One small step for chod, a giant leap for Renaultkind..Help

[castros_bro]

Radiator...'99 Trafic diesel......having dealt with two leaks elsewhere in the cooling system caused by water freezing it now time to address the dribble from the radiator core.  I have the ability to solder various metals so would like to know if the core is some type of copper before I attempt to remove radiator, cut away some fins, crimp close and solder up its hole???    This is obviously NOT* a pole where I will tally the YES and NO votes before dismantling the front of the van

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Unlikely to be any copper content in a radiator of 1999 vintage, it will be an aluminium core and placca end tanks

[tooSavvy]

Vectra minge penny bodge/fix.... wrapping turns of copper wire [err... thickish?] around exposed tube leak (after pulling away fins) & solder copper wire to itself [making a sleeve jacket], then RadSeal.

 

..my local Pizza driver guy says it got him a fair few miles out of it - subsequent frontal remodelling   had the repair rendered obsolete...

 

TS

[Parky]

Won't K-Seal help or is the leak too heavy?

[Squire_Dawson]

Is your soldering gear powerful enough before you go to the trouble of removing all the stuff?

[castros_bro]

500W with solid 1/2 inch copper bit or if stressed paraffin blow lamp and 3/4 inch square iron, big tin of flux and a solid bar of 40/60 solder?

[lisbon_road]

Hmm, I think Mr_Bo11ox is very likely to be right and that it is plastic and aluminium and therefore you can't solder it.  Most cars stopped copper in the early 80s, really a generation before this car. 

 

I have had some luck with encapsulating the problem area in a big blob of araldite before.