Crewwolfy Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Bleh. So in trying to determine which hoses I need to replace to quell my coolant leak, I discovered a very fine stream shooting out of the right radiator, facing in. Not sure how you get a hole there, but it's there.. What is my best option? Patch the hole (never done this, is it feasible and reliable?) buy a new (used) radiator (not sure why, but right side radiators seem to run $20-30 more than left side) replace with a 6th gen radiator (is this the same across generations? Different part numbers, but they look the same on the OEM parts diagrams.) Recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RollinAgain Posted May 9, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 9, 2013 Assuming the damage isn't too bad you should be able to solder the hole pretty easily. I'm sure you'd find plenty of videos on YouTube to provide you with some instruction if needed. Rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gll429 Posted May 9, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 9, 2013 or take it to a rad shop and have the guy spot weld it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 So you're telling me NOT to panic and spend $300 on an new OEM Honda radiator? :) I'll take it off and have a look see. Thanks for the quick responses! You guys should be riding... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer RollinAgain Posted May 9, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 9, 2013 Also if you don't want to mess with soldering it you could probably even get by using a little bit of JB weld. Rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 I've soldered wires before, never a radiator. But I've got both supplies. I'll post up how it goes, but probably won't get to it until next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I'm pretty sure the rad will be Aluminum, not copper, so you will need to hunt down either a rad shop that can weld Aluminum, or a welding shop that does fine work. There may or may not be plastic tanks on either side of the rad. If the joint between them is leaking,, well...........Goofy as is sounds, pouring in black pepper is said to work sometimes. GL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Pull it off and have it tig welded. If you can't find anyone local, send it to me and I'll weld it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 I rode out to Boston last November. Wish I'd have known that was the problem then. Could have stopped by and delivered in person. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 USPS Flat rate box is reasonable. Besides, much easier for me if you just send a clean part Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 Good point. I'll take a stab at it (always like learning a new skill). If it doesn't work out, we shall discuss. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 12, 2013 Author Share Posted May 12, 2013 So I have the radiator off the bike, sitting on my table. And I cannot see a hole anywhere. Tried filling with water, but nothing; guessing that it only leaks under pressure.. Suggestions? (Notice what looks like a fine thread, near horizontal, right in the middle of the frame. That's the stream.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 take it to a radiator shop, they can fix it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 12, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 12, 2013 The salt is every where's ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dalesvfr Posted May 12, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 12, 2013 The leak may not be where you think it is. You need to pressurize tank with air and put it in water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 14, 2013 Author Share Posted May 14, 2013 Anyone know off hand what pressure the VFR's coolant system should be tested at? Edit: Shop guide says the radiator cap will vent at 16-20 PSI, and when testing, one should not exceed 20 PSI. The more you know. (dum Dum dum DUM!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 14, 2013 Author Share Posted May 14, 2013 So attempt #1 at soldering the leak did not succeed. I did manage to slightly melt the plastic shroud that sits on top. -_- But I'm optimistic. I'm going to ride this week; tired of driving the car. Second try hopefully coming this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 18, 2013 Author Share Posted May 18, 2013 After soldering the hole shut, I pressure tested it. Naturally the solder did not hold, and the hole blew again. Pretty sure I made it a bit bigger with that. But that means I could actually see it now (silver lining). No bueno. But a couple days later I remembered that I have some JB Weld. At this point I'm fairly resigned to having to buy a new rad, so I figured what the heck. And if it works, at least that's (maybe) another week of riding in the meantime. So I grabbed the generiDremel and ground down the cross channel. I'd already removed some of the heatsink fins. JB Welded up the crack, currently curing. Tomorrow we'll see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NakedViffer Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 I'm not sure how you are doing this, but you can't do it with rosin core and an iron, thats for joining wires. You need a torch and some acid core plumbers solder to do this job properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 18, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 18, 2013 No radiators shop's local if not your gonna have to use acid to clean and silver solder to solder with .. old school ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crewwolfy Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Radiator shops that actually FIX radiators seem to be few and far between. I went to a well recommended shop, and all they do is replace them. -_- If I search enough, I'm sure I can find one, but at this point it's probably tainted beyond welding repair. I bought a plumber's soldering kit. Propane torch, solder and brush on flux. No matter how long I heated the radiator, that sucker never seemed to get hot enough to properly melt the solder. Stupid radiator being designed to stay cool.. JB Weld is on and has cured. Will test tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud786 Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Hard to believe no radiator shops in the chicago area, much better to fix it right by someone who knows what they are doing, than get down the road 20 miles, and spring another leak. One time I had a suzuki wheel, the sprocket nuts were like butter(soft aluminum). I searched for a machine shop, found one who would take on the job, I wasnt sure how they were going to do it, torch? They ended up taking a Blade in a lathe, and cut them off, best $25 I ever spent and no damage at all to the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 19, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted May 19, 2013 Silver solder requires lower temps to melt . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 The JB weld will likely work. For a few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamworth Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Silver solder requires lower temps to melt . That would be HIGHER temps to melt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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