Radiator mystery leak

ecohen2

True Classic
A couple of years ago I installed the Vicks Texas heat radiator which has been fantastic until recently.. About two months ago I started to notice a strong coolant smell and a single droplet hanging on to the bottom corner of the radiator. If I use a bright light in a dark garage I can see vapor up near the headlights, but I can't see where it is coming from.

I have been trying to track this down for a while and am now at a loss... Here is what I have done so far and my last guess:

1. Pressurized the system at 10PSI and waited 30 minutes for a drip or drop in pressure... Nothing..
2. Replaced the bleeder bolt, No difference
3. Replaced the crush washers and tried stacking two multiple times.. No difference
4. Showed it to @carl who agreed that it is leaking, but also couldn't figure it out.

I now wonder if the alloy bleeder bolt is seeping when it gets hot. The thread pitch is not exactly tight so could this be gasses seeping past and then condensing to form a drip?

I am curious if anyone else has any ideas or has had a similar issue?

Thanks,
Ed
 
I have one of those rads on one of my X's. It leaks from a couple of the welded seams around the tanks (very poor welds). Check around those seams.
 
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So do you just let them leak or did you do something to stop the leak? I am not a welder, so I have limited options other than getting another radiator or taking it to a radiator shop to fix..

I just put some thread tape and a new washer on the bleeder plug.... It didn't make a difference...
 
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KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Any chance a radiator hose clamp is not tight enough? On my aluminum radiator the outlet tube was not round. Took it to my local shop how use a fancy tool to make the opening round again for $10
 
Dry off the area thoroughly. Powder the area with talcum or body powder or some such. Go through the heat cycle. You should have a clear trail through the powder back to where the leak originates. Might help determining next step.
 
KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Any chance a radiator hose clamp is not tight enough? On my aluminum radiator the outlet tube was not round. Took it to my local shop how use a fancy tool to make the opening round again for $10

Clamps are tight and it comes from the front side... I just added a photo... Again, I can pump the system up to 10 PSI when it is cold and let it sit for 45 minutes without even a hint of a leak. Then I go out for a drive, come back and there is ONE drip hanging off the bottom... If I wipe it off, I don't get a second...
 
Clamps are tight and it comes from the front side... I just added a photo... Again, I can pump the system up to 10 PSI when it is cold and let it sit for 45 minutes without even a hint of a leak. Then I go out for a drive, come back and there is ONE drip hanging off the bottom... If I wipe it off, I don't get a second...
Run it in the driveway and let it get nice and hot and see if it drips! You could add some rad leak repair( but rather not!) or even try a little reposition on the hose clamps! Obviously, it’s only leaking when it’s hot! Put your pressure tester on, get it hot and check the pressure again!
 
It is confounding, I found that little green spot that Ed shows in the picture. Won't drip enough to fall to the ground but in my garage with the door closed you can definitely smell it. Ed's car has that funky body kit so it's not easy to remove the plastic grill and leave the rad exposed to look at it although we did slide under the car to look at the back side of the rad but really can only see that one dribble.
 
So do you just let them leak or did you do something to stop the leak? I am not a welder, so I have limited options other than getting another radiator or taking it to a radiator shop to fix..
When the engine is running and up to temp I can see the leaks seeping at the welds, even at a idle sitting still. 10 psi might not be enough pressure, I think these systems run at 16 psi? Plus heat will change everything when the aluminum tanks expand. Also if yours isn't too bad yet, then it may only happen at higher RPM's when the cooling system is circulating more.

I will attempt to have the leaking seams on mine rewelded. I'm not properly equipped or experienced with welding aluminum, so I'll have to take it to a shop. I'm debating if it is better to go to a welding specialist or a radiator specialist? It would have to be one of the old fashion radiator shops (which may no longer exist around here, not sure), because the newer shops do not know how to repair/weld tanks. So a good TIG welding shop might be better in that aspect, but they won't be able to pressure test it properly to assure all leaks are repaired.

Either way I would not use any leak stop additives, or epoxy patches, etc. That will not give a satisfactory nor lasting result. Ultimately these rads may not be worth saving, unfortunately they seem to be a very poor quality overall.
 
When the engine is running and up to temp I can see the leaks seeping at the welds, even at a idle sitting still. 10 psi might not be enough pressure, I think these systems run at 16 psi? Plus heat will change everything when the aluminum tanks expand. Also if yours isn't too bad yet, then it may only happen at higher RPM's when the cooling system is circulating more.

I will attempt to have the leaking seams on mine rewelded. I'm not properly equipped or experienced with welding aluminum, so I'll have to take it to a shop. I'm debating if it is better to go to a welding specialist or a radiator specialist? It would have to be one of the old fashion radiator shops (which may no longer exist around here, not sure), because the newer shops do not know how to repair/weld tanks. So a good TIG welding shop might be better in that aspect, but they won't be able to pressure test it properly to assure all leaks are repaired.

Either way I would not use any leak stop additives, or epoxy patches, etc. That will not give a satisfactory nor lasting result. Ultimately these rads may not be worth saving, unfortunately they seem to be a very poor quality overall.
When I was an apprentice, the instructor would cut holes in an aluminum cored rad and then we would melt plastic rod with a propane torch into the hole, refill and test it! That was 30 plus years ago and I don’t know if they still do it that way and I don’t remember what kind of plastic? I think it was GM specific for that purpose??
 
I am fairly confident that the leak is occurring someplace high up on the radiator. The smell when it it hot is far greater than what the drip would indicate. In fact, I can live with the drip, but the car stinks up my garage after a good drive.. I have never liked the way the alloy plug fits in the radiator so I tried some thread tape and another crush washer... No difference...

Thanks,
Ed
 

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Stupid suggestion (I know all mine are). How about raising the car and dropping the radiator down? Might need to loosen and reangle the hoses, but you will be able to see the whole radiator while it's running. I have a lift we can try this on. Last stupid idea. Take the radiator to a radiator stop for a pressure test. I have a shop in Hagerstown that is really good.
 
@toddr124 Neither of those are stupid suggestions... I am trying to determine two things right now... First, if I fix the current leak what are the chances that another weld gives out in a year or so... Second, is there a more reliable alloy radiator? I would rather replace this and be done with it instead of having to fix it again in a year.. Remember a couple of years ago I had the alloy overflow tank that leaked around the filler neck? I wasted a huge amount of time with "fixes" and then just bought another.. Problem solved..

I am sure someone with welding skills would be interested in this radiator at a highly discounted price....

Ed
 
@toddr124 Neither of those are stupid suggestions... I am trying to determine two things right now... First, if I fix the current leak what are the chances that another weld gives out in a year or so... Second, is there a more reliable alloy radiator? I would rather replace this and be done with it instead of having to fix it again in a year.. Remember a couple of years ago I had the alloy overflow tank that leaked around the filler neck? I wasted a huge amount of time with "fixes" and then just bought another.. Problem solved..

I am sure someone with welding skills would be interested in this radiator at a highly discounted price....

Ed
Try the AC DELCO TABS! Like I said, they use them on the assembly line. I don’t know about the other products out there, but you’ve nothing to lose, and they won’t bing up the system!!
 
After doing some more research I discovered that most aluminum radiator repairs are done with some form of Epoxy putty or JB Weld material.. Researching the AC Delco Tabs and found a couple more X1/9 alloy radiators online...
 
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