Help...

[JamesG]

Hi Guys,

I never thought I'd see the day, when I would be standing by the side of the road looking at the enginge bay.

Anyway, looks like the radiator sprang a leak and before I realised it, the engine had over heated, luckily I wasn't on the motorway or something.

Luckily found a free parking zone in Beckenham, Pulled over and had a look, radiator was dry, topped it up and it just pee'd out :( Seems to be coming out the near side at the bottom of the radiator.

Well, 1 of my colleagues said I should use RADWELD, and I wanted to know if anyone had tried it before.

Thanks,

James

[Andy-R]

Never used Radweld myself, but i'd check it's not a split pipe or connection or something 1st, not sure if there are any pipes on the bottom of the IS Rad but if there are i'd defo check before putting Radweld in because if it's a pipe then it'll be usless and a waste of money. Hope this helps and you get it sorted soon matey :)

[MacRS200]

From the sounds of the size of the leak Radweld would be no good anyway.

Have you checked that the bottom radiator hose is still on?

[TigerFish]

I agree with MacRS, if it is leaking that fast then radweld won't help. If all the hoses are good, then a replacement rad is the simplest option.

[kam05]

AVOID RADWELD AT ALL COSTS (sorry about the shouting). Radweld is likely to seize the waterpump causing further problems.

Sounds as if the radiator has corroded from the bottom (common problem I think in the IS200). Replace the radiator (or if possible get your radiator recored).

New radiator from Lexus is about £250, you could buy a copy part from Northern Radiators, UADWeb or eBay cheaper. Same thing happened to me a year ago.

[Y2Kanjar]

^^ Agree with kam... even my garage man told me!!!

best get it booked in

[TigerFish]

Radweld is likely to seize the waterpump causing further problems.

Why is it likely to do that? In all the years and cars I have had, I have never yet had radweld seize a water pump. In fact, the only problem I have ever encountered with it, is it sealing up the rad cap (the rubber seal) and stopping the expansion tank doing its thing. i.e. it couldn't suck the water back into the rad as it cooled. The only car I couldn't use it on was my old M reg Rover 827 as radweld cannot be used on the Rover/Honda 2.7 V6 unit for some reason.

Having said that, the leak sounds to bad in this case to be able to use radweld.

[JamesG]

thanks guys, not gonna put radweld in, got a new pump in recently. Getting it towed to garage now. Thanks again for ur help. J.

[Andy-R]

Have you checked the pipes yet if it is just a pipe off you could save a few quid on sending it into a garage ;)

[JamesG]

i did check the pipes, but it seems to be on the bottom nearside, can't see any pipes there. Thanks J.

[JamesG]

i did check the pipes, but it seems to be on the bottom nearside, can't see any pipes there. Thanks J.

[Andy-R]

Sounds like a new Rad's in order then matey, hope you get it sorted soon :D

[MacRS200]

i did check the pipes, but it seems to be on the bottom nearside, can't see any pipes there. Thanks J.

Not something silly like the drain plug fallen out, it's on the nearside!

[WylieCoyote]

Comes to something where people have to find places with free parking to break down. Shame on you Mr Livingstone!

[DJ Wozza]

Did you get it fixed James & @ what cost ?

Sorry I was miles away on the motorway when it happened.

[JamesG]

Hey guys,

I got a new radiator, it had split down the seam on the nearside.

The guys at Albin Motors sorted me out. New rad was £250 plus labour.

Was I glad that nothing else was wrong or got damaged by overheating. Whew :D

Thanks, for all your responses and advise.

Cheers,

James.

[DJ Wozza]

was that a genuine Lexus one & did that include VAT ?

Glad you are back on the road BTW

[JamesG]

It was a Genuine part, an i don't think its incl. He did give me a 5% discount because i said I got 12% as a Gold Member. I let him keep the rest cuz he got it quickly and did a good job :D

[84Stoney]

Oh damn it!

Now mine is having a pee. HELP!

Seems to be leaking out of somewhere near where you say above. Though not had a good look at it in the light yet. Is this a common fault then? (2001 car, so gettin on a bit now)

I think i may well need a new rad then. I will obviously check pipes etc. first.

Seen one on eBay £120-130ish. Is that cheap? I am damn skint and not payed for last months tyres yet, how easy would it be to change the radiator? Can i just drain it (half way there on its own!) remove all pipes, unscrew and replace?

[TigerFish]

If it was anything like my mk1 GS300 one when I replaced it a couple of months back then it is pretty simple. This is what I did:

1. Remove rad cap
   
2. Drain radiator - there is a little tap on the bottom right hand end (looking from the front of the car) that you can put a pipe onto and drain into containers if need be.
   
3. Remove any induction items (cold air intake etc) if they go over the top of the rad.
   
4. remove the viscous coupled fan - might not be absolutely neccessary but made life a lot easier.
   
5. disconnect top hose
   
6. disconnect bottom hose
   
7. disconnect coolant level sensor
   
8. clamped transmission cooler pipes and disconnected (to minimise transmission fluid loss)
   
9. disconnect electric fan connector (if present)
   
10. undo the two top mount clamps and remove
    
11. lift out radiator (freeing it from the bottom mount rubbers) and remove from car.
    

Took about half an hout to get out I guess, about the same to put back in.

[84Stoney]

Thanks mate. Good description. I though it would be relativly simple. I'm no mechanic, but i do own a tool kit and know how to use it!

Got a pic of the puddle!

Does anyone know if i need a 16mm or 27mm core radiator?

[kam05]

Does anyone know if i need a 16mm or 27mm core radiator?

Either one will be fine IMHO, when my radiator sprang a leak last year I replaced my original radiator with a 16mm radiator. I'd get the cheapest radiator, core thickness shouldn't make a difference. I've done 17k on my replacement 16mm core radiator without any problems.

I'd also re-fill the new radiator with some new coolant, don't re-use the old coolant.

[84Stoney]

Aanybody know how much the radiator/cooling system holds anyway? (In litres)

So does it come standard with a 27mm core but many aftermarket versions are 16mm? But that doesn't seem to matter thou?

[kam05]

Aanybody know how much the radiator/cooling system holds anyway? (In litres)

So does it come standard with a 27mm core but many aftermarket versions are 16mm? But that doesn't seem to matter thou?

Not sure how many litres of coolant the radiator takes, but if you buy a 5 litre coolant can from Lexus you will have some left over.

It appears the standard/factory fit rads are 27mm core, but 16mm core rad will be just as good, in my experience. If in doubt, I'd buy the replacement from Lexus that way you will know you have the correct sized part. You're looking at £250 for a rad from Lexus (that's what I was quoted last year, price may have gone up?) If you're happy with a copy part then you can get one from ebay/Northern Radiators for under £150.

[LiCkWiD]

Radweld is likely to seize the waterpump causing further problems.

Why is it likely to do that? In all the years and cars I have had, I have never yet had radweld seize a water pump. In fact, the only problem I have ever encountered with it, is it sealing up the rad cap (the rubber seal) and stopping the expansion tank doing its thing. i.e. it couldn't suck the water back into the rad as it cooled. The only car I couldn't use it on was my old M reg Rover 827 as radweld cannot be used on the Rover/Honda 2.7 V6 unit for some reason.

Having said that, the leak sounds to bad in this case to be able to use radweld.

I second this. Never had any problems using Radweld. It's always a stop-gap solution, like Gun Gum on an exhaust. It never solves the problem - just makes the vehicle drivable or road-worthy (to get to the garage, your destination or home).

I've never heard of it damaging the water pump. Unsure why it would do. It's poured into the rad and solidifies as it goes to leave the hole. Halfords shift a massive amount of it (as people are always up for the cheaper option), and I know for a fact they'd take it off their shelves if even on person managed to prove pump-damage as a result of using it.

New rad is the best bet, surely?