Wow guys, I found my problem. The pipe I showed you was rubbing the radiator and finally it has a pin ***** hole. So I moved the pipe and plan on soldering the hole shut.

 

Good luck with that.

My 97 had a pihole develop in the actual cooler line that goes into the towel bar. It only sprayed when it was running. I kept finding red fluid in the fron wheel well and thought it was power steering until I crawled under it with it running.

Even though it is solder, it is a little different from soldering wires which is fairly simple.

You are patching a hole in a metal tbe, right? You need to have it really clean, use plenty of acid flux, get it good and hot so you can see it flow.

 

Yeah it's nice and sealed now, I am thinking of getting a new one just for good measure or do as I'm told and send it to a proper radiator shop and get it washed, rodded, and re-welded shut. Thanks guys.

 

Crap radiator cap broke, and the shaft is in the hole but the tip broke off.

 

Are you talking about that plastic piece? On the left side of the rad? The one that everybody usually replaces with the brass one?

 

Yeah that's what I mean, I found the plug thread and heading to the store tomorrow to get that 1/2" Pipe Plug, then ordering the "correct" size from Rovah Farm along with the rubber o-ring.

 

Once you install the 1/2 inch NPT, which is tapered, the "correct" straight sided one may not seal as well. Teflon tape? Plastic 1/2 inch plug from plumbing aisle (let metal radiator chew up the plastic)? But I have been running the 1/2 inch NPT for a year after I broke the oem one.

 

The brass plug doesn't use an O ring, it uses a fiber washer as a gasket.

I wouldn't go stuff a pipe plug in there. I've seen it done though, I have also seen the bung rip right out of the tank when trying to loosen the tapered plug that was put in.

It's your truck, do what you will.

 

I think some of these brass "expedition" plugs may have an O-ring, but Higgs is corerct, the threads are different. If I had only found this forum before I screwed in mine..... You may want to use a cheezy wimpy plastic one until the real deal arrives.

So you soldered the radiator to eliminate the pin hole coolant leak (green)? Vs higher PSI red ATF filled line?

 

Okay SB, let me clarify what I wrote.

The BRASS plug sold by ROVAHFARM for the tidy sum of $3.99 uses a fiber washer to seal it.

The bastards selling virtually the same plug for $20 MAY have an O ring, but I do not know. Because I'm CHEAP!

The plastic ones fail because they have been over tightened. Doing so stretches the plastic, and the heat is the final straw. They only need to be run down snug to seal.