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Coolant Sytem Trouble

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PaulHanley

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The specifics regard the '59 Twin Cam but this could apply to any car. After weeks of fighting little leaks after the rebuild of my MGA's cooling system, finally all was fine...till the other day. Dang! Coolant on the garage floor when I got home. Last night I put the Stant pressure tool on the car and pumped it to 20 pounds or so. I found the leak...the outlet elbow of my brand new radiator. Looks like its coming out to be resoldered; a real pig of a job--removal and replacement.

In a complete check of the system with the pressure tool, I checked the cap. It held pressure off the scale!! 35 pounds before it released. Its a relatively new 7 pound cap.

Is this what caused my radiator's outlet elbow to spring a leak?

So--more info: This morning before leaving for work, I pumped the sytem to 7 pounds. Home now for a break and 4.5 hours later, its still at 6.5 pounds.

Would I be foolish to think that just a proper 7 pound cap will stem the tide of coolant leakage?

I'm ready to try an 8 oz jar of liquid aluminium from Bar's Leak. Bar's Leak swears it doesn't clog heater cores. Anyone have a specific opinion on Liquid Aluminium by Bar's Leak? Perhaps it will seal the seepage on the radiator elbow and I'd duck a bullit??

Thanks folks!

Paul
 
Hi Paul, and if I'd not said it afore this: Welcome!

The joint may have been weak to start with and the system pressure MAY have "helped" it along, but it'd need some REAL pressure. Have you run the car with the Stant pump connected and seen if the pressure builds as high as 20 lb? -- just curious.

As for the leak-fix-in-a-bottle:
It ~could~ work, and if not, so what?!? I'm betting a new cap (*tested* new cap this time? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) and the Barr's would at least push the necessity of a miserable amount of work back a little while.
 
Thanks, Doc.

Seems I had the wrong cap installed a while back. The reach was way long and provided zero pressure relief capability as the spring was pressed all the way tight. Installed a cap of proper lenght and added the Bar's Leak. Seems all is 100% but will require many additional test drives!

Cheers,

Paul
 
Well that's not a ~bad thing~ IMO /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
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