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Radiator Sealant???


breister

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I have a 2002 Monaco Windsor with a 350 Cummins ISC engine.  I just noticed a small leak from the radiator based on a little liquid on my shed floor.  I have read that you can try adding a radiator sealant such as Zerex Super Sealer to the radiator for small leaks.  I guess I am just wondering where to pour this stuff in?  It looks to me like the surge tank is the only access I have to the radiator fluid?  Can it be added in the surge tank and this will take it into the radiator or is there another location I am not seeing?  Anybody used this stuff before and had any luck?  Thanks everyone.

 

Brian

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2nd that

2000 National RV Sea Breeze 5th wheel 30ft.

So.California

1950 F1 street rod

1949 F1 stock V8 flathead

1948 F6 350 chevy/rest stock, no dump bed shortened frame.

1953 chevy 3100 AD for 85 S10 frame

1968 Baha Bug with 2.2 ecotec motor 170 hp, king coil-overs,etc

1970 Baha Bug wihg 2332cc, King coil overs and everything else there is.

1998.5 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins, turbo, trans, injectors, lockers, bigger turbo,edge EZ upgrades for towing 35" BFG's, air dog lift pump etc.

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I would not trust any radiator or leak sealer. That can leave you dead in the water on the side of the road. Ide fix it right and flush and refill the system.

Steve and Joy

Amateur Radio Operator WZ1T . . .  Flex 6600 M,  Flex PGXL, Flex TGXL, 

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Radiator seal is meant as a emergency option to get your vehicle home or to a repair shop. It should not be a used as a long term fix, sealant will also start plugging up the coolant system which is what it is designed to do. Like others stated, you need to find the root cause of the leak (worn radiator, old pump, cracked hose, failing gaskets) and not try to fix the symptom (plug leak). Think of a coolant leak as a sign something is about to fail.

Greg

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I invested in a used pressure radiator tester and it has paid back many times, I have one that is just the pump that I put a 1/4 in barb fitting and hose. on some vehicles like my new to me jetta I will make a tee to place in the tube from the pressurized line on the pressure/ holding tank to test with. I found a leak in a plastic hose fitting that I would have had to the the engine warm and pressure built up and then wait till it cooled down to find and work on the leak. great tool  

2000 National RV Sea Breeze 5th wheel 30ft.

So.California

1950 F1 street rod

1949 F1 stock V8 flathead

1948 F6 350 chevy/rest stock, no dump bed shortened frame.

1953 chevy 3100 AD for 85 S10 frame

1968 Baha Bug with 2.2 ecotec motor 170 hp, king coil-overs,etc

1970 Baha Bug wihg 2332cc, King coil overs and everything else there is.

1998.5 Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins, turbo, trans, injectors, lockers, bigger turbo,edge EZ upgrades for towing 35" BFG's, air dog lift pump etc.

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2 hours ago, gjhunter01 said:

Radiator seal is meant as a emergency option to get your vehicle home or to a repair shop. It should not be a used as a long term fix, sealant will also start plugging up the coolant system which is what it is designed to do. Like others stated, you need to find the root cause of the leak (worn radiator, old pump, cracked hose, failing gaskets) and not try to fix the symptom (plug leak). Think of a coolant leak as a sign something is about to fail.

Greg

Exactly! I once put sealer in the radiator of an old tractor, trying to get another year out of it before selling and buying a new tractor. The sealer plugged the radiator so much it caused overheating. Sold that old tractor to a guy who just stopped by(driving a 2T truck) looking for a cheap tractor, he got one.

The only sealer i will ever use in the future(not in RV engine) is "Liquid Glass"; it's complicated to use but works for its intended purpose.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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 At the age of your RV .

 You may want to remove the fluid

 Then remove all the hoses. And replace them when the repaired radiator is reinstalled.

remove the radiator and fix it correctly.

 

 Now that is the easy part. Now the anti freeze is out of the engine. I would suggest to replace the heater hose going to the dash heat.

 Several years ago I did that to a Monaco of your vintage. The worst part was getting the new lines from the basement to the rear axle area. I talked to Monaco and they gave me how they did it. Not fun but I did get the job done.

The customer was going south to Florida for the winter and a leak in the radiator hose stopped him on the street in front of a Walmart . The police had him get it towed. 750 bucks to get into thr Walmart parking lot . After a temporary fix he made to Florida. 

Broke down along the road is not fun.

  Safe Travels,.  Vern

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Thanks for the advice everyone.  Sounds like I need to do some more research and find out exactly where the leak is coming from and go from there.  Hope it isn't a major repair as I have seen the cost to replace the radiator at around $5-$6K.  Ouch!

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We once used that radiator stop leak that looks like black rocks in water(not sure the name) to stop a leaking water pump. It worked, ran it that way for 3 months before finally had water pump replaced. The mechanic charged a bit extra due to having to flush all that crap out as it did make a mess but did work. I wouldn't consider it a long term solution though.

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  • 4 weeks later...
5 hours ago, NoDirectionHome said:

Bar's Leak

That was the stop leak I put in that old tractor, didn't remember the name, thanks for kickstarting my memory.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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