JB Welding Radiator (my conclusion: don't do it lol)

Hello, just clocked 200k miles, noticed pink stuff all over the engine bay for the last couple of months. Went to wash the engine bay today and that's when I noticed the crack. I have sanded, wiped the surface with brake cleaner, and applied JB weld (the regular kind).
Is this a workable repair?
Thanks!

 

It's a crap shoot. If your prep work was thurough (your process reads correct) it'll last you until your next payday when you can get yourself a new one..


Definitely only a bandaid I wouldn't trust long term

 

Just replace it lol such an easy job

 

Easy to remove



The crack I had



And the replacement

 

I ran a jb radiator for years. It started as a bandaid...

 

I've run it as well. Have had success with it lasting alot longer than originally intended on quite a few different repairs.

But it's not a habit I'm proud of

 

It all comes down to how well the JB Weld is blended and if it expands and contracts at the same rate as the radiator tank.

Then it seems all the epoxies have improved in the last 20 years since those early days

 

do you trust the pre-mixed JB weld in a vial stick that you just knead with fingers until it starts changing color and sticking to the gloves?
i had to slap some of that stuff in a tight fit on a fuel tank rotted hole vent tube

 

I ran JB Weld on an air compressor and it worked great. It'll just depend on how well it can handle the heat.

 

I would just replace. I accidentally drilled a hole in my radiator and was freaking out a bit until I realized just how easy they are to replace. Seriously, it only took like 20 minutes. I replaced it with an o-reilly's brand radiator.

 

I gotta ask ... How does one accidentally drill a hole in a radiator ??

 

OMG.....don't be a door knob.

Pull the radiator, take it to a radiator shop. They will restore it to new condition without a big spend.

I hate bandaid patches. Sure, the patch is Ok to save you and allow you to make a repair. Permanent.....no way.

 

Doing some custom fab work on my front end. I was moving a frame cross-member up higher and drilled a hole through it, and right into the radiator. It ended up being a blessing in disguise because my 15 year old radiator was DIRTY. My truck can maintain temp much easier now.

 

Get that fixed before someone sees a Tacoma on the side of the road. Reason for csf all aluminum now

 

I’m interested to see how long it lasts - if you’re not going off grid might as well see how well it works imo. Doesn’t hurt to learn something imo.

 

That JB works great. It is all about preparation.

 

I'm going to run it and see what happens. I don't mind just replacing it, but I am also curious to see how long this works. Theoretically the JB weld will hold better than the actual radiator plastic, so if I start getting more cracks I'll just replace it. I have noticed that most folks with radiator cracks are seeing them at the top end, near the fill cap. So maybe that's some kind of weak spot.

 

Lol I love all these comments freaking out about it! I've patched a radiator and ran it for 3 years, you'll be fine.

 

The whole upper and lower tanks are weak spot

 

I'll keep an eye on the bottom of the radiator as well. I'm wondering how much coolant I lost, probably not enough to buy actual coolant (I'll just add some distilled water).