Leaky radiator

[MisterTee]

Hi folks

I remember reading something on here fairly recently about a company in Preston (I think) having some original radiators in stock, but I can’t find the thread.

Mine seems to be badly stained and the car is losing a bit of water. I wanted to try and sort it over the winter ready for next year, but don’t want to start hacking the radiator mounts to accommodate a different unit (my chassis is in mint condition and has been professionally painted). So, looking for an original fit, if possible.

There is a company in London, Aaron Radiators, who advertise aluminium radiators for the S at nearly £400 a shot. Has anyone used these before? I’ve read about a few people having problems with the radtech radiators - again any experiences/thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thanks (in advance) for your help.

Andy

[phillpot]

MisterTee said:

I remember reading something on here fairly recently about a company in Preston (I think) having some original radiators in stock, but I can’t find the thread.

Rings no bells with me but any reputable Radiator repair company should be able to fit a new "core" to yours?

Somewhere around £150 or nearer £200 if you're down South

[Deeman]

And the rest Mike....

[AutoAndy]

Depends on the problem. Had mine fixed by express radiators and worked a treat.

There are those thAt like aluminium radiators, but if the cooling system works properly, then they are not necessary, in fact they can over cool...another issue to be ware of.

Good luck

[glenrobbo]

Hi Andy,
By shear coincidence I have today just replaced a leaking aluminium radiator with a re-cored original one on my S3c.
The replacement was an old battered spare one that I obtained from DamIanS3 quite a while ago. I took it to Dixon's Radiators in Denton, nr. Manchester, and he refurbished it as new at a cost of £210 including a 12 month warranty.

I have run the engine up to temp and let the fan cycle, everything looks good so far, no leaks.
I shall top up the coolant as required in the morning.
If all is good, I might just make the Goth Run on Sunday after all.

I've inspected the ally rad but it's hard to pinpoint exactly where it's leaking without pressurising it. I shall investigate further next week.
The leak was a weird one, it only leaked when cold, and stopped when it warmed up.
Probably something to do with aluminium expansion rates?

The rubber insulators on the bottom location mounts were intact, so the ally rad should not have been unduly stressed.

I have heard of other people having problems with expensive ally rads, so my advise would be to get your old one re-cored.

FYI, the TVR S original was a Leyland Daf Sherpa radiator but with a thicker core.

Hope this helps you decide your course of action.

[MisterTee]

Fab, thanks some good pointers here.

Glen - see you on the goth run, if you do decide to join us!

Andy

[v8s4me]

glenrobbo said:

......I have heard of other people having problems with expensive ally rads, so my advise advice would be to get your old one re-cored.....

Do wot Glen says. I had two expensively pretty RadTec alloys rads leak like this and decided to go the OE re-core route. I used Viking Radiators. Similar price to that quoted above. So far so happy

[magpies]

I see you are in the North East - Hartlepool Radiators have a very good reputation

[Kitchski]

Or if you fancy a little bit of fabrication and a considerable saving, fit a Subaru Impreza radiator.