Is it possible to fix a leaking radiator?

[vic2340]

I had a bent radiator on my yz450f so I decided to bend it back. I bent it back straight and I was thrilled until it started leaking on the ground. I just used my hands since the bottom portion of the radiator was bent towards the back. Anyways their is a tiny leak and I dont have the money to buy a used ugly shit looking one for 60 dollars on ebay. Is their a way I can fix this one? please explain if so.

[STR8SHOOTR]

If its not to bad and if you have a local Rad shop in the area,it shouldnt be a problem. I know you can send it out,but by the time you pay for the service and shipping,you could of bought a cheap ebay version. They also sell Bars leak fix for auto, but i dont know if that would work, personaly I wouldnt use it. Good luck with it

[Brandon B]

You can epoxy aluminum rads, that's what I did on my sport bike when i was swapping forks and poked a hole in mine. DO NOT use any sort of additive like stop leak, it will cause more problems than anything

[Qqqqqqqqqqqq]

You can get a new rad set on e bay cheap , they are made in china . I have a set on my CRF with no issues

[William1]

Mylers Radiator, makes them nearly like new

[Shhhh]

In my opinion there are 2 options. Buy a new one on ebay and roll the dice, or send it to Myler's and have it repaired. I've done it both ways, the first set I bought on ebay didn't fit, then I got a single for my KTM and it leaked. I got my money back both times, but when I sent it to Mylers it came back in 5 days fixed. The cost was about the same in replacing vs fixing, but the repaired rad works great a year later. Good luck in whatever you decide.

FWIW I am running the Chinese (Ebay) rads on my 144, and have been for about 6 months now and they work fine, no problems at all.

[motoxvet]

You can get a new rad set on e bay cheap , they are made in china . I have a set on my CRF with no issues

Although I hate to promote anything from China, I've been watching the reports about the NEW rad's made in China and the word is they seem to be pretty good. And as someone mentioned, I can't believe the crappy used stuff people are selling for more than the new chinese ones.

[ickfinger]

Dont wanna rag on you dude, but if you dont have $ to repair the thing properly, whats the lifespan of your bike? Maybe ask for the repairs as a Christmas present. On such a tight bugdet, you couldnt have picked a more expensive to maintain bike! Sell it once its fixed and get a 2 stroke.

[Jakeblues]

Mylers can fix it http://www.motorcycleradiators.com/

stay away from the stop leak stuff

then install some guards

[MINGHAG]

I don't understand the hype of sending a radiator off to get fixed, when you can get a better quality, oversized, mishimoto set off ebay for less than $100.

[CaptainKnobby]

If you said it was just a small leak you can use JB weld. I fixed a rad on a 125cc i had once,it had a small hole at the bottom of the fins where they attached to the bottom portion of the rad. Someone ramed me in the side and bent the rad. I bent the rad back but by doing this it pulled on one of the fins and made a leak at the corner.

I put some JB Weld on it and waited 2 days before I started it up and it worked fine for 2 years and then I sold it. I had Mylers to fix one for me that had a torn spot on the fin about in the mid of Rad. The fins were folded over and I was trying to straighten them with a pointed like screwdriver (forget what you call em) Pick or something but tore one of the fins while doing this. I could have used JB Weld but didnt wont all that grey looking weld putty everywhere in that area.The bike was new an 06 and this was just the 2nd race and only had like 6hrs on it. Didnt want to use JB so sent it to mylers.

After mylers sent it back I noticed a big gob of weld at the area where it leaked. I thought to myself......Did this guy know how to weld. I welded with a Heli-Arc (TIG) welder for 7yrs and dont brag on myself but with a TIG welder I was good. I could weld 2 Soda cans together at the bottom and they wouldnt leak. The welds I layed down looked like a roll of shiny nickles or a snakes belly. Anyways they just layed gob on it but guess it was from some antifreeze still in the area that made the mess of a weld. But I figured they would have cleaned it out before they welded it so it wouldnt make the weld look so grayish and melted looking. It seemed they had the heat turned way up on the welder.

It worked though and thats all that mattered but I would had done a better looking job so it would have been less noticeable.

[SS109]

If it is an aluminum radiator you can use some Alumi-Rod to fix it. Afew club members have used it with great success. Basically you would just be brazing (similar to soldering) the repair. You can find plenty of videos, under various brand names, showing exactly how to do it on Youtube. You can get it at Harbor Freight for about $15. http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-low-temperature-aluminum-welding-rods-44810.html

[mec500]

years ago i had a rad crack in one corner after a mild get off on the first day of a 3 day trip . to keep riding for the weekend i used about half a teaspoon of alumaseal mixed with coolant then added to rads after riding a few minutes the leak stopped and it never leaked again and that was 5 years ago .in some cases stop leak can save your butt if used correctly dont just dump the whole tube of powder in the rads and expect anything other than bad results .if you have the funds to repair correctly then do it right the first time

[Jakeblues]

I don't understand the hype of sending a radiator off to get fixed, when you can get a better quality, oversized, mishimoto set off ebay for less than $100.

Avg rad repair by Mylers is $35.

[Guest]

Dont wanna rag on you dude, but if you dont have $ to repair the thing properly, whats the lifespan of your bike? Maybe ask for the repairs as a Christmas present. On such a tight bugdet, you couldnt have picked a more expensive to maintain bike! Sell it once its fixed and get a 2 stroke.

Always someone to be a d*ck about something..

If there's a possibility to save money on something, wouldn't you want to know?

I had a tiny leak on my kx250f rad..so instead of buying a new one Jb weld was able to help me. Good as new can't even tell it was repaired. I'm only 15 so of course I would want to know if something was fixable before I bought a new one.

[MINGHAG]

Avg rad repair by Mylers is $35.

Sometimes, and thats not including shipping both ways. But you don't know if it's $35 or $100 until you send it out and let them see the damage. I just don't see the point in rescueing lousy stock rads anyways. I would only repair them if I had some high dollar ones on.

Most repair costs are between $35 and $65 per radiator. It is $35 to straighten the radiator. After the radiator has been straightened we pressure check it for leaks and examine the radiator for broken welds. If there are either, it is $15 for the first weld and $5 for each additional weld. Our Maximum is $100 with the following exceptions.

Exceptions:

If someone else has worked on the radiator and made a mess, it will be an extra $5 to $25 to fix it. Depending on the severity.

If the filler neck needs to be replaced then add $75. We sell High Pressure caps for $20.

[ikis86]

Although I hate to promote anything from China, I've been watching the reports about the NEW rad's made in China and the word is they seem to be pretty good. And as someone mentioned, I can't believe the crappy used stuff people are selling for more than the new chinese ones.

i agree with what you say about promoting spare from china, i'd never run internal engine spares or the like from them. But their radiators seem to be very good quality, and the more i think about it, they were welded up by someone who probably makes them 10 hours a day 7 days a week. I just bought a set and they fit perfect and look great, no issues there.

[ickfinger]

Always someone to be a d*ck about something..

If there's a possibility to save money on something, wouldn't you want to know?

I had a tiny leak on my kx250f rad..so instead of buying a new one Jb weld was able to help me. Good as new can't even tell it was repaired. I'm only 15 so of course I would want to know if something was fixable before I bought a new one.

Well seeing as you find it necessary to call me a dick,, by 15 I had already been working 2 years, paid for my bike and when it needed repairs I paid for the parts and learned to wrench on it myself. When my yz needed new top end parts,I didnt just re-ring it. I never wasted anybodys time by having my half assed repair fail and ruin someone elses day by making them tow me back. Grow up, get a job and start earning money to repair your mess yourself. Theres only so much Obama can do for you. While jb weld might "fix" your problem, its far from a "repair". Would you ride it across Alaska like that? When your repair falls off and all of a sudden your bike locks up from overheating and the motor is ruined to the tune of$2500, i WILL be laughing and then you will earn the right to call me DICK! Edited December 10, 2012 by ickfinger

[Guest]

Well seeing as you find it necessary to call me a dick,, by 15 I had already been working 2 years, paid for my bike and when it needed repairs I paid for the parts and learned to wrench on it myself. When my yz needed new top end parts,I didnt just re-ring it. I never wasted anybodys time by having my half assed repair fail and ruin someone elses day by making them tow me back. Grow up, get a job and start earning money to repair your mess yourself. Theres only so much Obama can do for you. While jb weld might "fix" your problem, its far from a "repair". Would you ride it across Alaska like that?

Making assumptions. I worked my a** off this summer 13 hours a day bussing tables. I also wrench others peoples bike for $$.. I buy all my stuff and could of bought a brand new rad but I chose to have it repaired. Why replace when it can be fixed? Going on 1 year with 0 problems. I keep all my bikes in top shape and replace everything when it needs it. Don't go calling me out when you don't know anything about me. All I'm saying is that if he wanted to know a cheap alternate, not to be told he can't afford a 4 stroke.

And how isn't jb weld a repair? To repair something is to fix it, and it certainly fixed my problem. There isn't one thing on my bike that goes "unrepaired."

Edited December 10, 2012 by Guest

[Cr125r07]

simply crack an egg and put it in your radiator....then enjoy the cheap fix i provided for you