Radweld, Is It Safe?

[Garry 1]

In a bit of a dilema!

 

I am supposed to be doing a Trackday at Rockingham on Saturday.

 

I had noticed a small coolant leak last year, so over the past few weekends I have been changing over the coolant pipes to silicon ones. Tonight I filled the system and found my leak is actually from the radiator itself. I had tested the rad by filling it with water, but I only did it (stupidly) from one end. It is very small, regular droplets every second or so.

 

If I use radweld to fix the leak are there any consequences to the health of the engine?

The head was recently rebuilt and I don't want to mess it up for the sake of one trackday.

 

Help!

[James_R 3]

For the 30 to buy a new rad?

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

K-seal is better

[welshpug 1,657]

I wouldn't use anything like that in my engine if I wanted it to last, I'd go with Sean's suggestion.

[Garry 1]

Do you mean James Welshpug?

No can do, I use a Radtec shortened Rad, £300 jobbie, due to the supercharger boost pipes.

[welshpug 1,657]

hmm, yes I do, and DOH on the rad!

[GLPoomobile 958]

If there's an easy way of pumping water through the rad in isolation, then you could do that instead. Once it's had a good flow of Radweld filled water pumped through it for a bit and the leak has sealed, flush the rad out and reconnect it. Just a thought.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

I think radweld relies on heat to actually weld. Is it worth putting a lower pressure headertank cap or lower temp thermostat to reduce the pressure & temp in the cooling system? It will leak more when under pressure

[jackherer 543]

Use araldite on the outside of the rad rather than one of the chemicals that go all through the cooling system.

[DamirGTI 342]

Did the same with some epoxy metal when i had holed rad once it stood up nicely without any issues at all ... i even sold the rad (well , not quite sold , i give it .. for a beer !) afterwards to an lady which had a breakdown on her 205 diesel near my house and she still uses this car with my "bodged" rad ..

 

Damir

[Garry 1]

Thanks for your responses.

 

I have decided to abandon the idea of taking the 205 and send the Rad back to Radtec for repairing.

 

So now I have the choice of selling my place, taking my Leon or borrowing an MX5.

[pablo 0]

glob of araldite over the leak mate, held up great when I holed mine taking the gearbox out.

[welshpug 1,657]

I think Borrowing an MX5 has got to be done

[lagonda 42]

Used Radweld or some similar jollop to seal a corroded core plug on my old Lancia Y10...the water was pouring out almost as fast as I poured in, but amazingly the Radweld did it's job despite that. So dead chuffed as was in France & all serious tools back in UK.

That said...the car ran noticeably hotter afterwards, so clearly it tends to block passageways, such as those in the radiator.