So I have a Koyo in my vert and it has a leak. Pass side bottom where the fins meet the tank. Can it be fixed?

Thanks
Aug

 

Better to ask a radiator repair shop

 

thanks kinda what i was thinking, (as I cant weld) but i just wanted to get an idea befor I go to a shop.

 

as long as the person fixing it is a competent person with a tig welder, it shouldnt be a problem.

 

If you can, remove it from the vehicle before taking it in. That way they don't have to (if they need to for the welding) and thus you keep the cost down. Also whom ever is welding it will be able to do a much better job if he is able to weld at a better position and angle.

 

i've asked a few shops and most won't touch intercoolers and radiators. if it was a single row in the middle that needed to be welded and the core is thick then yes, but the koyo cores are rediculously thin and blow out if you put a hairdryer on them..

most of the time i send them to the scrapper for aluminum recycling.

 

Send me a PM the next time you get one or more in.. we'll work a deal.


And yes, it can be fixed. If the leak is on the tank weld itself, quick easy fix. If the leak is on the row or the end plate, it can still be fixed by TB'in a lead alloy rod.

 

soooooooo, maybe?

 

Maybe, but guess what? It might not be worth the repair. You may spend nearly as much to repair a damaged/defective radiator as you would spend buying a new 2-pass Godspeed-189.00 delivered on Ebay. Or you can get an all metal oem replacement from Radiatorbarn.com (my favorite) for $211.00 W/Lifetime Warranty.

I have taken several radiators to rad shops over the years but have never had a repair done. The price for repair was too close to a replacement radiator with a warranty. Not because the shop is too expensive, but because the replacement rad is too cheap. Radiator shops are a dying breed.

Why is the rad leaking? Is it corrosion? If so, the rad is probably about to perforate in other places. A repair may be very very temporary.

Just my thoughts, good luck.

 

pretty much, they leak because the material is extremely thin for superior cooling transfer characteristics. unfortunately this creates a weak core which eventually fails prematurely and also why i never recommended attempting to fix them.

even if a shop happened to say yes they can fix it for $100, it is a temporary fix and the core is going to leak somewhere else in the near future.

i'll try to remember but realistically with shipping costs it isn't a worthwhile repair, likely costing $125-200 once it's all said and done versus a $300-400 brand new replacement. the aluminum simply weakens with time and the materials are also inferior with the koyo radiators, the OEM radiators are the only reliable koyos i have seen.

 

Don't know why the rad is leaking. I traded it for a diff, and just got around to putting it in a while ago. Looks like i got shafted

I actually had a brand new one in my vert, but swapped it into my 87 because it had the original rad in it. I kept the other one, which was fine, so I can just do a double swap and be back to where I started.
It's nothing more then a drip so I can at least get a few other things done first. (Like that damn fast idle problem)

Thanks

Aug

 

When you call the rad shops, key first question is if they can handle aluminum repair. Most don't.

I had to replace a neck on a Koyo a while back and it took a bit of searching to find someone that could do it.

 

A good local shop can fix it. A friend of mine has had several aluminum rads repaired by a local shop, fairly inexpensively. Typically if the damage is in the middle of the rad or to the tubes, they will use an epoxy and fill in the area. If it's on the end tanks, they braze up the cracks.

Now, find out why it cracked in the first place. Rads need to be rubber mounted.