Radiator leaking Coolant

[Philandchris]

Our 2004 Monaco Diplomat is leaking coolant. We had a Diesel mechanic look at it and he says there is a leak in the lower plastic side of the radiator. He says they don’t make them any more so what do we do? We are a couple thousand miles from home!

[wolfe10]

Contact Source Engineering for a replacement


OR


Take it by a good old-fashion OTR truck radiator shop to see if it is repairable.

[jacwjames]

I had a new radiator installed in 2015 after which I took one long trip in 2015 and then another long trip in 2021 (life got in the way and couldn't travel).

Parked the rig in the garage and noticed a leak that turned out to be coolant.

I was not going to pull the radiator so decided to try a product another owner recommended. Irontite. https://irontite.com/all-weather-seal


I added two bottles of it and it stopped the leak. Took another ~4K mile trip without a problem.

[Philandchris]

We asked about that but the mechanic said it wouldn’t work on plastic.

[jacwjames]

You might try calling Irontite and see what they say.
From may understanding the sealer activates when exposed to air. So it may not matter if the portion is plastic.

[05 American Eagle]

You might try to find someplace that produces plastic. They use a special plastic weld to bond parts and it won't come apart.

I used this method on a car radiator about 15 years ago, still solid today.

[Soppy]

Is the plastic tank cracked. or is it leaking between the plastic tank and the radiator core ? If it is between the tank and core , you could try to recrimp the the tank to the core with a pair of vise grips. I have done this on my truck with good success . It is best to have the rad removed so you can get access to all the crimp tabs. Otherwise a good radiator shop should be able to help you out.

[Philandchris]

We have the rad removed and found it had deteriorated along the bottom to the point it had to be replaced. We ended up driving 1,000 miles each way to pickup a new copper rad that we had built for us. It took 4 days of driving and 2,000 miles with fuel prices in the $6 dollar range to get the rad replaced. Over all it cost us about $5k for everything. Not too bad since we were in Canada in the middle of no where. ( all figures were American & US dollars) Can’t say enough about a great guy named Jake Moreau of J&E Repairs in Ft. Nelson who pulled and installed the new rad. The wonderful service from Mike of Diamond Radiators who built our new rad in 1 day for us located in Lainey, CA outside of Vancouver. Great guys both of them!!!!

[monacojim]

Most of the time they can be rebuilt. Wolfe 10 is pointing you in the right direction,

[RobRoy]

Originally Posted by jacwjames

You might try calling Irontite and see what they say.
From may understanding the sealer activates when exposed to air. So it may not matter if the portion is plastic.

https://irontite.com/a/23-the-best-radiator-stop-leak



Happy Trails

[1972VWbus]

Originally Posted by jacwjames

You might try calling Irontite and see what they say.
From may understanding the sealer activates when exposed to air. So it may not matter if the portion is plastic.

Off their site...

All Weather Seal has been stopping leaks for over 60 years. Our proven track record is not something the other radiator stop leak products can boast. While not all leaks are fixable out of a bottle, if there is any chance that it can be fixed, rest assured that All Weather Seal will be the one to fix it without causing other problems. It’s one of the most easy to use and most compatible with all Anti-Freezes and surface types. Plastic, rubber, aluminum, steel, cast iron, etc. will all have their leaks patched.

[153stars]

I don't know these close enough to know part crossover but this is an amazing deal. It is still there from a post of Rightstuffer a few years back I was just reading again unless seller has a quantity.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/15526244116...mis&media=COPY