Burst Radiator, Volvo 850 (non-turbo)

[jblackburn]

JB Weld might hold it for a little bit. I tried some on a Chevy radiator, and it held for about 2 days and let loose again - honestly, the plastic tanks can't be fixed once it ruptures.

I would be very cautious about driving it very far at all.

[Ozark Lee]

+1,

The best it will do is slow the leak down. Once the plastic tanks break they are done.

...Lee

[jblackburn]

It isn't a bad job on a non-turbo, and CAN be removed from the top. The fan's got to come out of the way, and then some of the bolts/mounting brackets can be rusted together like you wouldn't believe...but aside from that it's fairly straightforward. It'd be a good time to replace your radiator hoses as well.

Make sure you drain the radiator and tranny cooler and remember to refill it!

[jblackburn]

This is for a turbo:

http://volvospeed.com/Repair/Radiator850turbo.php

You won't have all the IC junk in the way. You might want to get some new clips for the cooler lines.

[bigdaddylee82]

thanks! what kind of sealant might stop the leak for a temporary fix.. the leak is near the top of radiator luckily..

`best

It's called "Booty Fab," at least that's the PC term for it . Fix it right, and replace the radiator, some of the better/older shops will actually replace the tank on the radiator, the metal tabs on the core bend back and the tank comes off. No one local to me does it anymore. We live in a disposable throw away society, why fix when we can buy new?

I'm going to pick up a new radiator today, but I patched the hole in my radiator for a temporary fix with fiberglass and JB Weld's Water Weld.

I accidentally ripped a transmission cooler line out of my radiator when doing an engine swap, and wound up with a hole about 1-1/2" wide and 2" tall. It was the upper cooler line so it was easier to get to. I cleaned everything with brake cleaner, then took the Dremel and sanding wheel to the plastic to get the hole a bit more uniform and rough the plastic surface up a bit for better epoxy adhesion. I cut a piece of fiberglass cloth about 2" bigger than the hole, mixed my resin a little hot (hardens quicker) and went to town. I used 2 layers of fiber glass, and when that was set up I hit it with the dremel again and put a layer of the JB Water Weld over it.

It's lasted through about 2 hours worth of idling in the drive way, and ~9 miles worth of actual road time.

This is/was only a temporary fix, if I had, had the time to get a new radiator I would never have attempted it, but I had to move the car, so I improvised.

I also used some JB Quick Weld and JB Water Weld on a crack in the thermostat housing/neck as well, and it's held up just as long as the radiator patch, but those parts are in the mail, and will also be replaced soon.

Again this is/was only a temporary fix, there is no way I would rely on this for a long term solution.

Good Luck!


- Lee

[t5rrr]

Thanks, Guys. Guess I should be glad it happened in a garage and not on the highway. I plan on getting the Nissen and putting it in myself. The mechanic helped me get the car home.

Being a Nissens radiator owner, I would advise hitting up DW Volvo and getting a OEM radiator. The nissens I got almost immediately sprung a leak below the upper hose connector where the plastic end tank meets the core.

It's a very slow leak and I'd rather jb weld that portion than have to purchase another radiator, ship the bad one back then get my refund

I'll run it till it blows up and get a OEM the next time, lesson learned (the hard way)