markv@dartvax.UUCP (Mark F. Vita) (07/06/85)
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Last week I was driving my 1980 Pontiac Phoenix to college, on a rather
warm day, with several hundred pounds of crap in the back, when the "TEMP"
dummy light came on. I pulled over and opened the hood, and discovered
that coolant was spurting from three small pinhole-sized leaks in the
radiator, facing the fan. I made it to a service station, and the mechanic
there sold me some "Radiator Stop-Leak", a gummy white liquid which, when
poured into a radiator, will supposedly plug up small leaks.
Well, the stuff apparently worked; I was able to drive the remaining 60
miles of my trip without problems, and have driven 200+ miles since without
further leakage. My question is: anybody out there had any experience with
this "Stop Leak" stuff? How long can I expect it to last? Is it feasible to
have the holes in the radiator repaired (soldered or something), or should it
be replaced? How much can I reasonably expect to pay for repair or replacement?
Thanks in advance for any advice/input any of you netters can contribute.
--
Mark Vita
Dartmouth College
USENET: {decvax,cornell,linus,astrovax}!dartvax!markv
ARPA: markv%dartmouth@csnet-relay
CSNET: markv@dartmouthgmack@denelvx.UUCP (Gregg Mackenzie) (07/09/85)
> further leakage. My question is: anybody out there had any experience with > this "Stop Leak" stuff? How long can I expect it to last? Is it feasible to > have the holes in the radiator repaired (soldered or something), or should it > be replaced? How much can I reasonably expect to pay for repair or replacement? We put some Stop Leak in our farm tractor in 1971 and it held until last November. Although, it's used often, it doesn't get the daily use a car gets. Your mileage may vary :-). Anyway, we had the radiator boiled, repaired (soldered), and pressure tested for about $36. This is taking it out yourself and taking it into the shop. Also, check it for leaks when you re-install it. Tightening the bolts can cause certain stresses which will open holes that seal themselves when the bolts are loosened. > Mark Vita Gregg Mackenzie denelcor!gmack
gvcormack@watdaisy.UUCP (Gordon V. Cormack) (07/11/85)
> radiator, facing the fan. I made it to a service station, and the mechanic > there sold me some "Radiator Stop-Leak", a gummy white liquid which, when > poured into a radiator, will supposedly plug up small leaks. > My question is: anybody out there had any experience with > this "Stop Leak" stuff? How long can I expect it to last? Is it feasible to > have the holes in the radiator repaired (soldered or something), or should it > be replaced? How much can I reasonably expect to pay for repair or replacement? > -- > Mark Vita A couple of years ago I had an argument with a van (I was driving a Mazda 808). Anyway, I ended up with about 16 holes in the radiator. I soldered 15 of them, but one was hidden in the core. So I poured in a can of the "glop" and it worked fine. I never did remove the glop, and the radiator worked fine for 20,000 miles. It is often claimed that this stuff will gum up your heater core so that you won't have any heat in winter. I did not find this to be the case. I think this may be true of some of the powdered stuff you put in the rad. I definitely recommend only the liquid. -- Gordon V. Cormack CS Department, University of Waterloo gvcormack@watdaisy.uucp gvcormack%watdaisy@waterloo.csnet