I just took my radiator to find where I was getting a leak from... it seems like the fan (missing a bolt) was actually rubbing against the radiator and it looks like thats what caused the hole. I know it seems weird i still dont really believe it because my fan is plastic and the radiator is metal, but im pretty sure thats what happened. Has anyone ever repaired their own radiator, should i take to the shop, or should I buy an 85 dollar used one thats 40 miles away i found off of craigslist. What do you think?

 

Get pictures of the used one and buy it if it looks ok. Don't repair. Risky. Motors cost much more than 85$.

 

Buy the one down the road prolly. To properly repair you will need to pressure test it to find all the leaks, acid wash the areas clean, and have an aluminum welder. Do not use Bars stop leak, get a diff one or send yours in for a proper repair.

 

i had a simular problem with my radiator on my f2 but couldnt find a used radiator for under 100 bucks. so i had to take it to a shop. i only cost me 40bucks and works perfect!! usualy the shop will find the leak and make sure its fixed right. dont do it yourself!!! its not a do it yourself thing. but if you can get a used one online for 40 bucks i say go for it cause it will probably cost the same if not more.

 

Cool thx a lot for the advice... There's a lot of radiator shops in my area, I think I'll start there and check out how much that is. Everything's closed until tomorrow though.. Anyone know how long they take approximately?

 

What kind of bike is it?

 

....my rad had a leak in one of the smaller outlet ports. It was a hole about 1/8" in diameter. I used JB weld to fix it as a temp but I think it will stay forever. Clean the rad off of all oil, dirt grease, remove the paint around the area and apply a thin layer or cold JB weld over the hole. Cold JB is very thick and will bridge gaps. Let that set up and dry for a day. Then scuff the now hard JB weld and get some small model paint brushes. Mix up some JB weld, but this time HEAT it, when you heat JB, it gets real thin. You can now brush it on and it will level out nice and smooth. Put that second coat on, let it try and repeat another third coat of hot JB weld, let it all cure for atleast a day, I let mine do three and then try it out. I am VERY VERY suprized how it worked on mine.

 

its a 2000 cbr 929

the jb weld thing sounds cool, but I was looking for a more permanent fix... anyway I ended up goint to the radiator repair place, but they said they couldnt do anything about it cuz the whole thing was just a little bent as well as leaking. So I went with the other radiator that was about an hour drive away... the guy had it listed for 85 bucks but gave me it for 35 because I've bought other parts off of him before. I mounted that up and put in the coolant and everything is cool again.

 

After my last crash, i landed hard enough to damage the upper radiator hose pipe from radiator. Where the pipe is welded to main body of radiator. I had someone with a tig welder patch it up. Their welding job wasn't anything to brag about, but the thing held pressure and haven't had any leaks yet. But i still plan on replacing the radiator just because of possible leaks. I don't see anything wrong with welding a radiator, just get someone who knows how to really weld, the metal is thin and easy to just burn a hole in it instead of weld. Also check out ebay and other resources for possible used one that is in good condition. Sometimes that just much easier than chancing someone's work.

 

yeah, it can be done, i am not proud I used JB Weld olny, but I will tell ya what it works and it was only a small hole.

SurfnCal, you might want to scuff up the area around where you got it welded and mixe up some JB Weld, then use a hair dryer or heat gun to heat the mixed JB Weld and using a small paint brush, brush it on there. When you heat JB Weld it thins out and once you brush it on it will self level into a smooth finish. That will reinforce that weld and stop any pin hole leaks that might form. Get some low gloss or semi-flat black paint andspray a light coat on and the repair will look pretty darn good. One of these days I will have to post a photo.

I believe that the factory only brazes the parts together, to a TIG weld backed by JB should be PLENTY strong.