Vitara slow water leak

[cheeryble]

Hi there

 

I had a fast water leak from a crack in a metal junction pipe. (In fact believe it or not the car ran a considerable distance dry, amazingly no oil in water or vice versa so looks like got away with head gasket and head etc.....new top upon synthetic oil may have helped)

Pipe has been replaced, but was left with a slow leak (car used daily. I top up about 1/3 litre of water per week directly through rad cap, level in expansion tank stays full....temp normal)

Went back after a while.

Had the replacement radiator grille soldered into the rad casing etc but still a slow leak. (reputable garage, probably all done well)

What I'm wondering is, back in England a long time ago we used to buy a small bottle of brown gunk, shake it up and pour it in the radiator water.

For slow leaks as I remember it worked.

My mechanic hasn't suggested this.

 

Anything bad about it? (and is it available?)

Edited November 1, 2016 by cheeryble

[CMKiwi]

I remember that stuff back in NZ, I think it was called Bars Leaks or something like that.  It was a great product but only really intended as a temp measure.  Not sure what long term effects were/would be.  Havent seen that or a similar product here.

 

Options maybe going back to your reputable garge and highlighting your concerns or perhaps seeing Ton out at ProAuto on Hangdong road (Pro Auto is a TV sponsor).

 

If there are no obvious signs of a leak around the repaired radiator then Id be thinking about the head gasket.  Once the car (engine) warms up have you noticed any water vapour coming out of the exhaust?  If there is then it could possibly be the head gasket that is causing the water loss.

[cheeryble]

No water vapour visible too little water being lost for that I'd think.

Head gasket may just be possible but certainly no oil/water mixing water looks clear so does dipstick oil look emulsion free.

 

As it is i only have to top up once every few days, perhaps weekly, with no ill effects other than I'm adding tap water rather than coolant.

But sure that's what we used to do to our Morris Minors back in the day, never heard of coolant, maybe a drop of antifreeze in winter.

So this isn't desperate I could perhaps go on like this for years, but interested in the leak sealer (yes I seem to remember BARS Leak.Some people used to recommend an egg, but I think I'd draw the line at that)

 

 

[William Osborne]

Hi Mate !... how much abouts for the repair ?.... looking to get one repaired for big bike !...cheers

[transam]

Trouble with these rad/leak fixes they can block up the rad veins....T-shirt...

Head gasket leak can show in the oil, remove the oil filler cap and see if there is any light coloured gunk on it or visible inside the rocker cover. Of course water can leak into the combustion chamber and be burned off, which is what will happen with the small amount you are losing..

[NanLaew]

In the days before Bars Leaks, a half pot of ground pepper in the radiator would seal up the small leaks.

[cheeryble]

3 hours ago, William Osborne said:

Hi Mate !... how much abouts for the repair ?.... looking to get one repaired for big bike !...cheers

 

Are you asking about the radiator repair William?

Damn I'm not at all sure I remember, but it was way cheaper than  new one.

I'm going to take a stab at 1500-2000bt for the Vitara.

If I can find the receipt I'll let you know.

 

BTW as fro the continuing leak they pressurised the water system from the rad cap fitting and found a pinhole leak in a small rubber hose.

Cost 400 bt!!

 

 

[William Osborne]

ok thanks cheerble... as well as having a pin hole leak spraying water on the front mudguard of the bike, its in bad shape so I opted to get a new one fron Ebay/china for 4500 including delivery..

[cheeryble]

ok thanks cheerble... as well as having a pin hole leak spraying water on the front mudguard of the bike, its in bad shape so I opted to get a new one fron Ebay/china for 4500 including delivery..

I'm interested how they do the rad repairs I think they braze a whole new section of grille into the existing frame.
What I'm wondering is can they cut like a panel of grille for any vehicle and then braze quite a lot of cut bits. Maybe they can and maybe that's why it's cheap. Good job done in any case and painted over in black.


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[William Osborne]

Not sure how they do the repairs but from talking to guys here with bikes you can actually get a new rad made locally... good if you want to over-size it due to overheating probs with bikes here..... although, apparently, they don't do curved radiators very well !!

[canthai55]

Brazing only works for the old style copper/brass rads. You can pinch off tubes, but common practice was to unsolder tanks, and solder in complete new core. The copper oxidizes and rots over time. Newer ones are aluminum, which must be welded. As most all aluminum ones have plastic top and bottom - or side - tanks, replacement of just the core is not practical. New rad the way to go.