Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.

probably won't hold up to the pressure of the car's cooling system.


"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.

m Ransley wrote:
Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.



I don't know, but you need to drill a little hole at the end of the crack
first to relieve the strain so the crack doesn't keep growing.

If you use epoxy, get the slow-set rather than the 5-minute kind.

Bob

JB weld will work, but you'll have to have it perfectly clean, gouge the
crack out ever so slightly, clean it with brake cleaner and give it a full
24 hours to cure before using it again.

--
Steve Barker


"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.

zxcvbob wrote:
m Ransley wrote:

Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.



I don't know, but you need to drill a little hole at the end of the
crack first to relieve the strain so the crack doesn't keep growing.

If you use epoxy, get the slow-set rather than the 5-minute kind.

Bob

I'd rough it up first with some coarse sandpaper, too. Some plastics
are just hard for any adhesive to stick to, so give it some tooth to
give it a fighting chance. I'd probably try JB-Welsd as I've had good
luck with it other places that it probably shouldn't have worked.

I seriously doubt silicone will hold up, your rad. is probably under at
least 16 PSI.

You will probably end up replacing the rad. anyway, but JB-Weld might
buy you another month or two.

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

"Steve Barker" wrote in message
...
JB weld will work, but you'll have to have it perfectly clean, gouge the
crack out ever so slightly, clean it with brake cleaner and give it a full
24 hours to cure before using it again.

--
Steve Barker

One other thing. If it's cracking right where the hose connects, it may be
caused by the hose hardening and transferring engine vibration to the
radiator.

Al

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 19:03:34 -0600, zxcvbob
wrote:

m Ransley wrote:
Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.



I don't know, but you need to drill a little hole at the end of the crack
first to relieve the strain so the crack doesn't keep growing.

If you use epoxy, get the slow-set rather than the 5-minute kind.

Ace Hardware has an epoxy in a double syringe specifically designed
for plastic. But I'm pretty sure I used it to glue a plastic tv
cabinet, and it didn't stick well. Of course the tv had been in the
attic for a year or so, getting quite cold in the winter and maybe 110
degrees in the summer. (The attic has a roof fan and probably doesn't
get hotter than that.)

Are you trying to glue the border between plastic and metal. That's
very hard, a radiator guy told me. I'm pretty sure you can glue the
plastic. If it doesn't work the first time, try PC-70. That sticks
to almost anything andwill take temperatures higher than what a
radiator has (I patched a little hole in an enameled 50's pan with it,
then boiled out all the water, but the pan still didn't leak.
Although now I might be reluctant to eat out of a pan like that.)

Bob

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:11:09 -0600, (m Ransley)
wrote:

Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.

Gas Tank Repair Putty will work if you put it on thick.

My problem is its 10f out, I have to find out minimum temps for the
epoxy, and try to get it in a garage, If I remove it I might as well
replace it.

On Jan 29, 6:11 pm, (m Ransley) wrote:
Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.

Which part of the expressway would you prefer to be on when the repair
lets go? Replacing most radiators isn't all that hard. Just pop in a
new one from AutoZone or wherever and be done with it. Best bet for
estimating the difficulty is to ask your car dealer what the labor
cost is, then divide that by his hourly rate. If it comes ut to a hour
or so you could probably do it yourself on a Saturday morning. Good
luck.

Joe

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 22:20:12 -0500, Nate Nagel
wrote:

zxcvbob wrote:
m Ransley wrote:

Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.



I don't know, but you need to drill a little hole at the end of the
crack first to relieve the strain so the crack doesn't keep growing.

If you use epoxy, get the slow-set rather than the 5-minute kind.

Bob

I'd rough it up first with some coarse sandpaper, too. Some plastics
are just hard for any adhesive to stick to, so give it some tooth to
give it a fighting chance. I'd probably try JB-Welsd as I've had good
luck with it other places that it probably shouldn't have worked.

I seriously doubt silicone will hold up, your rad. is probably under at
least 16 PSI.



See if you can find a recycling number on it, to tell you what
kind of plastic it is. The drill the ends of the crack to keep
it from running, use a hot nail or an appropriate solvent cement
to weld it back together. THEN put a patch over it with more
glue, solvent and/or epoxy, and wrap the entire thing tightly
with copper wire.

On Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:11:09 -0600, (m Ransley)
wrote:

Will epoxy bond to the plastic top of a car radiator. Mine is getting a
crack. I know replace it, but for now I was hoping epoxy or silicone
sealant might work.

The possible repairs have been covered. If you have to replace it, try
1-800/RADIATOR. They have warehouses all over and will deliver or ship
is none is near you. Lifetime warranty.

--Andy Asberry--
------Texas-----