This video saved my vacation. Two hours from Vancouver road debris hit the radiator and made a big hole. Everything nearby was closed since it's a Sunday, and we had (expensive) tickets to see an event in Vancouver. Some cheap dollar store tools and a jug of distilled water later, we were back on the road. If I didn't use your method we'd have missed the event, and paid a fortune for an emergency repair. Thank you!
No need to pressure test @ 50 psi. 20 psi is plenty, most cooling systems operate at 13-18 psi. I myself prefer to solder, to do so the metal must be very clean .
For what it's worth here goes my 2 cents! Many years ago, one cracked brake pipe almost ended my vacation. Making me return earlier via tow truck. 😞 Suddenly, I completely lost the brakes and brake oil was copiously dripping on the ground. The sensation of having the brake pedal deep into the firewall. Is damn bad, any day of the week. Luckily I was able to stop the car safely via handbrake. While my wife questioned "why I was stopping" literally in the middle of no where! Short story, a couple of twists on the remaining brake pipe. Properly smashed with a locally sourced stone! 🙂And there we went for another week of vacation! On three wheels braking...
Now that's ingenuitive I once had the brakes fail from a leaking wheel cylinder. I popped the brake line off at the drum and shoved a BB in there and then tightened it back. I was already only on the front brakes, as I had adjusted the rear brakes so they wouldn't touch because they were metal on metal. I was a teenager
Well done. What you've got to remember is, that life is too short to worry about what other people think. If it works, just do it. In 100 years time no one that we know now will be around, so who cares?!
I did this an it worked like a champ who cares what it looks like it's an old truck it don't get hot and didn't cost a dime glad I found this video.... FIXED IS FIXED
Had to get towed today after my civic blew a hole in the radiator. Tow guy was an old school mechanic and told me this method is extremely reliable. Had to see what he was talking about, now I'm definitely going to give this a shot tomorrow! Thanks!
Works better if you roll it up and the cover the part you tore up and rolled in JB weld afterwards...prevents it from moving around and unsealing itself if you hit a pothole or something that might shake things around.
You're the man, I already know epoxy and J-B weld doesn't work, I've gone to the junkyard two times, the radiator I grabbed this time is a lot better but has the smallest hurt spot. You've saved the day
AWESOME! FREAKIN AWESOME idea! Love how you think outa the box with the wallet in mind. Hey, if it works it works. And who cares how it looks! Screw the rad shops who only want to empty your wallet. Thanks for your thorough step by step troubleshooting and repair videos that help us shade tree mechanics keep feeling satisfaction with ourselves and saving some money for other projects.
Might have to try this. We got an old D8 cat with a hole in its rad, and its like minimum of $8K to recore it and almost double that for a reman, which is not necessarily even available due to the machines age. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
Never tried that with a radiator, but have done that with steel and copper tubing and heater hose. If the radiator core is aluminum, I hope the tube didn't crack when bending it as aluminum is a soft non ferous metal. Now if someone has a fix for a broken (small) hose port like the one on my wife's 06 Kia Sorento. Ya it's on it's 3rd radiator thanks to that stupid small port!
And the future is here. I now have to use this method on my radiator as i have a hole. I knew this video would come in handy one day but didnt expect it to be just 2 months after watching this vid lol. Now time to roll mine up like a tube of toothpaste to fix my leak!
@@anothergamingchannel2656 Yes it works perfectly. Also after this method I tried another method on another radiator that I accidentally pierced while working on the car and with that one I used jb weld. The one where u mix the 2 tubes together. Filled the hole in and waited for it to set then drove the car 30,000 miles no problem it held up nicely until I sold it. That was a pin hole hole though
When you stuck in the boondies with nothing perfect solution. But honestly id do it cause it seems more time an labor efficient. I dont think i would of even taken it off, most vehicles front clips come off pretty easy an if the radiators shot you really aren't loosing. Thanks for the tip
Relative to all of the comments about some product that was supposed to work for this and didn’t, my first thought was having to do with surface prep…It is very hard to get anything to stick to aluminum, because it oxidizes, and a layer of oxidation will cause any patch to adhere to the oxidation, which will pop right off, not the raw aluminum. Napa has a product called Aluminum Brightener, it is mostly phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid, but clearly, it is an ‘etchant’; so don’t spray it on polished aluminum, as it will leave a mark immediately. Otherwise, it foams up when you spray it on. you don’t have to scrub it, but you can... when you rinse it off, the aluminum will be much closer to a white color, this is because aluminum oxide is basically black, and if you’ve ever tried to polish aluminum then you already know it can be very frustrating as you realize most of what you do actually turns it blacker, and when you’re done it looks worse than it did. This aluminum brightener is in no way a polish, but it will be a more uniform color, and free from contaminants, so once this stuff has turned the aluminum white, it is about as corrosion free as it’s ever going to get and that would be the moment to rinse it , dry it, and be ready with whichever repair method you intend to try. In the past I have used marine grade 2-part epoxy putty as a plug,, and try to push some of it actually through the crack or hole, hoping it will penetrate to the inside of the tubing and cure in such a way that it can’t get out, then I would use another two-part epoxy and possibly some kind of patch material over all that and I have had good luck with it. My limited experience with the superglue and baking soda method has been very positive and next time I have something like that I might try that first… Hint: I put some baking soda in an old blender, and ran it until the baking soda was the consistency of powdered sugar. The resulting increase in surface area caused the reaction to be even more intense, And the smaller size particles cause the patch to be much denser than it was with straight out of the box baking soda… For whatever that’s worth… Good luck!
...by the way, do you have any vids that could help us repair where the aluminum meets the plastic top of the radiator? I've had some success with the 2 part plastic epoxys but only sometimes.
Novel fix. I thought about eliminating my entire fin thats leaking, and welding holes, but this is a potential solution! Thank You SO MUCH for Teaching! ~C< 3)>>-Z->}
50 psi? Well no wonder nothing sticks . that is far too much pressure. Most radiator caps are somewhere around 16. They make them as low as 2 to 4 psi. As radiators get older they cant hold as much pressure as when new. Then add a damaged spot.
I rolled up much less and tried to get it real tight and I had pin holes and I had like 4 or 5 rows but some aluminum stop leak did its job I have a new one ordered I don't really trust it and it's my mom's car
Nothing wrong with it if it works , I would do it in a heart beat ! I don’t care if you call me cheap !! Imagine your out on the road and you have a leak in the middle of nowhere or at night.. shit call,it done if I had to , and I’m sure anyone would also ...
This is genius. But if you have the money for a radiator, with all the work involved it seems silly to not buy a new one. Unless if was a fairly new radiator and the cause of the leak was something weird, it seems almost (but not entirely) predictable that an older rad would get another leak soon anyway. Maybe not, but if that happened in a few weeks or months, it wouldn't seem so genius anymore.
Nothing is wrong with using your brain to solve a problem. I believe all a mechanic would say is this guy was smart enough to try something different instead of just fishing money out!
This video saved my vacation. Two hours from Vancouver road debris hit the radiator and made a big hole. Everything nearby was closed since it's a Sunday, and we had (expensive) tickets to see an event in Vancouver. Some cheap dollar store tools and a jug of distilled water later, we were back on the road. If I didn't use your method we'd have missed the event, and paid a fortune for an emergency repair. Thank you!
The Army teaches that technique as a battle field recovery repair. I have done that several times through the years and it is the best repair.
This is an old school method of fixing a radiator. It's good to see that it is still being used.
No need to pressure test @ 50 psi. 20 psi is plenty, most cooling systems operate at 13-18 psi. I myself prefer to solder, to do so the metal must be very clean .
Ingenuity is one of the best traits. I love it when someone shows me what they came up with out of sheer will or necessity. Always inspiring!
For what it's worth here goes my 2 cents! Many years ago, one cracked brake pipe almost ended my vacation. Making me return earlier via tow truck. 😞
Suddenly, I completely lost the brakes and brake oil was copiously dripping on the ground. The sensation of having the brake pedal deep into the firewall. Is damn bad, any day of the week.
Luckily I was able to stop the car safely via handbrake. While my wife questioned "why I was stopping" literally in the middle of no where!
Short story, a couple of twists on the remaining brake pipe. Properly smashed with a locally sourced stone! 🙂And there we went for another week of vacation! On three wheels braking...
Now that's ingenuitive I once had the brakes fail from a leaking wheel cylinder. I popped the brake line off at the drum and shoved a BB in there and then tightened it back. I was already only on the front brakes, as I had adjusted the rear brakes so they wouldn't touch because they were metal on metal. I was a teenager
My dad told me about this 45 years ago. Glad to see it in action!
Well done.
What you've got to remember is, that life is too short to worry about what other people think. If it works, just do it.
In 100 years time no one that we know now will be around, so who cares?!
I did this an it worked like a champ who cares what it looks like it's an old truck it don't get hot and didn't cost a dime glad I found this video.... FIXED IS FIXED
"I put the radiator in the bathtub"
So hes either single or married to the coolest chick on earth....if it's the latter, keep her forever!
Had to get towed today after my civic blew a hole in the radiator. Tow guy was an old school mechanic and told me this method is extremely reliable. Had to see what he was talking about, now I'm definitely going to give this a shot tomorrow! Thanks!
Works better if you roll it up and the cover the part you tore up and rolled in JB weld afterwards...prevents it from moving around and unsealing itself if you hit a pothole or something that might shake things around.
@@funfun5656 cable tied to prevent unravelling or wrap with wire
You're the man, I already know epoxy and J-B weld doesn't work, I've gone to the junkyard two times, the radiator I grabbed this time is a lot better but has the smallest hurt spot. You've saved the day
Lot of work! JB weld was and year later still good! I used all of both tubes. Swished on the spot, left overnight. It’s fine
Done in 3 minutes. You going to sit on the side of the road for 48 hrs to cure?
@@aqib2000 I thought they made a fast curing 20 min epoxy
Genius is short for the word that describes ERROR CODE GUY! Great job AGAIN!
👍
I'm cheap, but this mechanic can hold my 🍺
I've done that before out in the woods had a stick go through my radiator. Worked good. Kept riding
Great tip for an emergency situation. I'm often 50 km or more in a secluded part of bush, for hunting and fishing. Two thumbs up!
Well said and done, the most genious solutions are simple solutions 😋
Found your video and I fixed my 93 chevy G20 van! Saved my life man! I cant belive it worked Lol thanks so much for this video !🥳🤟🙏
AWESOME! FREAKIN AWESOME idea! Love how you think outa the box with the wallet in mind. Hey, if it works it works. And who cares how it looks! Screw the rad shops who only want to empty your wallet. Thanks for your thorough step by step troubleshooting and repair videos that help us shade tree mechanics keep feeling satisfaction with ourselves and saving some money for other projects.
Awesome. Something that could be done on the side of the road in a pinch, or when money is tight. If it works it ain't stupid!
I had to do something similar on my 1972 dodge power wagon. I put high temperature silicone in the tube before folding it a couple times.
Congratulations bro!!! You just saved yourself about 200 bucks. 👍🏻
No bad comments here, it works and if I'm in a situation where I can't get it fixed I'd do it in a heartbeat
I think this is worth a shot at trying. Nothing to lose. Thanks
Glad i found the channel. Right up my alley. Im a farmer.
Might have to try this.
We got an old D8 cat with a hole in its rad, and its like minimum of $8K to recore it and almost double that for a reman, which is not necessarily even available due to the machines age.
Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
Great idea! Especially if you are in the back country and just need to get home.
Great clip!! Autoparts are getting costly and their quality cheap. Thanks for sharing!!!
Good knowledge to have in a pinch and for the long run. who doesn't have needle nose in the car. 👍
Thank you man!! Saved me 220.00!!
i saw a video like this one before.. i did the same to my radiator..and it did work and sill no leak
$100 is worth it..just added needle nose pliers to my trucks toolkit. 👍
My dad told me about this decades ago. Old school fix.
Still better than a pour-in "repair".
What’s a pour in repair?
As Long as it works.. not a Beauty Pageant. 👍👍Gr8 Job!
Never tried that with a radiator, but have done that with steel and copper tubing and heater hose.
If the radiator core is aluminum, I hope the tube didn't crack when bending it as aluminum is a soft non ferous metal. Now if someone has a fix for a broken (small) hose port like the one on my wife's 06 Kia Sorento. Ya it's on it's 3rd radiator thanks to that stupid small port!
Mike Chiodetti
Perfect fix. Good to know for the future. Thanks
And the future is here. I now have to use this method on my radiator as i have a hole. I knew this video would come in handy one day but didnt expect it to be just 2 months after watching this vid lol. Now time to roll mine up like a tube of toothpaste to fix my leak!
Did it work?
@@anothergamingchannel2656 Yes it works perfectly. Also after this method I tried another method on another radiator that I accidentally pierced while working on the car and with that one I used jb weld. The one where u mix the 2 tubes together. Filled the hole in and waited for it to set then drove the car 30,000 miles no problem it held up nicely until I sold it. That was a pin hole hole though
When you stuck in the boondies with nothing perfect solution. But honestly id do it cause it seems more time an labor efficient. I dont think i would of even taken it off, most vehicles front clips come off pretty easy an if the radiators shot you really aren't loosing. Thanks for the tip
Relative to all of the comments about some product that was supposed to work for this and didn’t, my first thought was having to do with surface prep…It is very hard to get anything to stick to aluminum, because it oxidizes, and a layer of oxidation will cause any patch to adhere to the oxidation, which will pop right off, not the raw aluminum. Napa has a product called Aluminum Brightener, it is mostly phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid, but clearly, it is an ‘etchant’; so don’t spray it on polished aluminum, as it will leave a mark immediately. Otherwise, it foams up when you spray it on. you don’t have to scrub it, but you can... when you rinse it off, the aluminum will be much closer to a white color, this is because aluminum oxide is basically black, and if you’ve ever tried to polish aluminum then you already know it can be very frustrating as you realize most of what you do actually turns it blacker, and when you’re done it looks worse than it did. This aluminum brightener is in no way a polish, but it will be a more uniform color, and free from contaminants, so once this stuff has turned the aluminum white, it is about as corrosion free as it’s ever going to get and that would be the moment to rinse it , dry it, and be ready with whichever repair method you intend to try. In the past I have used marine grade 2-part epoxy putty as a plug,, and try to push some of it actually through the crack or hole, hoping it will penetrate to the inside of the tubing and cure in such a way that it can’t get out, then I would use another two-part epoxy and possibly some kind of patch material over all that and I have had good luck with it. My limited experience with the superglue and baking soda method has been very positive and next time I have something like that I might try that first… Hint: I put some baking soda in an old blender, and ran it until the baking soda was the consistency of powdered sugar. The resulting increase in surface area caused the reaction to be even more intense, And the smaller size particles cause the patch to be much denser than it was with straight out of the box baking soda… For whatever that’s worth… Good luck!
excellet i hope i never have to ust that technique ,knowledge is power
Jb weld would work if you took the time prepping the area for adhesives... but for the time it would take, I’d do what you did
That was a very clever move lol
Yes , it does work i did it on my rad. a few days before i saw this video .
I would not be embarrassed about this at all ..and I would do this to keep the trip going ..not even think twice about it ..
Thank you. Out of sight, out of mind.
Hey man that's brilliant! Got you back on the road and saved money < isn't that the name of the game?
Nice job
Did you have to do anything to the ends you cut to prevent them from leaking, or was it enough just to tightly roll them up?
Good question
I'm going to try this wish me luck guys I'll keep ya updated
How long did it hold up?
...by the way, do you have any vids that could help us repair where the aluminum meets the plastic top of the radiator? I've had some success with the 2 part plastic epoxys but only sometimes.
You are realistic.. Nothing less! Good job
One fin/pipe is fine good idea 💡
I wish I had thought of that when I broke down on the road in the middle of nowhere.
Love it! Well done!
50psi 😲
It a wonder the one of the tanks didn't blow off 😄
Great thinking. 👏👏👏
Novel fix. I thought about eliminating my entire fin thats leaking, and welding holes, but this is a potential solution! Thank You SO MUCH for Teaching! ~C< 3)>>-Z->}
Uam 65. Havent soul to help me. Its a 20080cgevy cobalt. Can u help me now
Git r done, great job..👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍
About to try this
good job👍
Great fix
never would have thought of this and yes in secluded places great solution cheers.
If its stupid and it works, it ain’t stupid…..
auto mechanics call it a joke bc they do not like backyard mechanics. this is good
They don't like that you aren't handing them your money
50 psi? Well no wonder nothing sticks . that is far too much pressure. Most radiator caps are somewhere around 16. They make them as low as 2 to 4 psi. As radiators get older they cant hold as much pressure as when new. Then add a damaged spot.
I rolled up much less and tried to get it real tight and I had pin holes and I had like 4 or 5 rows but some aluminum stop leak did its job I have a new one ordered I don't really trust it and it's my mom's car
good job, you are something like a mexican or dora the explorer that with scotch tape fix everything.
wow great as long as it works.
I'm about to do it, tired with the leak never stop.. Let my radiator be the 2nd ugly after yours
Nothing wrong with it if it works , I would do it in a heart beat ! I don’t care if you call me cheap !! Imagine your out on the road and you have a leak in the middle of nowhere or at night.. shit call,it done if I had to , and I’m sure anyone would also ...
very practicle. Thank you.
Awesome stuff
Sitting in the bathtub watching for bubbles.
Presumably you could cut the offending tube right on the leak and roll both sections a smaller distance than you have shown.
Arkansas fix, good deal
genius!
You are awesome
Creative
Whatever works is fine mjy friend..
Good looking girls don't necessary make a good mistress..
Brilliant
Twenty plus PSI is more than enough Sir
Did he say 50psi? Isn't that too high
Cool
I'm guilty of this one an A/C condenser. Held gas for another year.
Anything is better than walking
I wish you've uploaded this a year back, I got a new one then ... Sigh
I know this works cus I had do this once long time ago hahahahahahahaha
50 PSI. BRO WHAT type of cooling system operates at 50 PSI?!?
Maybe 15 psi or 20 psi maxxxx
You lost the time mate,I am so so sorry
And thanks
I'd spend the 100 dollars 💸
Anything that works for u at home.
Ace
This is genius. But if you have the money for a radiator, with all the work involved it seems silly to not buy a new one. Unless if was a fairly new radiator and the cause of the leak was something weird, it seems almost (but not entirely) predictable that an older rad would get another leak soon anyway. Maybe not, but if that happened in a few weeks or months, it wouldn't seem so genius anymore.
👍
Nothing is wrong with using your brain to solve a problem. I believe all a mechanic would say is this guy was smart enough to try something different instead of just fishing money out!
kiss ............keep it simple stupid......... great simple road fix
Dude...you lost all cred by admitting that you own and use a cooling-system pressure-test kit... 🙃