Sikaflex fix crack?

[Bludger]

Will Sikaflex 252 temporarily fix a 20 centimeter hairline crack on a radiator top tank?

last a month or two?

[bennjamin]

no way
perhaps a plastic-weld would be a temp fix? otherwise its new rad time

[dsp26]

no way
perhaps a plastic-weld would be a temp fix? otherwise its new rad time

yeah no way.... keeping in mind that stock radiator cap is 1.1bar and it still pressurises enough to let water in the reservoir... fyi even a 1.3bar rad cap will let water through to the reservoir at ~100*c

whats cracked bludge... the fins or end tanks?

theres a fella in blacktown that fixed my top/bottom tanks on my sr20 for $190. welding holes in the fins are a lot cheaper though

if not, i know someone on here thats selling a full aluminium dual core for DC2 brand new (no brand) for under $200... he can't fit it because his fans will hit the wastegate and turbo.. beats paying $450 for brand new oem single core

[Bludger]

plastic top tank.

super broke since I moved.....

hard to find second hand cos jdm radiator,.

a guy near me said he can get exact same top tank for $190, includes clean & flush, just need to wait for money.

top up fluid every few days.

tried permatex radiator repair kit, no worky

[CRXer]

i once used some selleys knead it(2 part epoxy putty u just knead together & apply) to fix a corroded water outlet on an old XB fairmont 302 block.didnt even remove the corrosion first.Lasted 2 years & sold the car like it.
try that lol

[SHOGUNOVDDRK]

Bau, have you considered a new radiator from a EG/EK or something?
Its popular and productive with the yanks

[CRXer]

EG/EK rad too tall in an EF,would have to tilt it back to clear the hood

[JohnL]

i once used some selleys knead it(2 part epoxy putty u just knead together & apply) to fix a corroded water outlet on an old XB fairmont 302 block.didnt even remove the corrosion first.Lasted 2 years & sold the car like it.
try that lol

I suspect that the epoxy putty may not stick to the (thermo?) plastic? If you can fine a waterproof glue (and Araldite isn't...), then maybe a patch can be glued over the whole crack (as opposed to trying to just glue into the crack, which I can't see working).

If you try to glue a patch over the top then you'll need a patch, and I'd try using some annealed copper sheet which you can probably form to shape reasonably easily. I'd also roughen the surfaces with sandpaper to provide a clean and well 'keyed' surface for the glue.

If you are placing a patch over the crack then before doing so it would probably be worthwhile to drill a small hole at the very end of each end of the crack. The end of a crack is always a stress riser, and the crack will tend to propogate further along the line ofthe cracking because the end of the crack exists. Drilling the crack end out removes the stress riser (or at least lessens it's effect), and may prevent the crack getting longer under the patch (if this happens then the crack may lengthen past the edge of the patch).

Off topic,
CRXer, I used to own an XB Falcon wagon. A truly horrid car, it's only saving grace being that it could carry my kart, all my racing paraphenalia and camping gear needed for a weekend away racing, and I could sleep in it (it was bloody big in there for something that wasn't actually a truck, even if it drove like one...).

[CRXer]

yeh,i suspect it wont stick either john,was just a good laugh i thought of,sticks to hot corroded cast iron real well but lol.

man,in a fully loaded wagon u woulda had the best case of factory saggy arse rear leafs of them all,lol
XB was a great weekend cruiser up & down the coast,was like being able to drive your lounge room on the highway.....u needed the fairmont buckets & factory A/C though & the tbar console to rest your foot on for some truly great cruising...

[JohnL]

man,in a fully loaded wagon u woulda had the best case of factory saggy arse rear leafs of them all,lol

Not with panel van springs...


XB was a great weekend cruiser up & down the coast,was like being able to drive your lounge room on the highway.....u needed the fairmont buckets & factory A/C though & the tbar console to rest your foot on for some truly great cruising...

My wagon was just a heap of crap that I scored for $0.00 because my brother was throwing it away (at least it had a manual box and a clutch that exercised my kart braking muscles). I only grabbed it because it was a useful 'race team transporter', and good for trips to the tip...

PS I think I can hear them too, the topic Gestapo....

[EK1.6LCIV]

yea no fix, unless you find another top tank and put it on to the existing radiator

koyo prob make one cheap new (not the 3 core models, just an oem copy)

is it a pressurised leak that only leaks when under load or does it leak stationary?

if its a pressurised leak, could last at best 1.5wks maybe 2 if u have rad fluid to spare

[dsp26]

i once used some selleys knead it(2 part epoxy putty u just knead together & apply) to fix a corroded water outlet on an old XB fairmont 302 block.didnt even remove the corrosion first.Lasted 2 years & sold the car like it.
try that lol

you just reminded me... depending on where the crack is bludge you can fix it with what jase is talking about.. araldite i think it is?

my dad used it once before and it held for a coupld of months... the crack has to be on a flattish surface, not bent like near the alloy part or near lid area.

scruff the surface up a tad (maybe 200grit sandpaper) but make sure it's super clean and not one bit of coolant residue... mix the araldite to exact ratio specs and apply... 24hrs to dry


but when i tried to fix mine on the hoonduh (before getting a full aluminium) i used a soldering iron to melt/weld the crack back together before applying araldite on top... lasted a couple months before any signs of leak seaping under the araldite.....BUT.... i also had a low temp thermostat plus a 0.9bar rad cap from supercheap.

[vinnY]

thought john just said araldite isn't waterproof?

[dsp26]

thought john just said araldite isn't waterproof?

not sure what he means though because araldite solidifies like cement.

but if i'm translating what he means correctly, first time i did it on uber smooth surface, once water starts creeping under the cured araldite it kind of just lifts it up

[Limbo]

try gasket glue, should hold for abit

[JohnL]

thought john just said araldite isn't waterproof?

Unless the formulation has been changed, Araldite epoxy glues are not waterproof. More than once I've used soaking in water to 'unglue' Araldite. It may take days, but eventually the glue falls apart.

This is specifically to do with 'Araldite' brand epoxy glues (most specifically the 'Super Strength' 24hr setting glue, I'm not sure about the '5 Minute' Araldite). Other epoxy glues / putties may well be different (including Araldite branded putty).

[JohnL]

try gasket glue, should hold for abit

Gasket compounds typically are not very good glues. They're intended to seal minute gaps, not hold parts together (or even stick to anything very hard), though some have a degree of strength in this area (not much though).

[JohnL]

not sure what he means though because araldite solidifies like cement.

Note that while '24hour' Araldite sets harder than '5 minute' Araldite, the latter is much more flexible and the former is stiffer and, more brittle.


but if i'm translating what he means correctly, first time i did it on uber smooth surface, once water starts creeping under the cured araldite it kind of just lifts it up

Yes...

[T-onedc2]

Could try Bostik Titan Bond. Two pack works under water, suitable for underwater tiles/fittings, plastics and ceramics. Maybe worth a try.

[Bludger]

how bout fuel tank cracks?

[krogoth]

lol bau

whats going on?

[CRXer]

sikaflem...
suck thru a coupla packs o winnie blues quickly & cough up one of those special ones....
u'll get something that'll stick to anything & fix all your cracks.....

[Bludger]

sikaflem...
suck thru a coupla packs o winnie blues quickly & cough up one of those special ones....
u'll get something that'll stick to anything & fix all your cracks.....LOL

wtf......

I was talking about the fuel filler issue with the ef8's how they aren't tight.

http://www.crxaustralia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1425

Will sikaflex work or should i Buy the same permatex fuel tank/radiator repair I bought for my radiator.??


ideas???

thanks

[JohnL]

Will sikaflex work or should i Buy the same permatex fuel tank/radiator repair I bought for my radiator.??

ideas???

The very best / most successful repair you can possibly make that doesn't involve replacing the tank will always be at risk of unpredictable sudden failure (I predict...).