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Repairing Rad Leak with JB Weld?

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  bones37 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

So i recently bought a EK 120mm SE Rad for my loop and added it yesterday, Upon leak testing, it leaked a little. After draining the loop, switching the suspected fitting and double checking the tube, it still leaked. I drained it again, took out the rad, and inspected the construction of the rad itself. I can conclude after doing isolated testing, that the chamber at the top of the radiator is missing a little bit of welding and it is leaking from the corner of the chamber where it meets the rest of the body. I heard of people fixing rads with JB weld, does anyone have any experience with this? I've used JB weld to repair things and even firearms and am confident in it's strength. Looking for feedback. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by bones37 View Post

Hey guys,

So i recently bought a EK 120mm SE Rad for my loop and added it yesterday, Upon leak testing, it leaked a little. After draining the loop, switching the suspected fitting and double checking the tube, it still leaked. I drained it again, took out the rad, and inspected the construction of the rad itself. I can conclude after doing isolated testing, that the chamber at the top of the radiator is missing a little bit of welding and it is leaking from the corner of the chamber where it meets the rest of the body. I heard of people fixing rads with JB weld, does anyone have any experience with this? I've used JB weld to repair things and even firearms and am confident in it's strength. Looking for feedback. Thanks!
Not quite the same but I used JB Weld to repair the radiator in my car and it held for about 80K miles. So I think it should work in your situation
 
#3 ·
I'm toying with either using JB weld or just trying to solder the corner of the chamber back to the fins/body. I submerged it in the sink and air tested it and low and behold, bubbles right on the joint of the chamber. The most frustrating part of the whole thing is that it wasnt my failure of construction, it was EK's. Risk/reward I understand....next time i buy radiators/blocks, im going to air test everything before it goes in.

And thanks! Yea i think it would hold even better, as the heat in a car for that long and exposure to the elements would put more stress on it than the heat from a PC
 
#6 ·
I agree with you guys, I am going to RMA it because it is infact due to faulty manufacturing, the weld/soldering that attaches the top chamber to the body is missing on one corner, but I am stubborn and like to see if i can fix crap....unfortunately. Surface prepped and JB weld rated at 2400 PSI has been applied. Waiting to cure and test it. Ill post before and after pics. The way ive been testing it is hooking pipes to the inlets, plugging one, putting it under water and blowing into it and looking for bubbles. The PSI i push into it should be way more than the rad actually experiences, not to mention what this compound is rated at. We'll see. Thanks guys!
 
#7 ·

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