leaky coolant thing

John Mason

Hi a quick question. I think i have a leak in my coolant tank or the pipes. i was told there is some product i can get from halfords that you pour into the tank and it seals up the holes!!!!!!

is this true? and if so, what is the name of this wonderous product?:)

Anan1

The best-known one is called RadWeld. That said, i'm not a great fan of the stuff - I don't think it's any more than a band-aid really. Do you know what exactly is leaking? If it's a relatively cheap part then it might be better just to replace that.

John Mason

Anan1 wrote:

The best-known one is called RadWeld. That said, i'm not a great fan of the stuff - I don't think it's any more than a band-aid really. Do you know what exactly is leaking? If it's a relatively cheap part then it might be better just to replace that.

I dont know whats leaking or if it is leaking, i have to top the coolant up every few weeks, and more if i have been sitting in traffic.

I havent seen about signs of a leak under the car - i just thought i would give this a go and see what happens.

Anan1

If I were you i'd bring the car to a mechanic instead. I'd have three reasons for this: 1. RadWeld and the like really only seal very small holes in radiators etc - your leak could be anywhere. 2. If it is somewhere like the head gasket or water pump, you really want to know sooner rather than later. 3. I just don't like the idea of putting what is basically gunge into the cooling system!

By the way, a friend of mine had exactly the same problem recently - turned out he just needed a new radiator cap.

John Mason

Anan1 wrote:

If I were you i'd bring the car to a mechanic instead. I'd have three reasons for this: 1. RadWeld and the like really only seal very small holes in radiators etc - your leak could be anywhere. 2. If it is somewhere like the head gasket or water pump, you really want to know sooner rather than later. 3. I just don't like the idea of putting what is basically gunge into the cooling system!

By the way, a friend of mine had exactly the same problem recently - turned out he just needed a new radiator cap.

i hate garages, i hate that pat on the head and there there, you are only a girl so we can tell you anything and you wont know the difference*


*this may not apply to all Mechanics.

Anan1

irishbird wrote:

i hate garages, i hate that pat on the head and there there, you are only a girl so we can tell you anything and you wont know the difference*


*this may not apply to all Mechanics.

I know exactly what you mean, but let's face it you're not a mechanic and you need one.:) I'd recommend either finding a garage you trust or getting someone who knows a bit about cars to bring it down for you.

John Mason

Anan1 wrote:

I know exactly what you mean, but let's face it you're not a mechanic and you need one.:) I'd recommend either finding a garage you trust or getting someone who knows a bit about cars to bring it down for you.

yeah, i am on my third garage havent found one i trust yet. i would like to find a female garage where they talk in english

nialler

Where are you based, there's a guy called Noel in Macken Motors (Macken Street, near IDA in pearse street) who has saved my sister's car on a few occasions, the last time she had burnt all her oil, she thought the light was for decoration and the little red bar at the top of the temp gauge was a design feature, needless to say car is running fine again.

John Mason

nialler wrote:

Where are you based, there's a guy called Noel in Macken Motors (Macken Street, near IDA in pearse street) who has saved my sister's car on a few occasions, the last time she had burnt all her oil, she thought the light was for decoration and the little red bar at the top of the temp gauge was a design feature, needless to say car is running fine again.

well, i am not that bad LOL

acutally, he is almost right beside me, i need my timing belt changed too, so i might check him out - thanks

Seth Brundle

Ask a mechanic to run a pressure test on the cooling system as there is a leak somewhere.
Can you see any whitish deposits around hose joints etc?

dub_dan

If there's no puddles under the car and no obviously leaks from connecting pipes I'd put money on it being the heater matrix behind the dash. Try not using the hot air (probably impossible in this weather) and see if the coolant still dissappears.

Seth Brundle

It may (just!) be leaking whilst under normal operating pressures - this often won't show puddles, etc. hence why I suggested looking for the white deposits.

_Kaiser_

Mine's drinking coolant lately too and is leaking somewhere as I am seeing puddles in the morning - not much, but enough that I've started carrying a 2L bottle of water with me.

Still, she's in for her 10k service on Thursday, so I'll ask him to run the same pressure test I think.

eoinhealy

There is a product called Radiator Cement. I used it in my car 2 weeks ago. I had a pretty large hole in the bottom of the radiator but now it is competly sealed. I paid 2.50 for a small sachet of the stuff but it worked well.

Dont know where you will find it but I got it in a petrol station on the Dublin side of Moate. I'm sure other garrages sell it.