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"Radweld" on car radiators...how good is it?

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My 4X4 jeep started leaking coolant last night from the top seam of the radiator, as it had partially rusted in one corner. I tipped in half a tube of that RAD WELD crumbly stuff and ran the engine for the advised 15 minutes, re-filled the radiator, and it appeared to work.

 

Question is, do I really NEED to replace the radiator or will this Rad weld stuff be a long term solution. I ask as someone I know used this on their Nissan and 2 years later, it is still holding up and the radiator not replaced.......

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Depends how bad the leak is. It may last as a temporary solution, but if you don't want to be constantly checking your temperature guage, carrying bottles of water and being worried about breaking down in middle of nowhere, you'd probably do well to get a permanent repair done.

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It can help as a short term aid in my experience but for peace of mind, a new radiator is a must.

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parked outside balti king last night after work for a meal, and when finished one hour later, there was a quite large pool of green coolant running out from underneath....only 3 miles home so it was fine, the leak is at the top of the radiator and was running out at about 4 drops per second....quite bad I guess.....but so far, 30 miles after using that Radweld stuff, no sign of any green pools or drop in levels...looks the the original 1992 radiator so certainly time for a change...

 

.....hope the Radweld holds for the next few days though while I source one as got a lot of running about to do......but I guess its overdue for a service anyway come to think of it so may just book it in my local garage and leave it with them.....

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Be careful mate, I used it once, it worked for a day or so and then not at all resulting in a knackered cylinder head.

 

Could end up costing you a lot in that case :(

 

Having said that, a mate of mine swore Radweld got him all the way home to Sheffield from 'dahn sarf'

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In my experience, it's a temporary get you home fix if you are lucky.

Any car with a radiator leaking must be a few years old, and sediment as a result will have accumalated.

Adding more "crap" to seal a leak is likely to cause a blockage, as happened to me many years ago.

Todays cars may be different, but I can only speak from the one experience.

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Ive just had a mate look at my 1994 Toyota Previa which he says is leaking coolant through the radiator. He has advised me to use this Radweld.

 

Think I might give it a go, I'm reluctant to spend a lot of money on this car as we are thinking of part exchanging or trading it in.

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I've never trusted radweld. Radiators are metal and contain water under pressure. I just don't see how it can make an effective seal.

 

Considering how important the cooling system is for a car, don't cut corners, get a replacement rad ASAP.

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If you're planning to keep the car for more than a few months, I'd recommend getting a new radiator. It's just a sticking plaster using Radweld, it'll hold for a while, but then will come off.

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In my experience, radweld is only usefull if you're selling car with a knackered radiator or a leaking core plug...Last just long enough for the new owner not to realise there's a problem for a couple of days.

 

Breaking an egg into the radiator works just as well though...

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The best stuff is what they call in the trade dog **** thats what it looks like you just crumble it in and voila ,unless the leak is really bad,no more leaks..Radweld tends to only work on the smallest of leaks and can increase the working temperature of your car plus if using radweld it tends to leave deposits in the system so it really is only a temporary measure.Their is a radiator place down Hillsboro who are very good at prices I got a brand new radiator for a daihatsu sportrak plus fitting for £125 every where else were quoting me as much as that and more for a re-con

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The best stuff is what they call in the trade dog **** thats what it looks like you just crumble it in and voila ,unless the leak is really bad,no more leaks..Radweld tends to only work on the smallest of leaks and can increase the working temperature of your car plus if using radweld it tends to leave deposits in the system so it really is only a temporary measure.Their is a radiator place down Hillsboro who are very good at prices I got a brand new radiator for a daihatsu sportrak plus fitting for £125 every where else were quoting me as much as that and more for a re-con

 

Where's that?

 

I dont live far from Hillsborough?

 

Ive just been told about Kseal, is that any good?

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