Brand new Radiator leaking!!??!?

[Bucket-O-Karma]

Okay, so I have had this jeep since march 2008, and I have never experienced a radiator problem till now. Last week I noticed that my radiator was leaking from the top, passenger side of the crimp seam. Okay, It's not the newest vehicle, maybe it was just age getting to it (2000 with 85,000mi). So I went out to Auto Zone, and bought a new radiator with money that was supposed to go towards bills. Chris and I installed it, filled it, put on the new radiator cap (same pressure at 18psi), and drove for about an hour. I got home to find the brand new radiator was leaking from the exact same place!!! I do have a limited lifetime warranty on the new one, however, I can only replace it with the same one I got, and I can't just keep replacing my radiator. I also can't afford to go out and purchase a better one since we now can't even pay the bills right now.

Has anyone had this problem before?

Does anyone know of any cheap, permanent solutions to this problem?

Does anyone know why this happened? (my temp has never spiked, or gone over 270 since I have had this Jeep)


I know that re-crimping is only a temp fix since aluminum does not like to be bent more than once. I cannot go out and get a 3-core as money constraints do not allow it. Please any help in finding out the cause of this problem might enable me to find a solution. Anyone that has had this problem, and found a solution (aside from getting a 3-core) please post what you did..... I know this is long and I'm sorry, but I'm trying to be as informative as possible about the situation.

Thank you in advance for any help!!!

[CumminsJeep]

can you get any pics of it? i understand where the leak is but it may help others as well

[crosbike]

bring this one back and get a new one. It is extremely odd that it is leaking in the same exact place as before. You positive thats the culprit?

[Bucket-O-Karma]

Can't do pics right now, too dark for my crappy cam, and there isn't a (visible) hole or anything, so I'm not sure they will help.

I'm fairly certain the radiator is the problem. The hoses are good, and there is no coolant around them or the cap..... It appears to be where the top and the core are crimped and O-ringed together. It isn't losing a large amount, but it's being sprayed everywhere by the fan, so alot of things are now coated in coolant.

[Pete]

get a new one under warrenty, did you have to change the coolant too? if you did i would bitch about having them pay for the new coolant. i put a new rad in after mabell one run and it leaked 2 days after. the place gave me a new rad and 2 jugs of coolant

[jeepmech06791]

That sux alot man, i just got one from advanced for my yj a month ago and it leaked the same night i put it in too, where the metal was crimped onto the plastic tank, below the rad. cap. For even less money, shipped to my door i got an all metal, 3 core radiator from radiators.com, The one from advanced was 10 bucks more and aluminum one core, with plastic tanks. Take that shit back and call rad.com!

[XJLI]

coolant is really tricky and a very 'light weight' liquid. id check around and see if the leak is coming from somewhere else.

[Bucket-O-Karma]

I'm just astounded that it would leak from the same damned place just a few hours after install..... I didn't flush the system, just tossed in the 2gal into the new one..... levels are good, I'm not leaking much, but I am leaking. Where was yours leaking from, I'm just trying to see if this a common problem.



Okay, I went out and got a 16psi cap in hopes that the 2psi less will mean the pressure build-up will go into the reservoir instead of out the seam if it continues, I'll keep the 16psi cap and replace the new radiator again, with the same hope that less pressure will encourage the coolant not to bust through the o-ring.

[Bucket-O-Karma]

Nov 20, 2008 21:40:34 GMT -5 XJLI said:

coolant is really tricky and a very 'light weight' liquid. id check around and see if the leak is coming from somewhere else.

I have been looking, all signs point to top crimp seam where the plastic meets the aluminum. I could be wrong, I'm not an expert, but that's where everything is happening, it even sprays the hood right there (although very lightly)

[xjeeper]

i would get that warrantied and just get it fixed the right way. whatever you do, dont use radiator stop leak.

[jeepmech06791]

idk man, id take it back like i did and get an all metal one from somewhere else.. i dont trust plastic ones at all, especially now, i think they have gone downhill in quality alot. With the cost of things now i think there cutting the meterials used to make the radiators with way too much chinisium.

[CumminsJeep]

i think it may be coming from somewhere else thats why i ask for pics

[Rev. AL]

the radiator in the suburban leaked so I put in some of that stop leak shit when then proceeded to fuck me over when it killed my thermostat. So I put in a new radiator and had a similar problem. I called the company and they told me to take pics of the leak. I took pics clearly showing the leak, and they told me to send it back to them IN FUCKIN CALIFORNIA wanted me to pay shipping and wait like 2-3 weeks for it to go back. I figured out mine only leaked when it was really really cold outside. So i said fuck it. tranny died 7 months later so I never had to deal with it.

[Bucket-O-Karma]

Nov 20, 2008 23:12:51 GMT -5 Rev. AL said:

the radiator in the suburban leaked so I put in some of that stop leak shit when then proceeded to fuck me over when it killed my thermostat. So I put in a new radiator and had a similar problem. I called the company and they told me to take pics of the leak. I took pics clearly showing the leak, and they told me to send it back to them IN FUCKIN CALIFORNIA wanted me to pay shipping and wait like 2-3 weeks for it to go back. I figured out mine only leaked when it was really really cold outside. So i said fuck it. tranny died 7 months later so I never had to deal with it.

Wow......ummm...... that was certainly inspiring.