How to Seal the Cooling Radiator with Your Own Hands: Description, Schematic and Recommendations

Automotive cooling radiator is designed to lower the temperature of the coolant (antifreeze or antifreeze) circulating inside the engine. Its design usually consists of two tanks and honeycombs located between them, which are a system of thin tubes equipped with thin lamellae. The refrigerant temperature is reduced due to natural or forced air blowing of the honeycomb.

Despite the simple design, the radiator sometimes breaks down. Its main malfunction is leakage failure. In other words, it begins to leak. The leakage of coolant with the power unit running threatens the last critical breakdown due to overheating.

Replacing the radiator is not so much trouble as it is expensive. And the bill here goes to thousands and even tens of thousands of rubles. In this article, we will talk about whether it is possible to solder the cooling radiator with our own hands and what means will be needed for this.

Why there is a leak

The leak in the device under consideration can occur only for two reasons: due to mechanical damage and due to corrosion processes occurring inside the tubes. In the first case, this can be an effect on the honeycombs or tanks of an alien object. This usually happens as a result of road accidents, a collision on a high curb, a stone stroke, etc. Everything is clear. Visual inspection will allow you to accurately determine the location of the damage, as well as assess the possibility of repair. With corrosion a little more difficult. In order not to make a mistake and to weld the cooling radiator where necessary, it will take several simple actions to detect the problem zone or even zones. The fact is that corrosion damage can occur in several places at the same time.

Looking for a place of leakage

A clear sign that the radiator has flowed is the presence of traces of coolant on the ground under the car, on the engine or on it. It is almost impossible to find the place of a leak without dismantling the device. But before you take it off, you need to make sure that it's in it, not in the nozzles or, for example, in the leaky cap of the top tank. When this is done, you can safely drain the coolant and remove the radiator for diagnosis.

If visual inspection of the device results in no results, check it by immersion in water. To do this, take a suitable size container, fill it with water. Close all plugs with stoppers and immerse the radiator in water. Now it only remains to create air pressure in the device. This can be achieved by simply blowing into the filler neck of the top tank or by inventing another option with a compressor (pump). Exhausting air bubbles will accurately show you the fault location.

Copper or aluminum

, необходимо точно установить, из какого материала он изготовлен. In order to qualitatively weld the cooling radiator , it is necessary to establish exactly what material it is made of. Most often, cooling devices are made of copper and aluminum. Determine the type of material is not difficult. Copper honeycombs have a characteristic reddish-brown color, aluminum - gray.

If you have determined that you have a copper radiator, you can consider yourself lucky. This metal is easily soldered at home. If you got an aluminum device, then you have to tinker with it, because this material is hard to solder.

Repair the copper radiator

, изготовленный из меди, вам понадобятся следующие средства и инструменты: To solder the engine cooling radiator , made of copper, you will need the following tools and tools:

• Powerful soldering iron or gas burner;
• solder;
• Flux for soldering;
• Pliers;
• sandpaper.

To begin with, the radiator must be dried, especially if you checked it by immersion in water. Then the site of damage should be carefully cleaned with sandpaper. If lamellae are located on it, they must be removed locally. After that, the soldering site is treated with a flux and then dried again.

можно как газовой горелкой, так и паяльником. You can use the gas burner and soldering iron to solder the radiator . In the first case, the solder is put in place and heated by the burner until it melts and fills the crack. Using a soldering iron as a heating tool, make sure that it has sufficient power.

In the event that the solder does not adhere to the surface or lags, it is necessary to repeat the process of stripping and flux processing. Check the repaired radiator in the manner described above.

What is the difficulty of soldering aluminum?

Aluminum is a very specific metal. Its feature is the high chemical activity, which manifests itself in the formation of the so-called oxide film on the surface. It appears instantly when a pure metal is in contact with air, reacting with oxygen. привычным способом невозможно. And it is because of it that the aluminum cooler can not be welded in the usual way. This will require additional substances that contribute to:

• Elimination of oxide film from the surface;
• Reduction of surface tension;
• Protection against adverse factors affecting the soldering process;
• Improvement of spreading of solder.

Materials and tools for soldering aluminum radiators

, соты которого выполнены из алюминия, понадобятся: In order to solder the cooling radiator , honeycomb of which are made of aluminum, you will need:

• Powerful soldering iron;
• Solder (tin-lead or alloy of tin with bismuth);
• Sawdust of iron;
• rosin;
• Refractory capacity (crucible).

It is desirable that the soldering iron has a power of more than 100 watts. Otherwise, he simply will not be able to heat aluminum. As for the solder, then for tinning small cracks (holes) a tin-lead alloy is suitable. If the damage is significant, then it is advisable to use a solder consisting of 5 parts of bismuth and 95 parts of tin. Such an alloy can be easily purchased in shops where radio components are traded. Usually, it has the form of a wire and is labeled as POSV-33 or POSV-50.

Preparing the flux

возможно только при наличии качественного флюса. The heatsink can only be used with high-quality flux. It will have to be prepared independently. And do it better just before the soldering begins. So, we pour into the refractory capacity 2 parts of ordinary rosin and 1 part of iron filings. Sawdust can be made with a file with small incisions, treating it with any iron billet that came under the arm. The resulting mixture is heated on fire, stirred and allowed to cool. That's basically it. The flux for aluminum is ready.

Flux for the most durable weld

To obtain the most durable protective seam at the site of the damage to the radiator, use a special flux called a flux. It can also be obtained at home. For the preparation of the flood, the following substances are required in such proportions:

• Potassium chloride - 56%;
• Lithium chloride - 23%;
• Cryolite - 10%;
• Edible salt of coarse grinding - 7%;
• Sodium sulphate - 4%.

The ingredients are finely ground and mixed. Keep such a melting unit in a sealed glass container in a dark place.

We repair the aluminum radiator with our own hands

Radiator, as in the previous case, mine and dried. The place of soldering is carefully cleaned with emery cloth, then degrease. After that, we put on it the previously prepared flux with a soldering iron. Carefully rub it on the surface. Next, we apply the solder layer by layer, stretching it over the surface being repaired. The role of iron filings is to destroy the oxide film at the very last moment before soldering, thereby enabling the aluminum and solder to join.

How to Seal the Plastic on the Cooling Radiator

Most modern car radiators have tanks made of heat-resistant plastic. This material does not react with the cooling liquid and is not susceptible to corrosion, but it does not have elasticity capable of withstanding mechanical damage. которого был поврежден. That's why some car owners, faced with the problem of a broken tank, are wondering whether it is possible to solder the cooling radiator, the plastic of which has been damaged. Can! But it is better to entrust this matter to professionals. The heat-resistant plastic is very hard to solder because of its stiffness. And to choose the right material for this is quite difficult.

Today, you can find hundreds of offers from organizations and individuals who are ready to qualitatively weld the cooling radiator. на подобные услуги колеблется в пределах 100 рублей за кв.см. The price for similar services fluctuates within 100 rubles per sq. Cm. Separately have to pay for the removal, diagnosis and installation of the device.

If the question of repairing the tank is very acute, or you do not really want to pay, you can try it yourself. For this, the damage site must be cleaned and shaped so that the material to be deposited as a reducing agent can penetrate the gap without problems. Further the treated area is degreased.

As for the gluing material, it can be a soft plastic or a two-component epoxy adhesive. In the first case, the plastic melts using a soldering iron and applied to the place of damage with a small spatula. In the same way, glue is applied. When carrying out work on soldering the tanks it is desirable to use a reinforcing mesh with small cells. It is laid between the layers of the gluing material. Of course, such a soldering can not guarantee years of trouble-free operation of the radiator, but as a temporary measure it will do.