I'm starting this thread here because I figure it's the best place to continue sharing pics and results of trying to fix my leaky radiator. To start from the beginning, I noticed that there was a very small coolant puddle on the top plastic part of my radiator. I would wipe it off but it would still be there instantly. So I figured that there was a tiny hole or crack at the top of the radiator. I figure it could be patched up, so I buy some JB Weld putty(bad idea - get the epoxy stuff). Well after two minutes of the VX running, coolant already started eating away the putty and it leaked even worse. I bought another radiator to replace this one, but another member here suggested that 3m 5200 adhesive worked perfectly for him, so I bought that. This was my first time putting the 3m on, but I read that the area needs to be really clean before putting it on. So I used a rough file, scratched up the plastic surface really well, cleaned it all off, and applied the 3m.
Well, I was thinking about putting another coat of 3m on there, but I was too eager to try out the fix. So I got the VX running for about 5 minutes and checked to find no leaks. I decided to drive it to work, and then checked it one more time to find this:
Coolant had sprayed all over the engine bay and it was coming out of a really small hole in the front of the adhesive. I drove it home, removed the old 3m, cleaned the area up, and applied a bigger amount of 3m adhesive.
This time, I'm going to wait 24 hours and then will apply another coat of adhesive, then one more coat after that one dries.
Originally Posted by HeckaTrebeka
I'm starting this thread here because I figure it's the best place to continue sharing pics and results of trying to fix my leaky radiator. To start from the beginning, I noticed that there was a very small coolant puddle on the top plastic part of my radiator. I would wipe it off but it would still be there instantly. So I figured that there was a tiny hole or crack at the top of the radiator. I figure it could be patched up, so I buy some JB Weld putty(bad idea - get the epoxy stuff). Well after two minutes of the VX running, coolant already started eating away the putty and it leaked even worse. I bought another radiator to replace this one, but another member here suggested that 3m 5200 adhesive worked perfectly for him, so I bought that. This was my first time putting the 3m on, but I read that the area needs to be really clean before putting it on. So I used a rough file, scratched up the plastic surface really well, cleaned it all off, and applied the 3m.
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