Can you repair the plastic radiator

[highrr]

Can anyone please tell me if you can repair the plastic overflow tip on the P38 radiator? It snapped off.

[wayneg]

Very common problem as they get brittle with age.
Someone on here just changed their radiator so they might have the old one as spares. Have a read and maybe send a PM. Getting the clamps to refit the tanks is very hard.
From experience you might as well bite the bullet and buy a new Rad, you dont want an overheating episode

[highrr]

Thanks for that, it will probably come down to getting a new one, just seems such a waste as it is a good radiator I just leant on the plastic nib.

[Chops]

I'm not sure if it would work or not, but if it were me, I'd be trying to drill and tap it. It would depend alot on how thick the material is in that area.
Of course as the material gets brittle, it could be an ongoing problem.

[p38oncoils]

Can anyone please tell me if you can repair the plastic overflow tip on the P38 radiator? It snapped off.

If you want to repair the radiator you can get a product that is called Devcon Plastic Steel and try to repair it with that. Drill out the hole in the breather tube on the radiator where the tip broke off and insert a plastic tube or even a brass tube into it and then use the Devcon Plastic Steel to build a support around the tube. Then you can connect the breather hose to the header tank to the tube.

You can look at the product at the following page:

ITW Devcon | Plastic Steel® Putty - A (http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?familyid=101&sc=Market)

ITW Devcon | Plastic Steel® Liquid - B (http://www.devcon.com/products/products.cfm?familyid=102&sc=Market)

[FANTOM P38]

G'day HighRR did exactly the same to mine about 12months ago, took it to local radiator guy and he used some "special" glue to fix it, but sadly it only lasted for about 6 months. Got thru winter ok but started seeping this summer and I am now looking to replace radiator as I would not trust it on long trip on hot day! For your info I priced today a H/duty Aussie desert cooler radiator and they quoted $650 cash. The standard rangie radiator seems bad design to me that outlet is very precarious. Hope this helps, if your interested maybe we can get better price for 2! Let me know as i am going to take mine in tomorrow as a sample for them!

[redandy3575]

I superglued mine and is still holding up well after the radiator itself has worn out. I recently replaced mine with a Chinese manufactured radiator for $285 delivered, and to be honest it seems to perform better than the old Scottish made one, and is more robustly built. Time will tell I guess, as the Scottish one barely lasted more than 2 years.

[BusinessConnected]

Redandy:
Was that the Ebay one or another Chinese sourced one?

[mick88]

There is also a "plastic mastic" type adhesive/filler that comes in two parts (black and white) made by Araldite. It is excellent for this type of application. It is reguarly used in the irrigation industry for joining pvc pipes or making up T junctions or unusual bends, provinding the surfaces are clean and dry it is faultless. I have used it on large diameter pvc pipes (150mm dia) in our vineyard and it withstands 50psi pressures without any issues.


Cheers, Mick.

[FANTOM P38]

Dont mean to pour cold water on your suggestions guys but whichever glue you use needs to withstand high temps as well as high pressure - good luck
even the "special" stuff my radiator specialist uses didnt last very long!
Dropped my radiator in today to Aussie Desert Coolers and should have my new one on Friday - Gauranteed to perform better & outlast standard one!
Let you all know once install has been done - just waiting on all the other bits I've ordered i.e. Water Pump, Serpentine Belt, Thermostat & Viscous Clutch.
This should solve any future cooling issues. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of nowhere with a gauge heading for the red!!!!

[redandy3575]

Redandy:
Was that the Ebay one or another Chinese sourced one?

eBay. From Sydney.

[redandy3575]

Dont mean to pour cold water on your suggestions guys but whichever glue you use needs to withstand high temps as well as high pressure - good luck
even the "special" stuff my radiator specialist uses didnt last very long!
Dropped my radiator in today to Aussie Desert Coolers and should have my new one on Friday - Gauranteed to perform better & outlast standard one!
Let you all know once install has been done - just waiting on all the other bits I've ordered i.e. Water Pump, Serpentine Belt, Thermostat & Viscous Clutch.
This should solve any future cooling issues. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of nowhere with a gauge heading for the red!!!!

Well the superglue is A 3M type and has lasted, it's still on the radiator. It only has to withstand up to no more than 120 degrees celsius.

[highrr]

Thanks guys for all the info, I just bought a new one saved on the issues of being tuck in the buh and it breaks.

[Craig_Keira]

I took mine to a plastic welder. 1 year later and it's still perfect. :)

Don't bother with home remedies.

[parasnoop67]

Temp repair on mine with 5 min Araldite which seemed to work ok.
Wouldn't expect too much long term but it's a good emergency fix.
My fan had exploded and cut the top hose which cracked the underside of the top hose connection point.:eek:

[poleonpom]

I broke mine too, so I cut some air pipe, wedged it in the hole and epoxy resined it all in; still good 3 years on