Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Noticed that I had a crack in the plastic part of my radiator yesterday when I saw steam coming out of the engine compartment. It's a pretty straight horizontal crack about 5" long.
I tried using a JB Weld "Fahrenheit" putty but that didn't hold. Coolant was still leaking out and I was able to just peel off the hardened putty.
So today I got this repair kit and gave it a shot. It came with a fiberglass cloth, brush, sand paper, and pouch holding the two part epoxy. I guess I took too long to mix the epoxy... (instruction said no more than 30sec, but I only read the part that said to mix it really well) so I did only manage to brush on one thick layer of the mixed epoxy before it started to harden. I quickly stuck on the fiberglass that I had pre-cut to the dimensions I needed and pressed it down hard. Ideally, I was supposed to brush more epoxy to cover the fiberglass but I couldn't do that since the rest had already hardened. =/
But the good news is that it looks like that one thick layer is holding up so far. It feels solid and I see no leak after driving for about 30min this evening. I went back to the store and got another package so I can finish off covering the fiberglass cloth... but will wait couple of days after more drive time to see if the first layer is still holding. I think it'll be fine judging by the hardness and solid adhesion. I will report back if I see leaks and change my rating. Otherwise, this kit is pretty solid. $10 to save $200-400 to replace the radiator is a pretty good deal.
Update: Saturday, a day later. After running errands all morning, the first layer is still holding solid. Decided to go ahead and use the 2nd kit to finish the job. Took about 45secs to fully mix the epoxy this time. Was able to fully apply a nice/even second layer to cover the fiberglass cloth. I think I would have had time to do it right using just one kit if I worked fast. The epoxy is like tar... thick, sticky and gooey. Once it dries, the patch is strong and solid!! I was planning to use this as a temporary fix, but I think it should hold up for a few years.
Update: Tuesday, 3 days later. Guess what, the patch failed today. The combination of the heat and pressure pushed through and the leak continued. I was able to tear off the patch w/out much effort. Oh well, time to order a new radiator. Going to lower my rating to a single star since it didn't not work. =/
Click Here to see more reviews about: Plastic Tank & Radiator Repair Kit, 30g (90214)
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