Aluminium radiator repair
Discussion
Hi all.
I seem to be asking a lot of questions lately, apologies!
The Chimaera got started up yesterday for the first time this year and the smell of antifreeze soon drifted around the garage.
A small amount of steam seemed to be coming from the bottom N/S of the radiator and on moving the car there was a water stain on the garage floor.
Obviously there is a leak! The annoying thing is that the radiator is only 2 1/2 years old and covered less than 4000 miles. The previous owner fitted it, part number KO359/ALI and I think it is a Radtec radiator purchased from Powers.
Obviously I have no warranty claim but has this happened before with Ali radiators and can they be repaired?
Never having an all Alloy radiator on a car before I don't know...
Regards Chris.
I seem to be asking a lot of questions lately, apologies!
The Chimaera got started up yesterday for the first time this year and the smell of antifreeze soon drifted around the garage.
A small amount of steam seemed to be coming from the bottom N/S of the radiator and on moving the car there was a water stain on the garage floor.
Obviously there is a leak! The annoying thing is that the radiator is only 2 1/2 years old and covered less than 4000 miles. The previous owner fitted it, part number KO359/ALI and I think it is a Radtec radiator purchased from Powers.
Obviously I have no warranty claim but has this happened before with Ali radiators and can they be repaired?
Never having an all Alloy radiator on a car before I don't know...
Regards Chris.
There have been a few complaints about ally radiators while I've been on this forum. Mine has been on more than 18 months now, supplied and fitted by Powers.
The problem seems to be caused by stress to the radiator. When mounting it, all the mounting points must be flush so that when tightening down the nuts to hold it, there is no stress or strain applied to the radiator.
Worth bearing in mind when you refit/replace it.
The problem seems to be caused by stress to the radiator. When mounting it, all the mounting points must be flush so that when tightening down the nuts to hold it, there is no stress or strain applied to the radiator.
Worth bearing in mind when you refit/replace it.
According to my radiator man, they are unsuited to the rigours of life in a flexing TVR chassis. It's stress that does for them. If they were to be mounted in their own subframe it would give them a better chance... Most are now made of such thin (cheap) material that they are virtually unrepairable.
bobfather said:
Tightening it down may cause the problem. The radiator needs to expand & contract every heat cycle. Preventing this will cause stress in the vicinity of the fixing points.
Absolutely agree, it's wrong to treat the radiator like it's a bulkhead tying the front wings together. My daily driver has got about 10mm of built in float on the radiators rubber mountings.The radiator mounting holes need to be a larger diameter than the mounting studs and with a soft rubber washer each side will prevent stress being applied. Obviously don't tighten the nuts up too tight.
s3c chris said:
Hi all.
I seem to be asking a lot of questions lately, apologies!
The Chimaera got started up yesterday for the first time this year and the smell of antifreeze soon drifted around the garage.
A small amount of steam seemed to be coming from the bottom N/S of the radiator and on moving the car there was a water stain on the garage floor.
Obviously there is a leak! The annoying thing is that the radiator is only 2 1/2 years old and covered less than 4000 miles. The previous owner fitted it, part number KO359/ALI and I think it is a Radtec radiator purchased from Powers.
Obviously I have no warranty claim but has this happened before with Ali radiators and can they be repaired?
Never having an all Alloy radiator on a car before I don't know...
Regards Chris.
If its a Radtec radiator then i would take it back to Radtec as they are only in Cannock which is not far from you. Think the guy's name is Darren, he will pressure test it and it may be repairable, if not he is a very fair chap and as its less than 3 years old who knows I seem to be asking a lot of questions lately, apologies!
The Chimaera got started up yesterday for the first time this year and the smell of antifreeze soon drifted around the garage.
A small amount of steam seemed to be coming from the bottom N/S of the radiator and on moving the car there was a water stain on the garage floor.
Obviously there is a leak! The annoying thing is that the radiator is only 2 1/2 years old and covered less than 4000 miles. The previous owner fitted it, part number KO359/ALI and I think it is a Radtec radiator purchased from Powers.
Obviously I have no warranty claim but has this happened before with Ali radiators and can they be repaired?
Never having an all Alloy radiator on a car before I don't know...
Regards Chris.
If you look at the fixing points and the two lugs that sit in the body, flex should not effect the rad at all.
The two rubber mounts either side should allow for plenty of flex and the two lugs fit snugly but again should have a few mm movement, If it's getting stressed it's either not the right size or incorrectly fitted as mines been in my car 4 odd years, trackdays, 30,000 miles and it's not getting stressed in any way.
I did replace the rubber bobbins though as the originals were hard and stiff.
Mine was supplied by Powers.
Theboriginal rad has plastic shrouds that fit over the two locating lugs,,, I did away with them as they were fubbered and that might be why I have enough room for any body movement without it causing issues.
You'd have to have the rad jammed in there and then some serious body movement to crack the rad IMHO
Would a metal rad flex better than an alley one then!
The two rubber mounts either side should allow for plenty of flex and the two lugs fit snugly but again should have a few mm movement, If it's getting stressed it's either not the right size or incorrectly fitted as mines been in my car 4 odd years, trackdays, 30,000 miles and it's not getting stressed in any way.
I did replace the rubber bobbins though as the originals were hard and stiff.
Mine was supplied by Powers.
Theboriginal rad has plastic shrouds that fit over the two locating lugs,,, I did away with them as they were fubbered and that might be why I have enough room for any body movement without it causing issues.
You'd have to have the rad jammed in there and then some serious body movement to crack the rad IMHO
Would a metal rad flex better than an alley one then!
ClassicChimaera said:
If you look at the fixing points and the two lugs that sit in the body, flex should not effect the rad at all.
The two rubber mounts either side should allow for plenty of flex and the two lugs fit snugly but again should have a few mm movement, If it's getting stressed it's either not the right size or incorrectly fitted as mines been in my car 4 odd years, trackdays, 30,000 miles and it's not getting stressed in any way.
I did replace the rubber bobbins though as the originals were hard and stiff.
Mine was supplied by Powers.
Theboriginal rad has plastic shrouds that fit over the two locating lugs,,, I did away with them as they were fubbered and that might be why I have enough room for any body movement without it causing issues.
You'd have to have the rad jammed in there and then some serious body movement to crack the rad IMHO
Would a metal rad flex better than an alley one then!
The two rubber mounts either side should allow for plenty of flex and the two lugs fit snugly but again should have a few mm movement, If it's getting stressed it's either not the right size or incorrectly fitted as mines been in my car 4 odd years, trackdays, 30,000 miles and it's not getting stressed in any way.
I did replace the rubber bobbins though as the originals were hard and stiff.
Mine was supplied by Powers.
Theboriginal rad has plastic shrouds that fit over the two locating lugs,,, I did away with them as they were fubbered and that might be why I have enough room for any body movement without it causing issues.
You'd have to have the rad jammed in there and then some serious body movement to crack the rad IMHO
Would a metal rad flex better than an alley one then!
"Firstly, as you probably know, the standard rad is a modified Rover unit, involving cutting lugs off and moving a pipe and inserting a boss for a sensor. So it wasn't even specifically designed for the purpose in the first place. Then an aluminium one is hung in merely the same way as the standard rad, although it is of different construction. It would be a different case if the rad and its mounting system were co-designed from scratch as in eg a competition car.
"Most of them are built as cheaply (=thin) as posssible, 0.6mm on the worst Asian/Indian examples. Like most things they are built down to a price, specced to last W+1d where W=Warranty period and d=day. You pays your money and takes your choice. If money is no object, a decent UK built rad (he mentioned 'Alu-tec') will be made from plate 1.2 to 2.0mm thick but will cost 2 to 3 times the price. The thicker the material, the more durable but also the better the repairability. However, regardless of the quality of the tanks, all the cores are virtually irreparable. New rad time."
My source is the owner of his own radiator supply/repair/restore/build business, having started at Sercks as a work experience lad, making his way up to managing the sizeable Portsmouth branch, and then setting up on his own when Sercks UK folded. They found that size for size they are no more efficient, and that the only area in which they excel is in the looks dept.
He has all but refused to sell me an aluminium radiator on the basis that, as a mate, he wouldn't want me to have the grief!
This is mine. http://www.powersperformance.co.uk/store/slug/alum...
Supplied and fitted by Powers nearing 2 years ago. The original one had all but collapsed and was leaking badly so a replacement was needed.
What I can't get my head around is this. If ally rads are no better than original brass types - some say worse - then why are all aircon condensers made of alooominum
And likewise, intercoolers as supplied and fitted by all manufacturers In fact many modern cooling rads (if not all) are also made of this strange metal with plastic tanks..... It cannot be down to cost alone as high end cars are fitted with them 
Supplied and fitted by Powers nearing 2 years ago. The original one had all but collapsed and was leaking badly so a replacement was needed.
What I can't get my head around is this. If ally rads are no better than original brass types - some say worse - then why are all aircon condensers made of alooominum
And likewise, intercoolers as supplied and fitted by all manufacturers In fact many modern cooling rads (if not all) are also made of this strange metal with plastic tanks..... It cannot be down to cost alone as high end cars are fitted with them As you point out Twinkam not all alley roads are made equal. 
I too have the one that's supplied and fitted by Powers Performance with the welded on shrouds as suggested above.
I've had the rad out the car twice myself and successfully fitted it with what seems like no drama's.
If the rad works why change it but if this rad is already a replacement then it begs the question what went wrong with the original because when kept in good health with fresh antifreeze etc they tend to last years.
I too have the one that's supplied and fitted by Powers Performance with the welded on shrouds as suggested above.
I've had the rad out the car twice myself and successfully fitted it with what seems like no drama's.
If the rad works why change it but if this rad is already a replacement then it begs the question what went wrong with the original because when kept in good health with fresh antifreeze etc they tend to last years.
It does seem strange that the failure rate is so high, unless we only hear about the bad ones?
I have taken the radiator out this afternoon. the rubber mounts still seem flexible as do the locating bobbins at the bottom.
The previous owner had the radiator fitted at the well respected Dreadnought Garage so I'm sure any problems would have been spotted.
Thanks for the advice Dave, I will do as you suggest and see If Radtec can test the radiator and offer a solution. Incidentally I saw your car at Central a while ago, looks as beautiful as ever!
Regards Chris.
I have taken the radiator out this afternoon. the rubber mounts still seem flexible as do the locating bobbins at the bottom.
The previous owner had the radiator fitted at the well respected Dreadnought Garage so I'm sure any problems would have been spotted.
Thanks for the advice Dave, I will do as you suggest and see If Radtec can test the radiator and offer a solution. Incidentally I saw your car at Central a while ago, looks as beautiful as ever!
Regards Chris.
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