Anyone ever weld an aluminum radiator to fix a leak?

[thegipper]

Hey fellas,

This is not related to my 4runner but I thought this would be a good place to ask.

My 2011 highlander had the alternator go out on it last week. Unfortunately it's a small nightmare to remove it on the 3.5 V6 and somehow I managed to put a couple small holes in the radiator when I was working on it.

I've seen some videos where guys used those aluminum brazing rods to patch the holes in a radiator. My holes a very small so I'm wondering if this is a viable way to fix it.

Literally every parts store in town and the usual online sources either doesn't have the radiator or it will be a week plus to get a new one. The dealership wants $426 and over a week wait for a new one.

Does anyone have any experience with using those brazing rods to fix small holes in a radiator? Does it work and if it does, is it a permanent fix or should only be considered temporary?

Thanks for any insight you may have.

 

[spartacus]

Hey fellas,

This is not related to my 4runner but I thought this would be a good place to ask.

My 2011 highlander had the alternator go out on it last week. Unfortunately it's a small nightmare to remove it on the 3.5 V6 and somehow I managed to put a couple small holes in the radiator when I was working on it.

I've seen some videos where guys used those aluminum brazing rods to patch the holes in a radiator. My holes a very small so I'm wondering if this is a viable way to fix it.

Literally every parts store in town and the usual online sources either doesn't have the radiator or it will be a week plus to get a new one. The dealership wants $426 and over a week wait for a new one.

Does anyone have any experience with using those brazing rods to fix small holes in a radiator? Does it work and if it does, is it a permanent fix or should only be considered temporary?

Thanks for any insight you may have.

I vé never done it but boat shops fill holes on aluminium hull pontoon boats with those rods. If there is a marina or boat storage where they have a shop, they should be able to fix those holes for not too much.

 

[thegipper]

I have the rods already and have watched a few videos of people doing it. It seems pretty straight forward so if I do it, I'll probably attempt it myself. I'm wondering though if it's a long term fix or not. I would probably fix the holes then fill it full of water and let it sit for a day or two to make sure it's holding water. Of course there is no way to know if it will hold under pressure until I reinstall it.

 

[Bad Luck]

I have the rods already and have watched a few videos of people doing it. It seems pretty straight forward so if I do it, I'll probably attempt it myself. I'm wondering though if it's a long term fix or not. I would probably fix the holes then fill it full of water and let it sit for a day or two to make sure it's holding water. Of course there is no way to know if it will hold under pressure until I reinstall it.

Have you tried contacting a radiator repair shop? There's one in town but I'm not sure how common they are elsewhere

 

[thegipper]

Have you tried contacting a radiator repair shop? There's one in town but I'm not sure how common they are elsewhere

There might be, I'd have to check.

I'm kind of in a bind because I have three young kids and the Highlander is the DD (need to pick them up from my in laws a couple days a week).

I managed to get two booster seats and a car seat in the back of my 97 4R. I really don't like hauling them around in my 4R because of it's age. Don't get me wrong, the 4R runs like a swiss watch but things like old rusty brake lines makes me not want to drive it with kids anymore than I have to.

I have to figure something out. I actually found a Koyo radiator from parts geek. I chatted with the online sales guy who assured me they have it in stock (it said they had 1 in stock), so I placed the order on Thursday. Fast forward to this morning I got a email saying it was backordered (bastards).

So I'm back to either repairing mine or trying to find a new unit. The other sucky thing is my Highlander has the tow package which has a different, rarer radiator. That certainly isn't helping me.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Ooh that's a tough one. It can be done but if there's even a slight leak, that radiator sees a fair amount of pressure. Most Toyota caps max out at 1 bar, or 14.5 PSI. If you do weld it yourself, before you drive the vehicle rent a coolant system pressure tester and crank up the pressure and look for leaks. If no leaks, consider it a short term fix (heat and pressure will eventually show any weak points) until you can get it replaced. Last thing you want to do is go on a long drive in the summer and that coolant heats up to 200 degrees+ for hours and hours and THEN springs a leak.

 

[Ripper238]

How big are the holes, does it leak bad?

Back in the day I just used Radiator Stop Leak. Lasted till i got rid of the vehicle and no side issues.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...MIxd7phZDL9QIVVMqzCh0C4g7xEAQYCSABEgKOkvD_BwE

 

[brillo_76]

I would stay away from stop leaks as they are known to plug more then just your radiator leak. [That's up to the owner though. ]

If you have the ability to weld aluminum. You can try to weld it. Not sure how successful it will be

I am not sure if anyone makes an expoxy that will bond to aluminum or not.

The aluminum would have to be Super clean too. Don't know if jb weld high temp would bond good enough to stop the leak for a bit. Being it expands and contracts like the exhausts do. I doubt it would seal it.

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[thegipper]

How big are the holes, does it leak bad?

Back in the day I just used Radiator Stop Leak. Lasted till i got rid of the vehicle and no side issues.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...MIxd7phZDL9QIVVMqzCh0C4g7xEAQYCSABEgKOkvD_BwE

There is a total of 3 leaks maybe the size of a sesame seed.

I'm definitely not willing to use any stop leak product.

I have a cooling system pressure tester so I could definitely test that it holds pressure but will it hold pressure over time? I can't imagine all of the heating and cooling cycles will have no impact on the repair.

The more I consider it, the more I think I may just have to bite the bullet and get an OEM one from the dealer.

Damn that is a expensive mistake. I'm not even sure how it happened, I don't remember even bumping into it while I was trying to get the alternator out. This is also the first time I've ever put a hole in the radiator and I've bumped into them many times before.

 

[Brian.]

What does it hurt to try?

LOTS of brazed repairs out there in the world that hold plenty of weight, heck motorcycle frames used to be brazed together from new. Obviously, brass/brazing steel is different than aluminum "brazing"... no clue if it would actually hold up or not, but what do you have to lose? You have to wait on a replacement regardless, have the means to test (and it's not like you're going to Cause a catastrophic failure)... in short, you can NOT make things worse by trying.

Obviously practicing good welding habits (extra clean surface, flux) should be observed for the best chance.

Actual Welding? No brainer, it'll 100% do the job.

 

[Ripper238]

There is a total of 3 leaks maybe the size of a sesame seed.

I'm definitely not willing to use any stop leak product.

I have a cooling system pressure tester so I could definitely test that it holds pressure but will it hold pressure over time? I can't imagine all of the heating and cooling cycles will have no impact on the repair.

The more I consider it, the more I think I may just have to bite the bullet and get an OEM one from the dealer.

Damn that is a expensive mistake. I'm not even sure how it happened, I don't remember even bumping into it while I was trying to get the alternator out. This is also the first time I've ever put a hole in the radiator and I've bumped into them many times before.

Then i would definitely just replace it. Anything passed stop leak will require experience with this kind of repair.

 

[brillo_76]

Hold old is it? The best way to prevent radiator damage while leaving the radiator in. Would be to cut a few sheets of cardboard to protect it from accidentail damage.

Does it have the plastic protector cowl on it? As I don't see how a radiator can be damaged changing a alternator.

Major bummer. I know I would try to weld the aluminum. As it's not going to hurt it if it's already leaking..

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[Romeo1]

Replace the radiator or have a radiator shop do it.

I’ve been welding about 30 years…. And my Success rate on radiators is pretty sad. It’s a special repair. One that they pressure test and hot tank to make sure it’s good.

Fix it right is my vote. Your working on a valuable Toyota. Not a beater destined for the demo derby next year……

 

[brillo_76]

I think he wants to replace the radiator. Just trying to buy a little time. Unless I misunderstood the OP. Maybe a few weeks.. He is leaning on replacing and that's what I would do. I just practice aluminum welding on the old one. As it's pretty much junk at the moment..

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[repo]

Hey fellas,

This is not related to my 4runner but I thought this would be a good place to ask.

My 2011 highlander had the alternator go out on it last week. Unfortunately it's a small nightmare to remove it on the 3.5 V6 and somehow I managed to put a couple small holes in the radiator when I was working on it.

I've seen some videos where guys used those aluminum brazing rods to patch the holes in a radiator. My holes a very small so I'm wondering if this is a viable way to fix it.

Literally every parts store in town and the usual online sources either doesn't have the radiator or it will be a week plus to get a new one. The dealership wants $426 and over a week wait for a new one.

Does anyone have any experience with using those brazing rods to fix small holes in a radiator? Does it work and if it does, is it a permanent fix or should only be considered temporary?

Thanks for any insight you may have.

Did you try looking for the Denso or Koyo p/n or whoever makes the radiator instead of the Toyota part number? Should be half that price and possibly in stock somewhere. I carry some epoxy patcher for radiator and gas tank for emergencies but never tried using it, maybe epoxy would work until you can get a new one.

 

[repo]

You can get a Denso shipped tomorrow (supposedly) for $180 for the tow package version: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dnp-221-3147/make/toyota/model/highlander/year/2011

$147 without tow package: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dnp-221-3148/make/toyota/model/highlander/year/2011

 

[thegipper]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I called one other dealership in my area who said the radiator I need is on backorder but he may be able to get one from Chicago, but no guarantee. I was about to hang up and he said there is a radiator shop in a few towns over that usually has every radiator you could ever need in stock.

I gave them a call and sure enough, they had one. Got it all put back together last night with the new Denso alternator and I'm back in business. The damaged radiator was the factory original one from 2011. It looks great so the hole(s) were definitely from me, just not sure how. When I installed the new one, I was as cautious as a brain surgeon to not make the same mistake. Again, I've worked on, in and around radiators for many years and never put a hole in one.

I have no clue how I put the first hole in the radiator as it wasn't even near the alternator. There is the plastic fan assembly that would normally protect the radiator but you have to remove that to get the alternator out ( I know, sounds insane right but you have to).

It was definitely the hardest alternator job I've ever experienced. I watched a few videos and read some of the comments and people were saying it's a nightmare. It was a pain in the ass for sure but not even close to the hardest repair I've had to do.

As to my original post, it look like this kind of repair needs to be done by someone with experience but may be an option for someone in a pinch until they can replace the radiator.

 

[Brian.]

I think he wants to replace the radiator. Just trying to buy a little time. Unless I misunderstood the OP. Maybe a few weeks.. He is leaning on replacing and that's what I would do. I just practice aluminum welding on the old one. As it's pretty much junk at the moment..

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That was my thought too, though I didn't specifically call it out. Try it on the current radiator (it's already trash, no loss), if it holds then great... you can use it for the week or two till the new one arrives. If it doesn't, you've learned something and only spent an hour or two for the knowledge.

I, in no way, intended for a repaired radiator to be the end all fix for years to come. I'm certain it CAN be, but also pretty sure it's not very likely. A couple weeks use though? I'd take the chance of a couple hours against use of the vehicle for the week or two till a new radiator arrived. Get the system to temp and pressure once without issue and it's pretty likely to remain that way for a little bit.

 

[jbtvt]

Glad it worked out. Anyone else finding this thread down the road, I also had some trouble locating an OE radiator recently and wound up using a lesser known website Newparts.com which was great. Denso in stock and within a few bucks of the best price shown on other websites out of stock. They were a few pages in on Google. Bit of a fright when the right angle pliers slipped off the clamp on assembly but just dinged a fin, it happens. I did try those aluminum brazing rods once on something, can't remember what, but don't recall them working out

 

[Romeo1]

Thanks for all the input guys.

I called one other dealership in my area who said the radiator I need is on backorder but he may be able to get one from Chicago, but no guarantee. I was about to hang up and he said there is a radiator shop in a few towns over that usually has every radiator you could ever need in stock.

I gave them a call and sure enough, they had one. Got it all put back together last night with the new Denso alternator and I'm back in business. The damaged radiator was the factory original one from 2011. It looks great so the hole(s) were definitely from me, just not sure how. When I installed the new one, I was as cautious as a brain surgeon to not make the same mistake. Again, I've worked on, in and around radiators for many years and never put a hole in one.

I have no clue how I put the first hole in the radiator as it wasn't even near the alternator. There is the plastic fan assembly that would normally protect the radiator but you have to remove that to get the alternator out ( I know, sounds insane right but you have to).

It was definitely the hardest alternator job I've ever experienced. I watched a few videos and read some of the comments and people were saying it's a nightmare. It was a pain in the ass for sure but not even close to the hardest repair I've had to do.

As to my original post, it look like this kind of repair needs to be done by someone with experience but may be an option for someone in a pinch until they can replace the radiator.

It’s not hard to bang them up. Happens a lot really.