Alfa 75 TS radiator repair advice sought/fix

[alanm]

Hi all,

I did something stupid on the weekend and I am trying to solve a problem.
Whilst replacing a lower radiator hose I accidently snapped off the small diameter plastic nozzle in the top right hand corner of the radiator.

I figure i might as well attempt a repair before I fork out for another radiator.
As i see it my options are to:

A: try screwing in a brass or alloy connector – see pic.
Success depends on ability to thread connector into plastic body of radiator and seal with adhesive like JB Weld

B: re-route expansion tank hose to a t-piece in the upper radiator hose – see pic.
Question is, does this compromise the way the cooling system functions?
Hole where the original hose snapped could be blocked with a self tapping screw and aforementioned adhesive.

Are either of these options plausible or should I place my order for a new radiator now?
This is as much about the principle as the money, the little plastic nozzle I have broken ruins the whole radiator which is not very old?

Opinions sought?


Cheers,
Al

[alanm]

Hi all,

I ended up going ahead with repair option A - fixing a brass nozzle at the site of the original plastic nozzle.
I figured that there was no risk of compromising the cooling system if I went down this path.

I am very happy with the repair – the question now is... will it last?

Steps I followed:
Bought nozzle part from Enzed Moorabbin – fantastic customer service, highly recommended!
Drilled 7.5mm hole in the same position as the existing hole
Cut a thread using a 1/8 BSPT thread cutting tool
Screwed in nozzle – went in beautifully
Applied glue around the outside – just for good measure!

The critical step in the process is probably the thread cutting, it needs to be straight and 'clean'.

I will post pics when I can get to the desktop.

I will report here if the fix fails.

Cheers,
Al

[Alfamania]

Ive done it in the past as a temporary fix and it worked a treat 

[alanm]

Good to hear, so far so good!
Al

[alanm]

I have stopped looking at the temperature gauge every 5 minutes now 
Al

[alanm]

Another old post follow up...
This repair shows now signs of failure, I think I will call it a success!
Al.

[VeeSix]

Keep us updated in another 6 months, I remember quite a few years ago going to a local radiator specialist and being told these plastic tanks can not be repaired, I never sought a second opinion, could the specialist just not be bothered with the job, did he just want me to purchase a new radiator or did he have previous experience where this type of repair did not hold for longevity? 

[jazig.k]

My brother explained the 'plastic tank radiators can't be repaired' thing to me when he worked at a radiator business. It's not the tank themselves, but the actual clamping of the tanks via tabs around the radiator core that are the problem. Metal tanks are soldered on, can be resoldered no problem. The plastic tanks are held with bent tabs can't be rebent with a sure clamping pressure on the tank and seal. Like bending a wire over and over it becomes weaker and weaker each time. So they don't do it because they can't assure the tank seal won't leak, and if it does, not many customers are going to pay for the time stripping, cleaning and getting a leaking radiator back only ending up buying another new tank.