Just got my radiator back in

[timvasqz]

Bob, did you need a new radiator or was it rodded. I notice a big diff of opinions between radiator shops on trashing a core over rodding one. Sounds like you found the guy for members to make the trip to perform this dirty dreaded maintenance task. I rod our trucks every several years.

I dropped our 94pt radiator and sent it for rodding.At 90% plugged, one shop said it was trash($3,800) and one other was able to clean it up($700). The 94pt has a three piece radiator; top tank , bottom tank and core. on many cars and light trucks the tanks are soldered on. Heavy trucks and bus apps the tanks are stainless steel bolted-on with cork gaskets.
Rodding is a process where a service shop takes one tank ($500) or tanks ($700) off and inserts flat strap rod pipe cleaners thru the several hundreds of journals running thru the center core.

You can see the foil fins that are solderd (attached?) to the outside of these journals. The exterior fins should be first inspected to see if they are screwed. often hidden deep in the exterior core ,you may find a spot or two of degraded foil finns. often the result of; some caustic cleaner, fluid or overpressurized cleaning or build up of road salt. the union of the foil finn and journal pipe is where leaks develop. if too much of the foil is off the journal pipe when fluid passes that pipe will stay hot as the foil heatsink is detached, heat will not disipate. This is not a prob on better built cores because the journals are of a thicker wall and the temps will not melt them.

There is a small hose that runs from radiator top to the expansion tank where we put rad fluid. I assumed it was a equalizerline between that FillTank/ExpansionTank pressure cap and the radiator when I assumed FillTank to be a PukeTank. it turns out that the line is prob a secondary air vent to the Expansion/Fill tank?????? in any event that thin line is full or like pressure and become a more vaunerable link than just a puke connection line. If you use a overbuilt rubber line for replacement it may be hard to clamp a perfect seal on the thin ID.

GregoryO'Connor of Tim&Greg 94ptca