My radiator is cracked where the inlet pipes juts out from the plastic reservoir, where the top hose connects. I'm pretty sure it broke when I went offroading last week and hit some deep puddles at questionable speeds. My battery is secured by a bungie cord because the stock mount has rusted and broken a long time ago, so I'm pretty sure the battery must have smacked into where the top hose mounts to the inlet pipe. I'm sure its the radiator because i put a new upper hose on it, and when the system is completely warmed up and under pressure, I can get coolant to shoot out and hear gas escaping with a slight tug on the upper hose.

Anyways, can you recommend me a temporary fix? I don't want to spend the money on a new radiator right before christmas and a trip planned in January.

I have some high temperature black silicone, I was thinking of covering the joint where the inlet tube connects to the radiator.

Even when the radiator has leaked as much as the crack will let out, its not enough to make the jeep overheat, but I just want some basic insurance until I'm ready to drop a new radiator in.

Also picture from that same offroad session

 

My prezidential solution would be JB Weld, possibly reinforced with fiberglass cloth/fiber.

Hope your "trip" didn't include the jeep.

 

I was thinking about JB weld, ive just never used it. I'm sure it can handle consistent temperatures of 210ish.

And thankfully no, im just flying to the east coast. Longest trip I've did in this jeep is to vegas and back, it didn't really like the last 20-30 miles of straight hill climbing though.

 

Seems I've seen mention of a "high heat" JB,

Be sure to clean, roughen, then clean surface you will apply it.

Add stronger bungees to battery

 

You can buy a brand new radiator at AutoZone for under $100 and they are a good one.

If you can't spend that much then you should just park it till you can.

 

Agreed. Got a Spectra at AZ the other day for $100. Upper/lower hoses for like $5-10 a piece, and some large hose clamps for $4. Easy enough job. You don't even need to take the grill off like I've seen people say before (at least on the renix era, idk if they changed any in the newer ones but I don't think they did). Just some Torx and 8mm/10mm bolts, and taking off the lines (the transmission lines are a pita, but luckily I already snipped my lines and ran to a trans cooler, so the radiator was that much easier to swap since I just left the caps on the trans lines)

 

^^^^^THIS! A $100 radiator vs a $1000+ motor........really? Also, stay on pavement or clamp the battery down correctly.

 

But driving at questionable speeds with a bungee cord clamp is the **** man

Look at that only $80 for a radiator and upper hose at advance auto

 

Yep....going thru life doing most everything half a$$ed, being proud of it and braggin' about it on the Internet??????....WTF.

 

um. what?

 

Maybe he could have used the leather bungee cords. Those are stronger maybe.

I still say he just gets the radiator now and be done with it. Hell my radiator is going. Leaking from the crappy crimps that they come with. It's never worth the risk

 

It's broken, it needs to be fixed. It needs to be fixed correctly ($80 new rad). One knows the battery is bungee corded, but goes bouncing around off road anyway.

What??????????????????????????????????????????

 

You can lead a man to a new radiator, but you can't make him buy it. I'm not sure he was bragging about it in this post. Just looking for some advice to slow the flow till he can buy a new one. I personally wouldn't drive it with a cracked radiator (or a battery on a tether), but to each his own.

 

Hopefully the OP will takes these suggestions not to drive it (and anchor the battery correctly). 2-3 evenings delivering pizzas would probably net enough cash to buy a new rad.

 

Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, (and OP) can see he needs a new rad.

Have you walked in his shoes?
Does he need to make it to this friday?
Or next?

In your perfect world .........................


Op, carry lots of extra "coolant", refill as needed. Turn off phone and radio to hear unusual noises, watch temp gauge like a hawk.

Maybe back rad cap off half notch so as not to build pressure.