i was putting in a thermostat (2nd one, first one crapped out in 3 days) and when i removed the top radiator hose, i broke about half of the plastic off of the radiator. it's the plastic piece sticking out that the top hose goes on, which goes to the thermostat. it didnt overheat... but it sure lost all the coolant i just put in changing it today...

 

am i going to have to get another radiator, or can i possibly fix the plastic piece? is there some kind of stuff that can bond it together?

 

thanks

You could probably find a used radiator from someone on the board... I personally wouldn't trust a repair job on the plastic section.

 

Alternately, a new radiator for a Subaru runs around $90, the one I got was all metal, and should long outlast the car.

 

-=Russ=-

Where could I get one for $90? That's much cheaper than all the auto parts stores out here...

 

Unless someone could sell me one on the board, but still, $90 is cheap.

I got a new radiator for my DL for $90 from O'Rileys.

 

-=Russ=-

If you take it to a radiator repair specialist they should be able to put a completely new bit of plastic on your radiator and it will be good as new...

I wouldnt do a self repair on it. MIGht be able to find a shop locally that could put a new side tank on it. Prolly worth your time and money to just get a new one.

Just depends what condition the radiator is in, if its starting to get fin rot or leaking anywhere you should get a new one but otherwise the repaired one will work well. Just my 2 cents

the short answer, definitely do not bother trying to repair the broken plastic. seen lots of people try (including a moron that i know that should know better named gary gross) and it may work for a short while, but the risks of overheating and being stranded somewhere are not worth the little time and $ needed to fix it properly. and i'd probably think someone were lying if they told me it lasted for any extensive amount of time.

 

if the radiator is decent and you can do the work yourself, get someone with a bad radiator to send you a side tank. if you get the side tank, you can swap it with yours and be good to go. they have dozens of metal tabs that you pry up to get the old tank off. not that difficult, just be careful not to break the new tank when removing. you can probably find a used radiator for like 30 bucks if you look around. keep your other plastic tank for the same reason if you get another radiator just in case.

 

best bet is to get a new radiator, cooling issues are nothing to mess with. piecing together a broken ignition wire is one thing, trying to rig part of your cooling system is not worth the possible damage for such a reliable motor.

 

good luck, you have options, shouldn't be too bad.