VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Radiator Leak Advice

1932 Confederate restoration. Need some advice with a coolant leak.

I dropped the coolant/water that was sitting in the radiator for a very long time (decades, not years).

There were no leaks prior to this draining and I'd guess 2 gallons of seemingly decent looking fluid drained out.

I refilled with just shy of 3 gallons including 1 gallon of white vinegar and walked away without seeing any obvious leaks.

Next day there was a decent mess underneath. Not knowing how much drained out I drained the remaining fluid which was clear/clean and it amounted to I'd guess 2-2.5 gallons so I clearly didn't lose it all.

Next I put in one half gallon of water to start isolating the leak (high, low, water pump etc) and there is an obvious red colored (assuming that's rusty water) puddle below.

I am assuming at this point the bottom of the radiator is rusted with a decent sized leak. Removing the old fluid and/or adding vinegar helped expose this problem.

Now the question is.....what to do.

Short of removing and repairing/replacing I was thinking of filling it up with water along with can of Bar's Leak aluminum. Is this logical approach before pulling it apart and repairing/replacing.

Also there was a decent amount of old grease around the bottom of the radiator assuming that was from the water pump.

I can't pinpoint the leak it's such a mess in there.... sort of surprised there was NO leak prior to draining and now seemingly a serious leak

Any advice or help is more then appreciated.

pull the radiator, power wash the rad bottom area until clean, plus the frame cradle where it sits until everything is sparkling.
See if you can spot any areas that appear to be rusted or holey. If not fill radiator with coloured water with a couple of 1 x 2"'s underneath to make the bottom visible. Now wait to see if any leaks develop and where.

If the bottom tank has holes , off to rad shop you go to get it repaired. If its a seam leak from core to tank , you should be able to get it solder repaired.

At least if you have to head to rad shop for repairs , you can show repair person the location of problem or problems.

mike

titob'dito, for what it's worth (ha): in 2005 i poured bars leak into my gently leaking radiator, ran the '30 coupe as directed and the leaks stopped. tomorrow, who knows? jim

Thanks to you both! I'm sort of hoping bar leak fixes this but I have a feeling it needs to be pulled out and off to the shop. I'll try the bar leak nothing to lose at this point. Maybe it works a miracle.

its like sawdust, if you dump it into your rad it will plug any small holes............that's the theory of bars leak.

there is only one way to do the job..........do it right the first time .

mike

the radiator will get pulled this week for inspection and off to the shop if needed.