Has Radweld just killed my engine ?

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RealBeale

RealBeale

Active Member
Posts
533
Location
Birmingham
Typical. I'm due to sell my Td4 soon but the rad sprung a leak driving home today.Lost most of the coolant from the expansion tank.Topped it up but again, after a 20 minute journey lost the same amount again. I need to do a 14 mile drive to "my Freelander Guy" who said he could replace the rad tomorrow afternoon. So , like a chump I decided to try Radweld to make sure I managed the journey tomorrow, and as it was just to get me there and as the rad was going to be changed I thought "what harm can it do?".
Followed the instructions on the bottle. BUT , the engine was up to temperature and the coolant was not circulating, both top and bottom rad hoses are cold.Even took it for a blast and they are still cold.Still no circulation. Looks like this Radweld crap may have blocked the coolant system.
This could cost me dear.
 
Cheers for all the replies.Think Ill get my man to come and recover it. He can flush the system when he changes the rad.
 
The first 10 years of my working life (1980-90) were spent repairing, building and reconditioning every sort of automotive radiator you can imagine, and the aftermath of Radweld was a daily event. How this crap has managed to stay on shelves I have no idea. A trail of potential destruction ensues the minute you put it in.

The most common failures were blocking of the water ports in the head or block, encasing the thermostat bulb and thus keeping it shut as the stat didn't know the true temperature, and complete blocking of the radiator core.

It wasn't uncommon to remove the header or bottom tank off a radiator to find a large lump of jellified radweld (about the size of an egg) floating around looking for it's friends which were usually still in the engine!!

Worst results I saw. Waterpump failure due to the veins being blocked thus sending the water nowhere, and taking the header tank off a Ford Escort radiator to find a perfect jelly mold of it inside the tank!!

We used to advise back flushing the system before fitting a new Radiator that had been destroyed. Easier done in those days as the Stat was usually on top the engine and easy to remove to get the back circulation going. Might be a bigger challenge these days.............
 
Well it's just left on a low loader to my mates workshop.He says he'll back flush it first before removing the stat, waterpump etc to check their condition.Then once he 's happy, he'll fit a new rad.
 
RealBeale said:
Typical. I'm due to sell my Td4 soon but the rad sprung a leak driving home today.Lost most of the coolant from the expansion tank.Topped it up but again, after a 20 minute journey lost the same amount again. I need to do a 14 mile drive to "my Freelander Guy" who said he could replace the rad tomorrow afternoon. So , like a chump I decided to try Radweld to make sure I managed the journey tomorrow, and as it was just to get me there and as the rad was going to be changed I thought "what harm can it do?".
Followed the instructions on the bottle. BUT , the engine was up to temperature and the coolant was not circulating, both top and bottom rad hoses are cold.Even took it for a blast and they are still cold.Still no circulation. Looks like this Radweld crap may have blocked the coolant system.
This could cost me dear.
Click to expand...

Your rad is leaking but coolant is leaving via the coolant expansion tank? :confused:

Is this before you added the devil's work?
 
19NMC said:
The first 10 years of my working life (1980-90) were spent repairing, building and reconditioning every sort of automotive radiator you can imagine, and the aftermath of Radweld was a daily event. How this crap has managed to stay on shelves I have no idea. A trail of potential destruction ensues the minute you put it in.

The most common failures were blocking of the water ports in the head or block, encasing the thermostat bulb and thus keeping it shut as the stat didn't know the true temperature, and complete blocking of the radiator core.

It wasn't uncommon to remove the header or bottom tank off a radiator to find a large lump of jellified radweld (about the size of an egg) floating around looking for it's friends which were usually still in the engine!!

Worst results I saw. Waterpump failure due to the veins being blocked thus sending the water nowhere, and taking the header tank off a Ford Escort radiator to find a perfect jelly mold of it inside the tank!!

We used to advise back flushing the system before fitting a new Radiator that had been destroyed. Easier done in those days as the Stat was usually on top the engine and easy to remove to get the back circulation going. Might be a bigger challenge these days.............
Click to expand...

Momma says, radweld is the devil
 
Only way it will block the pipes is if you don't shake it enough but the actual amount of solids in a bottle of radweld is barely the size of a golf ball. Rest is fluid to mix with it before pouring in
 
have used radweld in my td4 several years ago, never had any issues, it stopped the leak, the product reacts with air, usually at the point of the leak, there are some engines that do have narrow water ways, but in general follow the instructions,,

the worst thing you can do is not have the correct amount of antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor in the system

stop worrying:)
 
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