly overheating your engine because you're driving on a blown head gasket and with a leaking radiator that can't even hold pressure and prevent boiling. You're also at risk of water and coolant entering your cylinder(s). How is that better?
 
What part of a radiator is corroded by exhaust gases and/or fuel?

You're letting perfect be the enemy of good, and the 'perfect' in this case sounds largely imaginary.

You're currently regularly overheating your engine because you're driving on a blown head gasket and with a leaking radiator that can't even hold pressure and prevent boiling. You're also at risk of water and coolant entering your cylinder(s). How is that better?
I refer you back to post #1:

( And, yes; I'm aware it's a messed-up situation, thanks. :) But it is what it is for the moment. )
 
Not knowing how the regulations with rego work there but cant you just delay the smog test and not drive the car until youve fixed the root cause?

you will end up doing more damage than the cost of a radiator
 
How soon do you need it??

Ultra Power 1917, $114 + $20 shipping Ground (RockAuto)
OK, then this is the no brainer.

Like others have said, your risking more damage !
 
Not knowing how the regulations with rego work there but cant you just delay the smog test and not drive the car until youve fixed the root cause?

you will end up doing more damage than the cost of a radiator

Pulling and surfacing the head is going to take a while. Already delayed the test by paying the registration fee first. Been in the 90s and 100s, couldn't work on things. Now I'm tied up with other stuff. I don't drive it much right now; a few miles, once or twice a week. After the work, different story.
 

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