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Radiator pipe leak - new crap part problem

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70herald

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I just bought a new radiator for the Herald.
Today I started fill it and it almost immediately started to leak around the radiator outlet pipe. :madder:

The clamp was properly tightened and a quick inspection showed that both the inlet and outlet pipes on the new radiator are slightly smaller in diameter than the original so the radiator hoses don't fit properly.

Since the radiator has already traveled from California to Maryland to Israel, I can't exactly ship it back (well not at a reasonable cost!) so I need a solution...

It there some sort of tape which I can wrap around the radiator pipes to increase the diameter?

Worst comes to worst, I could have a radiator shop solder in the pipes from the original radiator but this is kind of a pain and of course my nice new radiator won't look so nice once it has been reworked.

Open to suggestions.
 
Can you slip a small diameter piece of radiator (or some other) hose inside the larger hose?
 
If the diameter is only slightly smaller, you might try a hydraulic pipe expander. It gets inserted into the radiator pipe and will expand with hydraulic pressure to increase the diameter... just a thought
 
I'd just go ahead and have the shop fix it. Their efforts should be mostly hidden by paint and of course the hose itself. Far preferable IMO to a bodge that might not hold up.

But you might try getting a worm-drive clamp and overtightening it somewhat. They are strong enough to crush the hose by at least 1/8". Not particularly good for the hose, but it does work.
 
Brass and aluminum are prone to work hardening. eg. stretching bending pounding all = work hardening. A work hardened object is more likely to eventually crack due to stress. Were it me I would either replace those in/outlet pipes with the size required myself or if I felt incompetent to do the job correctly I would have a reputable radiator shop do the task for me.
By no means would I attempt to "Stretch" them. But then that is just the way I am.
Were the pipes made of soft material such as copper I may be tempted to give stretching a go.
My two cents F.W.I.W.
 
I'm with Kerry.

One other (remote) possibility is finding molded hoses with suitable sizes on each end.
 
Here is the reply I got from the supplier:

"We have found that some of the cheap “repro” hoses do not fit very well but the hoses we sell fit perfectly if you have some of the “kevlar reinforced hoses” sold by some other suppliers they are the problem."

Since my hose fit perfectly on the stanpart radiator I think that the problem is still with the radiator pipes but I guess I will have measure them properly with calipers.
In any case, I think I will stop by the radiator shop and have them swap pipes and add a drain while they are at it.
 
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