N

NeilT

Active Member
I have a small coolant leak which requires topping up with about a litre every 2 or 3 months.
I can see a pink residue at the back of the engine near the bulkhead and someone has said there is a small seal there that can be prone to leaks.

Can I use a Radweld type product to sort this out or am I just asking for more trouble?
 
As per the statement above....

Radweld products are a temp fix, a get you home product. The seal is i suspect a core plug which is slowly rusting away so it's not going to get better and one day IT IS going to leak.

My old man told me that in the old days I think they use to crack an egg into the rad to stop leaks try it and see. :)
 
which wud yu prefer to do - fix the problem - or have to strip the dash to remove a blocked up heater matrix later?
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
which wud yu prefer to do - fix the problem - or have to strip the dash to remove a blocked up heater matrix later?
Click to expand...

Your not wrong... it happened to me long a go in my junior days with the leaking core plugs so I used Radweld 6months later in the winter no heater. Live and Learn :doh:
 
Try checking the heater hoses first mate, one of mine had a leak not so long ago which started off as barely noticeable until the point where it would **** out most of the coolant at once!
 
discool said:
My old man told me that in the old days I think they use to crack an egg into the rad to stop leaks try it and see. :)
Click to expand...

Just don't do it into a hot rad, instant poached egg and blocked rad top, as a customer of mine found out on his JCB.:doh:
 
discool said:
As per the statement above....

The seal is i suspect a core plug which is slowly rusting away so it's not going to get better and one day IT IS going to leak.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replies. I take it that Radweld is a no!

How easy, for a novice with a limited amount of tools, would it be to replace the core plug or is it better left to someone who knows what they are doing?
 
If your handy harry then no probs it's only a disc that has to be pulled out and a replacement 'sprung' into place, I know easy to say... but if it's the core plug at the rear of the block then getting to it could be hard, info and pics of how to replace a core plug are on the www.
 
In my opinion, Radweld's not going to make it any worse, and it may fix the problem. I've used it in the past and it's worked with no problems.
 
Garth of the west said:
In my opinion, Radweld's not going to make it any worse, and it may fix the problem. I've used it in the past and it's worked with no problems.
Click to expand...

Yes it does work. It is designed as a temporary fix. It can often seal up the small waterways in the engine, rad and heater matrix. It can also seal the thermostat closed. For this reason I have given up on using it on breakdowns that I attend. As an absolute emergency measure I use solid block versions that can be crumbled like an oxo cube into the effected area only. Even so, I haven't used one on a customers car for well over a year. By all means use it to get yerself out the **** but if yer using it and then thinking the problem will go away then forget it.
 
I used K- seal on a Freelander, just to get me to the auction and off load it. Head gasket was leaking as usual! Managed to get it through the auction without any problems. After that, who knows?
 
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