cracked camry radiator repair

The top, plastic part of my 96 camry 2.2 radiator is cracked, a 2 inch hairline at the very top. Is there some el cheapo way of repairing this? I am flat freaking broke and my wife needs the car badly.\

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give me.

The cheapest way to fix it is to replace it with a used part from a junk yard. Perhaps you can work out a deal at the junk yard for a trade. See if they will take your wheel covers in trade.

There is no reliable way of sealing it for pressure. You will have to replace it.

I hope someone else has a better idea.

I had mine replaced in either my 87 or 92 Camry, can't remember which now, and the reason why it was replaced instead of repaired was because it's mostly plastic instead of metal and that cannot be repaired. :nono:

The symptoms of the leak were green liquid along the top corners at each end of the radiator. Sorry, but it had to be replaced. Even the radiator stop-leak stuff one can buy in an auto parts shop didn't help. As Brian said, a junkyard may be one of your best bets. :sly:

Purchase some JB weld from an Auto parts store. Its an epoxy that will join about anything together or seal a crack. I've repaired several non pressurized tanks that had leaks. Worth the $6 just to have around to glue, weld or repair other house hold items. Try it and let us know if it worked or not.

Although it may be worth a try, I don't think the epoxy has a chance of fixing it. Hot, flexing, pressure, ethylene glycol, dirty, and the normal tendency for crack-propogation all add up to "no chance".

Brian R. may be correct? He along with several others offer some of the best advice on this forum. But for the total dollars invested vs. Radiator replacement I would give it try. Clean the area off real good and follow mixing instructions on the JB weld package.

Let us know what happens.

Sure, can't hurt anything to try. Don't go on a long trip with it. :)

I'll edit the above with the possibility of it working if it is on a flat area and you can glue a plastic patch over the top. If this is the case, drill a couple of holes at the end of the crack (make sure it's the end of the crack) so that the crack cannot propogate as easily. After you glue the patch over the crack with alot of overlap, let it dry well before you fill it and pressurize it.

I didn't expect that it was on a flat area since these things crack everywhere except on a flat area, but if it was hit by something, it is possible...

use epoxy it work great!!! my camry radiator broke on the top 3-4 inch. long . first clean and sand it, wash it nice then mix the epoxy and let it dry at lease 24 hr. it the normal temp. The radiator don't just crack, it much be something that cost it. I recommend you the check you termostat, it problebly not function will that why it had that much pressure to crack you radiator. goodluck.

YMMV

Brian R,

OK, I haven't figured it out yet so, please, tell me; what does "YMMV" mean? Thanks. :)

Your Mileage May Vary. Meaning that I have my doubts that the fix will work, but it might. Never say never.

OH, OK, thanks Brian, I have to admit that was a tough one for me! I better brush up on my forum terminology. :banghead:

i'm sure this is too late to help jstrummer, but maybe it will help others.

i used the jb weld to repair a crack in the same place on the top of the radiator of my 94 camry.

There is an area across the top of the radiator where it gets wider, going from the top of the radioator to the ground. that is where my crack developed, and i would imagine this has happened to many of these same radiators. I think it was caused by age, and the heat more than anything else. I , wire brushed and sanded it, cleaned it good, and applied a liberal amount of JB weld over it. it has lasted like this for over a year.

i know some of you won't believe this, but i helped my dad repair a cracked head in a b-61 mack truck with JB and it operated for over 100,000 more miles with this fix.

samething happeneds to my radiator and the radiator master told me to get the metal ones and 2 rows of radiator instead of the original ones has one row underneath this makes the calcium deposites build ups and can't circulate the hot water & coolant.

I bought a new radiator on Ebay for $65 plus S/H...
My radiator developed a leak on the seal for the top plastic tank, tried to push in the bulged out seal but didn't work... I used JB Weld on a cracked block on a Mercury in/outboard (Chevy block) & it worked great... Bob

Just a note..... JB Weld does have a "Kwik" set....
Bonds in 4 minutes, I have used it & sets up quickly...
I would still let your repair set-up over night... I would also clean with rubbing alchol with a stiff brush so it gets down into the crack... Bob

You can fix your cracked radiator's nylon tank top inexpensively. I did this repair myself in 2006 and it's still running well in 2011. (On my 1992 Camry's radiator; 3.0 liter engine). Get a NyloBond repair kit. About $7 (seven) per kit I paid in 2006. I bought two at once in a mail order from the company. They don't often sell to individuals, so be nice. Or, better yet, call your local independent auto parts shops, and ask them to stock NyloBond. I got it from Johnson Manufacturing NyloBond is apparently often used to repair the large tanks on Mac trucks and 18-wheelers. Instructions say to apply the nylon paste (and mesh) on both sides of the crack for the best repair. But, it's hard to reach inside the radiator tank. So, I cleaned it extremely well, and only applied paste to the outside, covering the crack. Then, you point a heat lamp at it and let it sit. Best not to do this in the cold Winter; but it might work if you had to. Kit came with thorough instructions; use them if you want it to work. My Camry's radiator has not leaked one drop since my repair. Regardless, I check it regularly, along with my oil level. Newer cars' radiators have an aluminum body and a nylon tank top. Yes, it's nylon, not plastic. Old radiators were all copper. My other 1995 Camry's radiator tank top also cracked in the same place. A hairline crack about 2 inches long; just a half inch below the very top of the tank. You notice the green antifreeze below and around the crack. Fix it soon. Until you repair it, check your engine coolant (antifreeze) level every time before you drive. Until you seal that crack, sometimes, coolant leaks out a lot; sometimes, it doesn't. The crack may expand or contract depending on outdoor temperature fluctuations. But after I did my NyloBond repair, it's been clean and not leaked a drop through New England winters and summers. If you can spend $250, just get a mechanic to replace your entire radiator. But, times are tough for some, and if you're low-income and handy, then you can do it yourself like I did.

I patched up a hairline crack on the top of the radiator of my 1989 Camry using J.B. Weld epoxy. I prepaired the area to be patched by using my dremel and an grinding attachment on it to roughen up the area where the epoxy was to be applied. I then used rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush to thoroughly clean the patch area. Applied the J.B. Weld and let it dry overnight. It has been around 2-3 months since and so far it has held up great. Below are a few pics. of the patch job.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p98/JOET1966/SANY0134-1.jpg

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p98/JOET1966/SANY0133.jpg

I used the standard J.B.Weld for this job. The 15 minute J.B. Weld setup would have been a better choice. Not as many runs : )

JOET/CAMRY