Hey guys, i got a Rad out of a D8H/ D342. The customer bought the entire machine as a parts donor, but so far most of the parts they need are junk, including the Rad. Its clearly been leaking and also has had some sort of incident, leaving 5 tubes smashed. To make a long story short, I attempted to expose the damaged tubes clean them and seal them off. But the more I disturbed it the worse it gets. The tubes are very brittle and i suspect rotted away. I can always cut further down and expose a fresh area and try something else if you have thoughts. At first I tried manual cleaning using torch tip cleaners and small wire brushes to get clean metal then used HTS-2000 brazing rods to seal them off. Didn’t work. Seems the heat made the tubes even more delicate and I dont think the metal was clean enough. Soooo, got muriatic acid and cleaned the ends tried again. 0% success. Then recleaned everything again, tried epoxy. 0% success. Plus disturbing the area has uncoved or created new leaks. Now have probably 10 leaks. So threw in the towel and told them its a lost cause better start looking for a rad. But i was thinking maybe a guy could pull off both tanks and seal the damaged tubes right at the “header plate”. Should a guy use epoxy? Silicone? Braze it? Im worried heat will un-solder other tubes if it gets too hot. Or does a guy say F it and just let a the old girl go out in peace?
When they are that bad it's a losing battle to fight. Recore it and be done. Check the tanks thoroughly for corrosion or thinning so the recore is not short lived.
Yeah, thats kinda my thoughts. Its just gonna be one thing after the other. Time to scrap it and start fresh
Unfortunately, old corroded radiators are not the kind of thing you can fix reliably. They're light construction to start with, and there's little material to play with, especially after corrosion has done its job over many years. Sometimes you just got to bite the bullet and find a good used one, or lash out for a new core. Bottom line is, a radiator is a critical component, they have to be in good shape, and they have to last many years into the future. It's all too easy to destroy a good engine with a dubious radiator core.