working on a 955l 85j series radiator has been neglected for years, the out side is the worst its like asphalt in the core, is there a way too soak it in a tank, was thinking 50 gal barrel, with some sodium carbonate" arm and hammer" and a little heat to try and loosen it up its like plugged 40%, but some air is coming thru , need to get this small job done, can get a core from general rad for about $ 1,000 not bad considering cat is 2,400 thanks everyone
I have a local radiator shop who solvent cleans radiators in a tank, then blasts steam though them, and does a pressure test. I actually have a couple of radiator shops in my area. See if you have one around you. Let them know the approximate size and they will let you know if they can handle it.
If it is that plugged you need to get it boiled and rodded at a shop. They take the tanks off, boil it in some nasty chemicals then run a rod down each tube to clear them out, boil and repeat as needed. They will also leak test and fix as needed. It might be hard to find a shop to do it as many of the chemicals they used are now banned. At least around here all the good shops shut down due to regulations.
Most of the old shops used a harsh caustic to remove the lime and organic deposits, hard to get rid of when loads up on debris cook outs. Used warm too how required REAL Heavy gloves generally up to the biceps and a strong similar apron with a tank vent hood.
Exactly, the truck shop I remember from 30 years ago had the boiling tank in an open shed off the back off the building. Dirt floor. Everything was rusted and I swear ol’ Mert was a little crazy from the fumes but those radiators came out clean. He built great new cores too, still got one running in the Cat.
hot tanks are almost all gone in the golden state, i will keep trying too find one, also can the boil out harm the core if its weak
It would be interesting to determine what is on the outside that looks like asphalt. It may require a solvent to clean it. If the chemical boil shows a weak core it is time for a re-core anyway. IMHO !
Yes, if it can't handle boiling water and some solvent then it can't handle hot coolant. Makes me think of the term "mad as a hatter": "In the 18th and 19th centuries, industrial workers used a toxic substance, mercury nitrate, as part of the process of turning the fur of small animals, such as rabbits, into felt for hats. Workplace safety standards often were lax and prolonged exposure to mercury caused employees to develop a variety of physical and mental ailments, including tremors (dubbed “hatter’s shakes”), speech problems, emotional instability and hallucinations."
As long as it's not real asphalt, I'd try to soak it with purple power degreaser (cheap at walmart etc.) Soak it down good with water, rinse whatever comes out, good strong garden hose, no more. Use an "engine cleaner" siphon blow gun to mist it with purple power, wait 10-20 minutes, hose it off and mist it again. If you do it on a rainy/foggy day you can walk away and come back whenever and it will still be wet, if it's dry out, set a timer so you don't let it dry.
this is the core its not all that bad, just has a tiny leak, i tried doing some grading engine ran hot , thermostat was stuck, oil cooler was plugged radiator was "well" needing some attention, found a core for about $ 1,100 it takes the big core 37 3/4 x 27 1/2 cat wants around $ 3.000 iam at odds i try and seal the old one if that dont work i guess its a new core
Buy a core, that one will be a never ended repair for leaks.
that core is junk no way around it
i can't tell what's going on in the third picture? looks like the tubes are all cut off evenly? the fourth picture looks like several tubes are rotted off? IF you really only have one small leak, then I don't see any problem with fixing it and running it. If for no other reason than to make sure the machine is worth putting $1,000 plus labor into it. The scrap yard won't pay more for a new radiator core... Solder it if you can, use JBweld if you must, run it with rainwater or distilled water until you know it's going to be longer term.
those cut off even are some kind of outer core protection there attached to the core tubes
this is what i had too do , top tank was rotted also
bottom tank same condition
What the heck were they running for coolant in that thing? Battery Acid? I'd be doing a good series of flushes on the engine once it's back together and be prepared to have leaks in other places. Or maybe just forget the flushing and cross your fingers that the crap in the water jacket stays where it is and keep things sealed up!
it was pretty dang bad, prolly 20 years of straight water,i got it about 16 years ago and its been sitting since, must have washed a 100 pounds of dirt out of core,when i pulled the tanks they were full of crud , here are some picts of the home made kiln, to cure the high temp epoxy, this loctite is good too 400 deg if cured right at 250 to 300 for 1 hour
i would call this a decent repair, that epoxy is rock hard, on the last picture i put an external patch there was a tiny crack in the tank
Not sure what others might say but I would be thinking about a rust converting primer to paint the inside of those tanks and then finish wih a good coat of paint. Then put it back in the "kiln" to bake it on good. Just trying to be sure that the rust worms don't get under the epoxy you just put on.
It might be pertinent at this moment to point out that your "rock hard" epoxy could well be susceptible to vibration-induced cracking, and strangely enough track loaders vibrate quite a lot. Just saying......
Come on now that's not vibration that's throbbing with power! Oh wait I forgot we are not talking about Harley Davidsons! Says the guy with two of them sitting in the garage! Now if you want vibrations wind out an XS650 to red line! Yea two of them share the garage with the Harley's!
Was going to note similarly, as well I would not entertain epoxy Inside a cooling system.
i understand the concern for fracturing, the tensile strength is 7350 psi, and shear strength of 2850 psi, and a shore hardness of 90 it also looses its tensile strength a 1,000 psi at 300 deg, i thought about it cracking under shock load , loctite 9432 is a aluminum thixotropic paste with a high degree of impact resistance, i did a little research before considering application, the top tank is welded via mig it has a heavier gauge steel liner the lower tank is very thin 1/32nd ,also i made sure i left a 1/8" filler between liner and tank . i guess i will give it a try, i hope in the long run nige and kshansen and dmiller are wrong , i know do it right the first time, but a $3,500 for top tank and $ 2,000 for bottom its worth a try thanks anthony
What do you have to lose? modern radiators are mostly plastic tanks.
here is my new core from general radiator or should i say private rad. some sound advice stay away from general rad, there quality is crap they use the lightest material and throw things together, no refund only warrenty is avail, i dont expect this to last very long, the best core i found is made in turkey it is almost o.e.m. cat quality with steel fins, a company in canada called beray has them, iam not knocking american manufacturing , but hay man $3,800 from cat is a bit on the high side, i will just have to eat this core i guess, hopefully i wont get sued by general for writing this, but iam very pissed at the junk i got stuck with, my rant is over everyone have a nice holloween
A good rule of thumb, is you generally get what you pay for. And a cheap core has to have shortcuts somewhere. But radiator manufacturers will tell you they make them out of light material, to improve cooling ability! As an old associate used to complain, "the new radiator cores are c**p! You're struggling to see through them! The old ones, you could read a newspaper through them!". His ideas of radiator strength don't curry much favor with current core designers though. But the problem is trying balance the level of airflow with cooling area, allowing for a certain amount of trash buildup, that inhibits cooling. Where I operated as a younger person, we had a lot of trouble with chopped-up straw "fluff" and clayey dust blocking cores. So the coarser cores worked better for us. Even so, we had to hose cores out monthly with a 200 gal tank and 5HP firefighter pump, and using a length of tapered leg off a steel kitchen chair as a nozzle, which worked good.
If it’s asphalt diesel eats away at it. Soak er down in diesel a few times, then degrease it with purple power that also eats away at Tar asphalt. For the inside I was told by an old cat mechanic just dawn non foaming dish soap and water. Flush it out a few times with that. I had a leaking radiator on my grader I put iron tite head gasket and rad sealer in it. Seems to have done the trick!
a few years backs my 903 cummins had leaking liners and sodium silicate and missouri mule worked for over a year , and stopped small radiator leaks also. problems is the mule can also plug the rad. also
Good ol Barr's Leaks would not so much plug one up but coated EVERYTHING internally, heater cores, engine block, radiator. Nasty stinking sticky stuff but did work.
I used Bars leak ceramic sealer about 17 years ago. (I couldn't find it a couple years ago). That stuff fixed a small pencil lead stream coming from the edge of the water pump on a 1959 International TD15 Drott loader (anybody looking for parts?). Someone had cut a hole through a makeshift radiator ran the water pump fan shaft though it, fan in front blowing forward. Ran it for 9-10 years with no trouble. $2000 I'll help load it.