You can find the most basic items needed to fix this leak in almost all auto parts stores and will probably be included in the cooling system stop leak kit which you can assemble yourself. The common items included in this emergency kit include: truck radiator stop leak, duct tape, rubber cement, an epoxy like JB Weld, hose clamps, hose splice fittings and basic tools. But, remember one very important thing – any DIY radiator repair is only a temporary solution.
3. Dry, clean and prepare the area
If you managed to identify the place of the leak, before you proceed with any DYI cheap radiator repair, first you must completely dry the area. Next step is cleaning off any dirt, oil, grease, paint or debris and create a nice working surface. You can use detergent or degreaser to remove all. Last prep step is to roughen the surface with a file or coarse sandpaper in order to give best repair.
4. Choose cheap radiator repair solution
There are several ways you can temporary fix the leak, all easy and cheap radiator repair.
- Cold weld epoxy: You use a cold epoxy to apply it directly on the leak spot, and precisely according to instructions, after everything is cooled and cleaned. The trick to using this method is to suck the epoxy into the area through a vacuum hose. Move the overflow line to a vacuum port. Take off the distributor cap and try to turn the motor over a few times to create a suction that will pull the epoxy into the radiator. Most commonly used epoxy, that stopped may leaks is JB weld, and a lot of drivers keep a tube in their toolbox.
- Soldering the leak: If you have tools and know how to do it, you can solder the leaking portion of a copper and brass radiator. Soldering is not such easy fix, and required a lot of fluid, acid, solder, a pristine clean surface, and the right amount of heat, at the right time in the right spot. The process is simple though. Just heat up the old solder than scrape it away. Once the radiator seam is clean, then apply new solder to the spot. Beware not to use this cheap radiator repair solution on a corroded radiator since it may cause more trouble than good.
Source: rexradiator.com
