found my radiator is leaking from the plastic piece that joins the hose to the radiator. I'm hoping I can do something short of replacing the radiator (which is what a mechanic told me was necessary). I've already been advised against dumping chemicals in the radiator, so is there anything else I can do?

edit: I have to completely refill the reserve ~once a week. the red stain in the picture is from coolant leak

 

If some kind of silicone doesn't hold it you need to replace your radiator. Should only be $100-$150 for a new radiator.

 

so first step should be trying to silicone around the bottom to seal the leak?

 

Yeah, I would still consider that temporary if it does hold.

 

Those plastic tanks crack a lot! I'm considering an all aluminum unit when my current one craps out. Should last a lot longer than plastic and the ones I've seen are within $20 of a replacement plastic one.

 

Happened on my mustang, plastic repair, quick steel and every other fix only held a day or two. I'd just save yourself the worry and throw in a new rad.

 

so this is happenening to mine as we speak, im off for a week starting next week so im gonna go by a radiator shop so ill keep my eye on here

 

Check out performance radiator .com they are based in Austin tx and will ship any where and that's where I got mine when my drain plug broke 4-5 years ago. Think I spent $100-$150 for it

 

You could try this...

Drain your system, take off the hose and let the chamber on the radiator dry, inside and out is best.
Take some 80 grit sand paper, sand the chamber extending to the hose connector.
Use some fine fiberglass cloth and resin to cover the spilt and out approximately 2" on both sides, don't sand again or touch it, let it sit to cure well.

The co-efficients of the plastic and the resin are close and if the resin takes to the plastic it should hold for a while.

Luck

 

i do not recommend plugging, chemicals, or other temporary fixes. radiators and cooling systems hold approximately 16 psi of pressure on the coolant. for those who have not had experiences, while this seems very little, it is actually quite a bit. if you have a radiator that is leaking, your number one choice, and best bet, is to go ahead and replace it. trust me. i'm speaking from first hand experience. stop leak, rad plugs, etc, will eventually cause radiator failure. my story goes something like this: plugged radiator, drove it for three days. radiator exploded (Yes, exploded. like a bomb.), and put me on the side of the road. ended up spending 130 dollars on a very nice replacement. about two hours of labor later, it was in, coolant was in, and i was riding along. trust me. two hours of labor BEFORE it breaks, is worth it, rather than having a towing bill AND a repair bill.

 

Replace it!

Mine went around the same area.

Ford wanted $500 just for the radiator. So I checked NAPA. Only had ones for an automatic $150-200. Only choice I had due I had to get back to work. Since the trans cooler is closed circuit and you can get plugs to plug the trans cooler outlets but not needed. Can only do if you have a manual tranny.

Its easy to do, but it can take up to 2 hours. Should do a block flush while your doing it. Make sure to have a wide deep rectangle cache under.