I noticed that I have a small, slow, drip...drip from my radiator.

It's right below where the upper hose connects to the radiator. Infact, it appears like there's a flange where the plastic 90^ pipe bolts on to the side of the top of the plastic radiator tank. I haven't taken off the fan shroud, nor removed the radiator, its hard to see. I know for sure it's not the upper hose or hose clamp that's leaking.

Can I unbolt that flange and put in a new gasket? What about the 90^ plastic pipe, replaceable?

I've looked at all kinds of diagrams and cooling system parts lists and whatnot. I'm hoping someone can save me from needing to replace the entire radiator.

Here's a photo of the back side of where it leaks,....

 

Inspect the flange seal and reseal it. I did that before.

Now if there is a crack then that's a different story.

 

Another (cropped) photo. Drip comes from near the lower nut in this photo.

The parts I'm looking for are the gasket and plastic pipe that are held on by the two nuts in the photo.

Also, this diagram makes it look like the plastic pipe is a part of the radiatator, not a seperate part, and no gasket shown either....

::confused

 

Yes.,,, that's what I was thinking. Hoping it's not cracked.

Did you replace gasket? Where to get it?

 

The part comes as the whole radiator. I would check to see if it just needs tightened or the gasket re-seated. If it still leaks you might have a hairline crack in the plastic.

The neck / seal on the top and the bottom that bolt to the radiator are not a separate part, and come with a new radiator.

Aluminum Radiator - Part number 17117570489 MCS


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/17117570489/



Thanks

 

I just had the same problem, although I was never able to confirm the precise location of my leak; I do know, however, that it was near there. If you think your elbow is the problem you might ask people to save their damaged radiators in hopes that you can then recycle their elbow. Otherwise, if you can't reseal the connection, buy a new radiator.

 

You can get s gen1 aftermarket copy of the OEM for about $100 on rock auto...
The plastic connectors tend to get brittle with age... Made worse by folks sometimes using an aftermarket screw clamps too tight....much tighter than the OEM style spring clamp.
My guess is, if you manage to fix/replace the broken plastic part, the plastic used in the radiator, where the tubes are melted to the ends, might be almost at the end of its life...they crack and leak there too after about 10 years or so....

 

Theres also this on ebay with free shipping. Im not affiliated with the seller.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEE-TABLE-FO...c298fc&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2ROWCORE-ALU...-/400574419313

 

Thanks for all the help guys...

I'm not really sure how long it's been doing this, but I'm keeping an eye on the coolant level. It looks nearly full (low mark when cold), but I added just a splash (about a cup) when I saw this.

I'm just afraid that if it is cracked that taking it apart to inspect could make it worse,... I guess it's better to do that in my garage than be overheating on the side of the road.

I wish the Mishimoto all aluminum radiator that Way has were in my budget today,... I'll be saving for a pay period or two though.

 

that all aluminum two row one doesnt look to bad for the price.

 

I can't see the link from my phone. I'll look to see when I get to a computer. I'm wondering if it has plastic tanks on the side.

 

I posted two links. One is a stock replacement. The other is all aluminum construction two row cooling so no plastic at all.

 

If your leak is coming from 2 sandwiched parts and held by screws or bolts then you can just re-seal it. I used silicon rated for that temperature that you can buy from Pepboys and alike.

Worst scenario is replacing your radiator and why not re-seal that flange if the leak is coming from there.

 

So, my coolant level has not dropped enough to notice visually when looking at the reservoir, but I see it drip; and no overheating.

Tonight I'll park it, remove that flange and see what I find.

My question is about the eBay all aluminum radiator.

Anyone tried it?

By photos it looks so much like the Mishimoto, but less than half the price. I've always been leery of cheap parts,... But it's just some metal tubes welded together...what could be the difference?

 

The eBay one looks to me like a universal core, with tanks, connections welded on.....
The mishimoto seems to be much thicker...heavier duty....more shine, more bling..not sure which is better...comes down to how high quality the core section is....

 

The mishimoto is the proven of the two. The other should work just as well, does have a higher capacity over the stock radiator, should be a direct drop in.
I might be going that route over the mishimoto to see how well it works.

 

Let us know if you try it. I'm still hoping my radiator is not cracked. I can't find any customer reviews, so I'll probably go Mishimoto if I need a new one. Those are very popular in the Honda World I came from too.

 

Update:

If anyone has similar problem, and try's to repair it with some form a gasket sealant, my advice is pull the radiator.

So I unbolted the elbow, looked like the flange was a little bit warped, barely noticeable with a straight edge.... probably the source of the problem.

Went to napa in search of a replacement elbow, or at least o-ring. No elbow, but They had two o-ring that were the right circumsfrance to fit the hole, but the guage was either too fat or too skinny for the groove it fits into.

My original o-ring didn't look too bad. It was a little squished on one side, I just flipped it over. I thought the Form-A-Gasket stuff I got might seal it up enough anyway, taking up the gap of the slight warp on the mating surface flange.

I think I could have done a better job if I would have taken time to remove the radiator, or at least slide out the MFE to service mode.

I felt like it was drying too fast (directions say to clamp the two pieces together while its tacky... And to my surprise, the window there seems to be only a few minutes -maybe i should mot have gotten the 'fast drying' one) and it was difficult to negotiate the elbow into place with the dipstick tube being in the way. I did get it bolted back securely, but i think i took too long, and I think I may have messed it up.

I'll wait till tomorrow to try to fill, burp, etc the coolant into it. -Please cross your fingers for me.... The mishimoto will be cool if I have to replace the radiator, but I was hoping to use the funds elsewhere on the mini first.

 

OMG,.. I can't believe it doesn't leak! I thought for sure it would leak like a running faucet as soon as the air was out, and the bleed valve closed.

Really happy, hope it will last a while. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on it, to make sure it doesn't start dripping! Easy enough... I drive a lot, get gas and check oil 3 times a week, it's right there to touch and make sure it's still dry.

 

CRAP! That didn't last long