radiators

I need one. The 1994 Saturn SL2 has a plastic topped radiator. There is a crack, which was plugged with plumbers epoxy, or I should says used to be plugged.

Now, in the old days I would assume some crusty WWII vet would just braze the hell out of any suspicious spot.

Any idea of what folks do to plastic ones?

Nils K. Hammer

On 3/15/2017 2:26 PM, wrote:
> I need one. The 1994 Saturn SL2 has a plastic topped radiator. There is a crack, which was plugged with plumbers epoxy, or I should says used to be plugged.
>
> Now, in the old days I would assume some crusty WWII vet would just braze the hell out of any suspicious spot.
>
> Any idea of what folks do to plastic ones?
>
> Nils K. Hammer

Yes, they're thrown away. Don't bother trying a plastic weld.

Get a new one here for about $60 to your (US) door he
1.9L DOHC Engine
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/s...,radiator,2172

1.9L SOHC Engine
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/s...,radiator,2172

> wrote:
>I need one. The 1994 Saturn SL2 has a plastic topped radiator. There is a crack, which was plugged with plumbers epoxy, or I should says used to be plugged.
>
>Now, in the old days I would assume some crusty WWII vet would just braze the hell out of any suspicious spot.
>
>Any idea of what folks do to plastic ones?

They buy a new one. Because you can patch it with JB Weld, but when it starts
cracking, it's cracking because the plastic material itself is deteriorating
and you can patch it, but the material on the sides of the patch will just fail.

You can try scraping it very very clean to get as much of the crusty surface
plastic off as possible, and then epoxying a flat piece of sheet metal across
it. However, there will be shear force on that epoxy because the sheet metal
will expand and contract differently with temperature than the underlying
plastic, and it won't last forever.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

wrote:
> I need one. The 1994 Saturn SL2 has a plastic topped radiator. There
> is a crack, which was plugged with plumbers epoxy, or I should says
> used to be plugged.
>
> Now, in the old days I would assume some crusty WWII vet would just
> braze the hell out of any suspicious spot.
>
> Any idea of what folks do to plastic ones?
>
> Nils K. Hammer

You can plastic weld it BUT they usually crack because of changes in the
chemistry in the plastic due to age, heat and exposure to the elements.
So the welded are is only a temporary repair.

There are places that you can get the tanks replaced but I wouldn't do
that unless it was a very special radiator. The cost is usually as much
as a good replacement unit.

Best bet is a new radiator. GM part number is 52476876

--
Steve W.