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My son had a minor radiator leak on his Peugeot 306 Td. He put in a tin of 'RADWELD' which appears to have cured the problem. However I am advised that this is only a temporary solution and a professional repair or a new radiator should be fitted as soon as possible. Please advise.
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I've seen Radweld go on for long enough - especially if the leak is just a very minor one. I'd leave it alone now and keep a close eye on developments. You might be pleasantly surprised. If it does start to leak again, you still have the option to go for a new / recon radiator.
Remember that you might be back to square one when you come to drain the system and refill with fresh anti freeze. Anti freeze will seek out the smallest leak very quickly. Another tin of Radweld might be required!
Graeme
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Whats the car worth, how much is a new engine because you melted it, how much is a new radiator ??? your choice, Regards Peter
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Are you sure it was the rad leaking - not just a loose hose clip, nice n easy to cure - or something going to give you future £££££ grief?
Well worth checking sooner rather than later!
VB
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Having recently gone on the learning curve about the incredibly fickle nature of a Cav's cooling system I would suggest swapping it straight away - can be numbingly expensive if it all goes horribly wrong. The cav's rad was definately cracked, it had the wrong hose and a leaky thermostat housing - it is gooing to have this seen to on Wednesday....
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I had a Montego estate (yes, someone bought one!!)for 8 years and from day one it had a heater leak into the car. I used rad-weld (the dog turd looking stuff, not the liquid) and it was fine. If you change the antifreeze every two years, remember to treat with rad-weld too. Providing its a minor leak, rad-weld will cope well with it.
These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am...
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Geo - how long is it since the coolant was changed? If you are running a TD, that should be done every 3 years to protect the head gasket; if the change is due (and the leak is from the rad) get the rad and coolant changed at the same time. Radweld is essentially a 'get-you-home' temporary fix till the problem can be sorted properly.
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Geoplay, type the word Radweld into the Site Search box at the top of the page. Many discussions on it - for\'s and against\'s. Personally speaking, I\'ve previously used it on cars and never had any further leaks - even after draining and refilling without a further addition of Radweld.
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Back to student days (1966 I think) I remember my side valve 918cc Morris minor that had a rad leak. In those days proprietary sealants were expensive, well probably more than a pint of beer, (and probably not as effective) and the cure was an egg white into the radiator. (This came for free from the fridge!)
At the begining this would last for a week or so, but as the leak presumable worsened it became a regular morning habit to add a complete egg to the radiator, popping in the yoke with an index finger. It always got me the 15 mile return trip to uni without a problem.
I like to think that I spawned the 'Go to work on an egg' slogan.
I guess that cooling system pressures were lower then, and a head gasket only a 30 minute job. From what I remember the version I had, had no heater, water pump or thermostat, with cooling by convection.
pmh (was peter)
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Geoplay,
P.306/ZX/Xantia etc radiators are very prone to ever increasing leaks at the bottom as they age past 8yrs or so. I have a pile of removed ones round the back from this year alone. The tell-tale sign is a green staining at the bottom of the rad, often seen at the nearside rear area. It is so common I look at changing these rads as routine.
I've also tales to tell of rad-weld miracles but the responsible technical answer with this engine is to replace the rad.
The 306TD will overheat and warp the head so quickly it is daft to run any vehicle with this engine knowing there is a potential cooling fault. Often the inevitable large loss of water (that will follow as further rad corrosion takes place) occours at a time when it isn't noticed and the engine is cooked.
A true example is the ZX TD we bought last year with a known slow coolant loss. I could see the rad was the culprit but time constraints meant I just checked the level twice a week and topped up as required. A few weeks later I needed to MOT the car and after the smoke test at max revs the radiator let go in a big way, pouring coolant out all over the floor. As it was I could get the car home and fit a new rad the next day. Had the good lady been using the car on a main road she could well have trashed the head before noticing.
If this happens you will be facing a likely £350+ for a head gasket and skim. In a bad case the head can be damaged beyond simple skimming and with a quality replacement head the job creeps to £800+.
Unless you are selling this car very soon I'd pop in a new rad from Ansyspares for about £100. Actually get the boy to fit it and see if he passes the "lower hose connection test"!
Good luck.
MM
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Dont forget radweld will seal up your heater matrix if coolant levels fall, I have managed to do it twice over the years, I wont do it again, It gets cold in winter!
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Geoplay,
I think the answer depends on whether the leak is (a) *definitely* very small and very local or (b) just might be the first sign of a terminally ill radiator.
Middleman knows his Peugeots and Citroens inside out. From what he says, the chances are that you have situation '(b)' and I agree with him that the radiator should be renewed ASAP.
Obviously, MM had a bit of finger trouble and really meant to say "Andyspares".
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Many thanks for your replies. My son is having a new radiator fitted this Friday.
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