crazykn Posted September 26, 2006 Report Share Posted September 26, 2006 Well I found a leak in my radiator today... seems to explain why my coolant is slowly disappearing. About a two inches under the the upper hose entry is where the leak is, and its seems to be a very small crack... probably sealable... Now I know that I can't just seal it up and leave it... but i'm wondering if there is a type of sealant or epoxy or whatever can temporarily stop this leak (something I can just apply outside of the tiny leak) that will hold for a week or two until payday so I can get myself another radiator?It not leaking horribly... the coolant level doesn't drop considerably, just gradually over the few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussB Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Replace your radiator, anything else is ghetto hack-butchery <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drlava Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 there's nothing wrong with sealing it for the time being. I'd use a strong plastic resin glue, you can find it a HD or better yet, a hobby store. should last till the crack expands more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazykn Posted September 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Anything that will last two weeks will do fine... I don't do long hard drives, just quick ones around the city.My current plan is to pick up the parts from eeuroparts (cheaper than FCP). Nissens radiator, new upper and lower hoses, thermostat and coolant temp sensor. Figured it be best to do them all since the coolant will be drained and such... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikv11 Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 My car's radiator has a hairline crack in the upper outlet. It stopped leaking when I replaced the hose and cranked it down. But so I started shopping and reading because I'll be replacing it soon enough.Now I'm not afraid to buy an aftermarket part if it will work well and will last a while (I know often they don't ...) but I decided that based on fitment and quality issues I read about in posts here, it is probably worth buying the OEM radiator. You'll basically never have to replace this OEM part again, you may have to replace the Nissens. eEuroparts was selling the OEM for a while, check there, maybe call them.consider the receiver/dryer while you've got the radiator out, on my car it is all rusted to hell I don't see how it isn't leaking yet. But that means flush the A/C a whole new can of worms ...my $0.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkitaWagon Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 While you are running around the city with the temporary fix, it might be good to keep some extra coolant or distilledwater in the trunk in case the temp seal gives or another one starts leaking. Mine started as a small leak in the upper hose area like yours and by the end of the day it had emptied half of the coolant reservoir.Also order a thermostat and coolant temp sensor if you haven't replaced them yet. They're easy to do while you're doing the radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazykn Posted September 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Ok, I've read almost everything I can on the Nissens... i've decided to cough up the extra $$ to get the OEM. So my next question is: Where can I get the cheapest Volvo OEM radiator? IPD has one for $285, but it says OEM... is it really the Volvo OEM or another Nissens? I think its like $325 from the dealer... and being near-broke... i'd like to save as much money as possible while avoiding a aftermarket product that might fail me again in the near future. I guess i'll be doing this job myself, so i'll want the best chances of good fitment. So far this will be the biggest job i'll be attempting so far. I've only been doing basic stage zero stuff and this feels like a "coming-of-age" DIY... . I was supposed to tackle the PCV soon, but looks like this gets top priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAKES855 Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 jb weld held my radiator together for d@mn near a month, its a life saver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkitaWagon Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Ok, I've read almost everything I can on the Nissens... i've decided to cough up the extra $$ to get the OEM. So my next question is: Where can I get the cheapest Volvo OEM radiator? IPD has one for $285, but it says OEM... is it really the Volvo OEM or another Nissens? I think its like $325 from the dealer... and being near-broke... i'd like to save as much money as possible while avoiding a aftermarket product that might fail me again in the near future. I guess i'll be doing this job myself, so i'll want the best chances of good fitment. So far this will be the biggest job i'll be attempting so far. I've only been doing basic stage zero stuff and this feels like a "coming-of-age" DIY... . I was supposed to tackle the PCV soon, but looks like this gets top priority.The dealers here in the bay area will quote you $350 to $400 for the radiator. iPd may get you an OEM radiator for $285, but they're probably going to charge you to have the box delivered to your door also. I ended up getting mine from CJ for the lowest price. Let me know if you need help. It's not too bad of a job and you can probably get it all done by yourself in a day if there aren't any complications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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