[fone]

Hi

Got this strong coolant smell coming from under the bonnet when the engine is hot but the coolant level has not dropped too mcuh. Can't see a visible sign.

Anyone has any success or problem in using Radweld (the stuff you pour into the coolant tank to seal leaks) ?
It's 03 Cooper S.

Cheers !

[fordcymru]

I`ve tried radweld in the past and didn`t find it very good, in fact it did more harm than good. In my experience steer clear of the stuff. If you think you have a coolant leak get your local garage to perform a pressure test on the cooling system.

[mini-millie-n-dan]

We used radweld a few months back as the radiator was leaking. All good so far, has done the job and no more leaks! Worth a try to save forking out on new parts etc!

[MarkW]

used radweld on my track car about 9 years ago, 8 years later it was still going strong.

[MINIMANIAUK]

Radweld really is a get you home solution dating back to the pre mobile phone days,when recovery agencies were thinner on the ground ,didnt have sat navs ,and you could get stranded in country areas with little or no passing traffic. ie nothing like modern times !!! mind you other motorists would stop to offer help if you broke down ,now you would end up a skeleton in your car before that happened!!!
Radweld also gets pumped around your heater and engine and could cause blockages later on which could be expensive.
A new rad is around £100 + and has to be considered a wear item ,especially those with plastic end tanks,part of motoring costs.
A £10 fix in a bottle may seem appealing,but if the rad lets go again in the height of summer ,the potential engine damage through overheating can run to thousands of pounds ,the £10 fix may seem very expensive then
Fix or find the leak and just add it to another of the costs of car ownership

[Randall Raines]

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIMANIAUK (original)

Radweld really is a get you home solution dating back to the pre mobile phone days,when recovery agencies were thinner on the ground ,didnt have sat navs ,and you could get stranded in country areas with little or no passing traffic. ie nothing like modern times !!! mind you other motorists would stop to offer help if you broke down ,now you would end up a skeleton in your car before that happened!!!
Radweld also gets pumped around your heater and engine and could cause blockages later on which could be expensive.
A new rad is around £100 + and has to be considered a wear item ,especially those with plastic end tanks,part of motoring costs.
A £10 fix in a bottle may seem appealing,but if the rad lets go again in the height of summer ,the potential engine damage through overheating can run to thousands of pounds ,the £10 fix may seem very expensive then
Fix or find the leak and just add it to another of the costs of car ownership

For what it's worth I totally agree with "MINIMANIAUK", especially the highlighted section of "MINIMANIAUK's" quote, as I've seen problems like this many times before (normally blocking up the heater matrix ), If I ever have to use it I get it flushed out and the leaks cured ASAP .

If you're using the stuff to keep a leak blocked remember you'll have to renew the Radweld also at the time of coolant renewal especially if you've also used a flush so as stated the stuff should be used as a temporary measure, because the problem / leak may be too far gone the next time it goes to be able to do anything about it (as stated false economy).

Stuff like that only saves you money if you're trying to sell a vehicle and cover up faults without the cost of new parts / repairs, this only works if you don't have a conscience or are a dodgy car sales man / women which is a similar thing really .

However all that said I have seen people use it before and they've never seemed to have any further problems, but this can also depend on what the fault was / is in the 1st place.

[DaFlake]

+2 for what MINIMANIAUK stated. That stuff is a quick repair and really shouldn't be used to fix a problem. In fact, you are better off having the car towed and getting it fixed right.

[MINIMANIAUK]

Once upon a time ,Jaguar had constant problems with the complex V12 cooling system ,some really clever chap at Jaguar suggested they use a product called BARS stop leak on the routine service at the dealers as a fix.....................
The stuff sat in the bottom of the radiator like concrete,from that day on there really was a cooling problem!!!!! overheating V12s all over the world !!! ........ They stopped using it !!!

As a guide almost everyting in a bottle touted as a instant fix -isnt , yet the shelves are full of all kinds of miracle bottles ,that can fix worn rings,valve guides,valves,gaskets,blocked radiators,axles ,gearboxes and just about every thing else -all for £6.99 !!!

I have been there ,hoping that perhaps THIS time it might just work,and stop that smokey engine. and guess what it didnt! - replacing the rings however worked a treat
There are a couple of thing that do work ,but they are the exception usually the brighter the bottle the less chance of sucess and running a car with no oil will actually seize ,strangely enough

[Randall Raines]

Quote: Originally Posted by DaFlake (original)

+2 for what MINIMANIAUK stated. That stuff is a quick repair and really shouldn't be used to fix a problem. In fact, you are better off having the car towed and getting it fixed right.

Yep! Best of avoiding the stuff as "Da Flake" & "MINIMANIAUK" say .

Quote: Originally Posted by MINIMANIAUK (original)

As a guide almost everyting in a bottle touted as a instant fix -isnt , yet the shelves are full of all kinds of miracle bottles ,that can fix worn rings,valve guides,valves,gaskets,blocked radiators,axles ,gearboxes and just about every thing else -all for £6.99 !!!

I have been there ,hoping that perhaps THIS time it might just work,and stop that smokey engine. and guess what it didnt! - replacing the rings however worked a treat
There are a couple of thing that do work ,but they are the exception

But the sad fact is that's how it's always been and always will be, most of the manufacturers make their money relying on the fact that there will always be a next person willing to give it a go, with an attitude of, if it doesn't work it's only £6.99 (same goes for other stuff too, miracle cures for hair loss, wrinkles etc.... etc...).

"If it sounds too good to be true it probably is"

That's why I like forums etc... like this, it helps people steer clear of making the mistakes of all that have gone before, that have "been there, done that " etc... etc... (if they want to listen).

[fone]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience and advice.

Will take it to the stealer to check it.

Can't believe that cooling system leaks after done only 33K

[Bhozar]

Quote: Originally Posted by fone (original)

Thanks everyone for sharing your experience and advice.

Will take it to the stealer to check it.

Can't believe that cooling system leaks after done only 33K

My rad split at around 38-40k. Between then and now (58k) the header tank split and the thermostat started to leak. I wasnt going to try radweld in it. Nasty stuff. If something is a bit furred up and only just passing enough water then you could end up blocking it totaly. Could just end up slowing the flow of coolant too. I was happier doing a propper fix.

Despite that, a guy at work just put some in his car. He only needed a rubber 'O' ring, but put radweld in it. He also found it acceptible to have a fuel leak on the injector rail, and a brake fluid leak 'somewhere' for the last month. Guess thats the joys of owning an old Pugeot.

[fone]

I also had the header tank/reservoir change (leaking from the joint of the two halves) at 18k too !!!

[fone]

Took car to stealer to check out the strong smell of coolant.

Could not find any visible leak after doing a cold and hot pressure test but agree with smell. Given 2 options - 1) do nothing until leak becomes more visible 2) change expansion tank, hoses, radiator, water pump, thermostat and housing i.e. whole cooling system !!! I I almost fell off the chair when they suggested this !!! I got charged for half hr £75 plus vat for this.

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