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Old-school radiator repair...

M

mkirsch

Well-known Member
Anybody here ever attempted an old-school radiator repair at home?

I'm talking the "pinch off the tube and solder it shut" style repair.

The radiator is off an IH 240 Utility. Dunno if they're aluminum or brass?
 
I have been doing some of my own repairs lately because it seems the radiator shop doesn't seem capable anymore ?
I have not done that style yet but seen some it was done too.
I use a propane torch and ACID CORE solder and seem to be able to get it to stick.
 
You mean cut the tube at the
leak with a side cutter roll twice
with a needle nose and crimp
shut? I"ve done several times in
the parking lot of a truck stop.
Did the last one over five years
ago and as far as I know its still
holding. Jim
 
I did it with a soldering iron when I backed over a small pine stick
while skidding logs and it twisted around and poked a hole in the
radiator on the Massey 35 a few years ago. It worked fine, though
it took me a couple of tries to get it to stick. The area to be
patched has to be very clean.
Zach
 
(quoted from post at 19:48:02 01/27/14) Anybody here ever attempted an old-school radiator repair at home?

I'm talking the "pinch off the tube and solder it shut" style repair.

The radiator is off an IH 240 Utility. Dunno if they're aluminum or brass?
Click to expand...

Made radiator repairs quite often in my dirt track racin days. Rather than solder the tube shut it's usually easier and makes a better "repair" to cut the tube an inch or so from each tank. Heat the stub with a propane torch and pull it out of the tank. Clean, and solder the hole shut where the tube had been. Repeat at the opposite tank.
 
Yep Pops, I've done that bunches of times over the years both for myself and for customers. Works quite well. Just my thoughts, Keith
 
We were in a truck stop B. S. n and one of the guys radiator was leaking. So he got out a bunch of tooth picks and started poking them in the holes. It already looked like a porky pine. It was in bad shape
 
Done more then one that way or if you can leave the open end of the tube open and pinch it off back say a 1/2 inch. Then let the solder fill the end of the tube that you left open. That way you have a 1/2 inch deep plug
 
I've never soldered one, but I have cut them, and
crimped them with success. Most recent was a 6.7L
Cummins in a ballast plow. Once we had a
replacement radiator in hand the other mechanic
and I decided to see how long it would hold. I
cut, and crimped it in late January, had to add a
bottle of Bar's in August, and we finally replaced
it at the end of December when the gang shutdown.
It wasn't leaking but you gotta make hay when you
can. Being in a heated shop beats being on a RR
track in the middle of no where!
 
I do most of my own repairs when possible. My AC M has bolt on tops, and bottoms, so it isn't hard to poke out the tubes. A engine dip stick works good. I have unsoldered top tanks to clean out tubes. Putting it back together everything needs to be super clean. . As for removing tubes like someone else said. Cut off and leave about a inch. I use a small torch tip. heat the tube real quick and have the needle nose read to twist out the tube. Use soldering acid, and 50-50 solder. Don't use solder flux. stan
 
I've blasted some leaks with cornmeal, blew off good, sprayed or wiped off with acetone & used JB weld. Have had them hold for years that way.
 
It will be brass. Like others said, needs to be very clean and then some. I use the acid flux in the bottle and douse the area.
Wire brush, sand, then acid.

A propane torch should be enough for a tube. If not I have used cutting torch heat (sparingly)
 
There are a couple of problems with soldering the tube itself. First, the tubes can be extremely thin and prone to burning while being soldered. Second is it's tough to get the inside of the tube clean enough to solder.

That made pulling the tubes and soldering the slot in the tank more preferable for me.
 
Did it like Fixer Upper and solder long time back. Like 15 years before cancer and radiation. Solder and flux has to be real good. Iron was better than torch. Dave
 
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