Advice on repair radiator or replace with new m931a2

[wiersema07]

Hello all
Have had a coolant leak since bought truck a week ago. I finally just pressure tested it and it’s leaking on both side tanks of radiator around the bolts. Also heater core box is leaking. I shut the valves to heater core but look likes the petcock valve for it towards from of engine it’s just twisting and not closing I believe. So I’m wondering if know a part number for that petcock valve. I’ll be posting multiple pictures.
what I’m wondering is it worth my time in buying cork gasket seal for both sides and putting rvt high temp gasket sealer all around and try and fix myself or at this rate just have a new radiator put in by a shop? And have them try and fix the heater core. It’s winter here and I don’t have a steel building to try and do this all inside nor really the time except on weekends
Also the block heater I bought is this circle freeze plug on passenger side of engine towards rear above the starter ? Before I try and knock it out .
thanks

 

[Welder1]

Pull the radiator and take it to a radiator shop. These are totally repairable and they can clean and leak test unit.

 

[Jbulach]

This is what I used for mine. If your not on a budget, have a radiator shop reseal the tanks for you. Not too difficult if you have to do it yourself. Used to be able to buy narrow rolls of cork gasket with adhesive on one side, and use a dab of permatex on the seams, been a long time though

 

[simp5782]

Memphis equipment sells the tank gaskets

Or use dirko gasket maker. Itll never leak. Again. But they will need a porta power to get it off if they ever need to

 

[wiersema07]

Memphis equipment sells the tank gaskets

Or use dirko gasket maker. Itll never leak. Again. But they will need a porta power to get it off if they ever need to

I
I ordered some 1/8” thick cork gasket sheets as I read someone on here used n going to lined it all with rvt gasket sealer. Also some stated they didn’t make this tank gaskets any more. But definitely going to check the prices. I was looking in their last night

 

[wiersema07]

View attachment 821007
This is what I used for mine. If your not on a budget, have a radiator shop reseal the tanks for you. Not too difficult if you have to do it yourself. Used to be able to buy narrow rolls of cork gasket with adhesive on one side, and use a dab of permatex on the seams, been a long time though

cool. Yea I ordered a couple rolls of1/8” thick cork gasket n I have rvt high tempgasket sealer I was going to use

thsnks !

 

[frank8003]

This is a really good valve.
Notice nomenclature, all the numbers are there for a better search.
Used on Deuce but maybe will work for your application.

 

[Crf450x]

cool. Yea I ordered a couple rolls of1/8” thick cork gasket n I have rvt high tempgasket sealer I was going to use

thsnks !

It would be better to use one or the other, but not both....

 

[Jbulach]

This looks like the stuff we used to use. Guessing we got it from NAPA, or Car-quest? Not sure if you want to cover to whole thing in RTV, should only need it on the joints where you have a break on the corners.

 

[fpchief]

This is what I used. Put side tank down on it, traced it out and cut. Used hole punche for bolt holes. Looks good and not a drip.

 

[wiersema07]

I had some of that ordered and then cancelled and read online can use permatex the right stuff gasket maker and put that on the edges and seams and around the bolt holes and put the covers on and bolt back together and it’ll form the gasket and ready to be back in service within a few minutes. I’m going to try that with a cork gasket and hope it does as it says.

 

[wiersema07]

out cork gasket I meant. *

 

[WillWagner]

No RTV, It will push the cork out. Just clean it, apply the gasket then TORQUE it up. Over tightening will cause it to leak. The tanks and heddars need to be straight.

Honestly, I would take it to a shop for the reason mentioned above. The heddars can be re soldered and any issue fixed. Would suck to pull the package, re seal it and find out after you put it back in that the tubes are leaking

Remember, right now, the easiest place to leak is the gasket, solder decays after time.

 

[wiersema07]

It’s leaking through the gasket through the bolts on Both sides in random spots so I’m going to use gasket maker and so how it goes

 

[charlesmann]

i had a similar issue, when i had the wife turn the water hose to flush the system. it exceeded the psi and started leaking at the tanks. i tq checked the hdwr to find some were loose, so i retorqued the hardware, still didn't fix the leaking and the radiator shops in my area looked at like i had horns growing out of my head when i asked them to hot dip, replace gaskets and pressure test it. i decided to put a couple bottle of stop-leak in the radiator itself, then brought the truck up to temp and had zero issues and that was 6 months ago. granted i haven't cranked it 3 months, but either way, its not leaking. when i pull the radiator out of the other truck, i will hot dip it myself, build new gaskets and do a pressure test and solder any leaks i find. just gotta build a dip tank and get some type of heating element that will heat the water up to 250 and figure out a cleaning solution to remove rust scaling and not damage the cores.

 

[wiersema07]

i had a similar issue, when i had the wife turn the water hose to flush the system. it exceeded the psi and started leaking at the tanks. i tq checked the hdwr to find some were loose, so i retorqued the hardware, still didn't fix the leaking and the radiator shops in my area looked at like i had horns growing out of my head when i asked them to hot dip, replace gaskets and pressure test it. i decided to put a couple bottle of stop-leak in the radiator itself, then brought the truck up to temp and had zero issues and that was 6 months ago. granted i haven't cranked it 3 months, but either way, its not leaking. when i pull the radiator out of the other truck, i will hot dip it myself, build new gaskets and do a pressure test and solder any leaks i find. just gotta build a dip tank and get some type of heating element that will heat the water up to 250 and figure out a cleaning solution to remove rust scaling and not damage the cores.

Okay thanks. I just got it back from a local truck shop he used cork gasket and re did the seals and was $300 bucks. No leaks so I’m happy to have it back