Plastic end tanks on radiators

R

Renault17

Active member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
May 11, 2001
Messages
314
Location
New Zealand
Hi all,

I now have two thoroughly useless (or so it appears) fuego/18 radiators to use as paperweights. After pulling one perfectly good one apart , flushing it and putting it back together i was overzealous and cracked the (plastic) end tank. I figured I would just bung some epoxy glue in it, that surely that would gum it up as it wasn't too bad- wrong! still leaks just as bad.

2nd course of action- got another rad from an 18 estate that we are wrecking- put it in filled it with water-......... and yep that one has even more leaks. (both look fine/cores are good, it is only when pressure testing that these holes/leaks show up.

Can you get just the end tanks - and any idea how much?

Or is there another reno'/car with fittings in the same place that can be made to fit?

I want to use this one if possible as it has fittings for the modified electric fan and switch for the fan etc.

Any (cheapish) thoughts? Also got a decent leak around the timing cover on the 1647 (843) motor (leaks from up high by the water pump end, then runs down behind everything to the underside to look like a sump leak), that so far no amount of cleaning and resealing with rubber gasket sealer seems to have solved- any ideas?

Cheers Ben
 
Ben, With the radiator plastic tanks...is plastic welding a possibility? I know this can be done for non stressed parts like grilles and so on but I am not sure about end tanks. It may be worth a phone call to a plastic welding place to see if they can suggest anything.
Sorry but no ideas on the timing cover leak apart from the obvious ie replace the gasket HTH. Cheers,Pete.
 
Hey Pete,

yeah I just went to a plastic welding place today- that does bumpers and so on. They said that they have tried it in the past and with the heat and pressure that it has to put up with that they;

1- no longer gauranteed that it would work
2- didn't do it at any more anyway

Which leaves me with 3- two radiator cores that are perfect with no b-y good end tanks, and the likely cost of $300 for a new rad!

I also need it to be that particular rad as it fits where I have installed the new motor - with enuf room for an electric fan and it has all the inlets/outlets in the right place....

Cheers Ben
 
Hi Ben,

Can't help with the radiator, but let's try with the oil leak.

Is the leak on the camshaft side of the block? It could be the rubber gasket between the cylinder head and the block that has been incorrectly placed or has sprung a leak somehow (I've known those two things to happen). Check the steel cover that bolts over the distributor drive on the block, it rarely happens but sometimes the cover can develop a leak. There is a gasket between the cover and block. Apart from a dodgy timing cover gasket these are two of the other places leaks can develop, also check the below the fuel pump just in case for oil leaks.

Hope this helps.

Simon
 
Hi Ben,
Over here in Oz, new tanks were available though Renault Australia back when the 18 was new, of course there NLA these days, but thats because they wouldn't know what ab 18 is let along carry parts for one. I suggest you try some of English dealers who still try to help. If you let me know all the details I may be able to find a part number. As for your oil leaks, theres not much to leak from, R/C gasket, head gasket, cam seal, theres not much to go wrong, (it aint a new car). Hope this helps.

David.
 
Hey,
forgot to let you know how i got on with this.

1. the oil leak- turns out it was the new! paper gasket on the timing cover- I fiddled around with it a couple of times then decided to bite the bullet and replaced the whole thing with rubber gasket goo. this solved that leak problem- only for one to emerge in the sump, a bit of the same 'goo' has since solved that prob too!

2. the plastic end tanks on the radiators- what a prick of an idea is all I can say! After scoring another rad and it looking OK I found that ALSO was leaking- I luckily managed to score a rad that had had the plastic cores replaced (or it came out like that) with brass end tanks- scored an 18 turbo motor/spd and rad for $150!! and a new rad was gonna be around $400 odd, so thought that was pretty good.

So leaks solved, thanks for your help.

Ben
 
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