Rad leak

[Danny B 0]

Alrite guys,

 

got a bit of a problem.......couple of days ago steam started to sporadically drift from the radiator from my VR6 when standing still in traffic, so today I had a look around and found my rad spraying two tiny jets of water from the top......problem found my thinks.

 

has anyone got any suggestions of the best way to deal with problem....guessing somthing like rad weld ??? has anyone used it and if so any sugestions on the best way to apply, i.e. should i be draining the whole system, or a better product ??

 

Thanks

 

Danny

[nocrap 0]

Rad weld or similar is an option, as far as i know this just goes into the system and blocks up any hole. It is however a temporary solution and can bugger things like the water pump and thermostat.

 

The best way to deal with the problem is to replace the radiator, if it's rusted through in a couple of places already are you going to be happy driving around wandering when the next bit is going to blow? i wouldn't be....

[Jon_vr6 1]

Same happened to me best bet is to replace the radiator most probably be worser than what it looks! Bloody NOCRAP beats me to it!! And have a go doing it yourself !!

[nemesis360 0]

Rad weld and similar products will only be a temporary fix (if it fixes it at all) In my opinion Id just get a new rad fitted, coz you can gaurantee the rad weld will break when your in the middle of nowhere.

 

Graham

[blue95 0]

I persoanlly would not use radweld.

 

It does stop the leak, but it also coats the internals of your cooling circuit.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Very true ^^^ Stay well clear of it!!

[Danny B 0]

yeah i have heard similar scare stories of rad weld.....and hearing what some of you have said maybe best to avoid and take the inevitable on the chin and replace rad !!!! DOH !!!

 

anyone know how much they are ?

[nocrap 0]

Not sure but buy a VAG one not a GSF one.....the VAG quality if far superior.

[Jon_vr6 1]

about £150-180 just make sure you get a VW one and stay clear of the GSF ones!! NO crap your on form! as above

[Danny B 0]

thanks guys for the replys,

 

was thinking of getting done by The Firm after xmas......do you reakon I m ok to drive on it for a bit and keep topping up, or is that a sure way to overheating and new head gasket territory......what I mean is it possible it will just go bang soon and empty water everywhere while running ??

[Jon_vr6 1]

Mine gradually got worse and worse so really id wait till you get it sorted but its your car and its just my opinion!! Remember being stuck in traffic and steam coming out i was like oh no luckily there was a space in the traffic and managed to get home!! :)

[Danny B 0]

cool thanks for the replys guys.

[CazzaVR 0]

Have a go at doing it yourself. I managed to do mine on my own- and I'm certainly no mechanic! It took a whole afternoon, but reckon I could do it in less that two hours now I've done it once. The bumper bolts were a nightmare to get off- had to use a breaker bar and my neighbour to get them off! Apart from that, it's pretty self explanatory.

 

Bumper off

Grille off

Slam panel off

Disconnect hoses/drain coolant

Rad out

Fit new rad

Replace coolant

Replace above parts

 

 

That's it really. Make sure you buy all new fixings when you get the rad. Well worth replacing all the old nuts and bolts while it's all apart.

[Jon_vr6 1]

And change the clips for jubilee ones the are a nightmare to get off and back on!

[nocrap 0]

They are a pain but they are better, the provide the correct pressure (if they haven't been removed too many times before) all the way round and there's no chance of over tightening and buggering up the plastics

[Jon_vr6 1]

very true but the bottom hose has got to be the most arkward one ever to un clip thre is so much sh!t in the way wires etc and mole grips what a waste of time on that one!! Jubilees all the way!!

[Danny B 0]

cool that sounds easy....although as with everything mechanical I will hold judgement till I finish the job......dont mind doing it myself its just finding the time.

 

the only bit I would probably need advice on would be how to bleed the system properly at the end ?? I removed a rad once on a 306 diesel (not mine) and getting the air out of that system required a few choice techniques.

[Jon_vr6 1]

Drain the coolant out and when you come to fill up again fill through the top rad hose until you see some in the expansion tank then connect the top hose and fill the rest through the expansion tank easy!

[Danny B 0]

sounds simple enough, will give it a go in the next few weeks and let you know how I get on with it. :D

[Danny B 0]

started job this moring, how do you get the freaking bumper off??? bad start ??

[nocrap 0]

Remove and disconnect fogs & indicators, remove the black plastics in the corners of the underside of the bumper, undo the 2 17mm bolts on either side....you may wish to put a bottle jack under the engine, i've heard stories of the engine shifting due to the smaller bolts in the middle of the 17mm ones being broken!

Much easier with two people, its supprisingly heavy!

[Jon_vr6 1]

i found this website useful for the bumper removal obviously its the american one so some stuff is NA!

 

http://www.corrado-club.ca/main.php#anchor

[Danny B 0]

thanks guys,

 

found the four main bolts to disconnect bumper and didnt have the right size spanner or socker.......dohhh......halfords is to far to walk. So did the job with the bumper in place.....havent quite finished it the sun beat me this evening, just need to get the new rad in position (cant quite get it to line back up) and wedge the fan back in place......watch this space.

 

danny

[Danny B 0]

guys was just thinking, when i replace the coolant shall I mix it with the water before i fill up with water or shall I add the coolant last/first?

[CazzaVR 0]

Best to mix it first.