Crack on right side of radiator | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Crack on right side of radiator

9COOP5

Well-Known Member
Joined
September 7, 2015
Messages
145
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City, State
Ohio
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Exp XLS
2014 Exp XLT
I noticed my radiator fluid in my 2002 Ford Explorer XLS 4.0 was getting low. During an oil change today, Goodyear told me the right side of the radiator, on the plastic part, was cracked. It still has fluid, but it seems as though I can not put too much in, or the excess will run out.

My question is do you think I could use some stop leak, or something first, to see if it will hold the crack?
 



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I wouldn't use stop leak unless a vehicle is on its last leg. It clogs up everything.
 






I noticed my radiator fluid in my 2002 Ford Explorer XLS 4.0 was getting low. During an oil change today, Goodyear told me the right side of the radiator, on the plastic part, was cracked. It still has fluid, but it seems as though I can not put too much in, or the excess will run out.

My question is do you think I could use some stop leak, or something first, to see if it will hold the crack?

I'd locate the leak from the outside and JB weld it rather than use additives that could mess with cooling lines in the engine,,, may or may not work on a pressurized system,,, probably worth a try though. If the worst comes to the worst,,, radiators are relatively cheap and easy to change,
 












Yes good deal on the radiator, especially since it needs replaced. I currently have 199,550 on the truck. I definitely want to see the odometer turn over 200K.
 






I have gone through 3 radiators on my Explorer in 167,000 miles. Letting them sit for a long time is harder on cars than driving them daily. Lately, I have been looking at all aluminum radiators to eliminate one more failure point on the Explorer, but I take it places where I am many miles from rescue.

If you purchase a radiator somewhere in the middle price range, you should be fine. I pick radiators that upgrade the cooling since the first gen's have overheating issues. Thicker/multiple cores with the best warranty I can get. The first radiator I every purchased for the Explorer was from AutoZone. When I took it out of the box, I noticed it was half as thick as the OEM. Took it right back to the store. eBay has some nice all aluminum radiators for fair prices.
 






Bkennedy the cost of the radiator is good but I need to find someone in Northeast Ohio to install for a fair price?
 






Sorry, if you were out here we could do it at the house in a few hours.
 






B9D00F10-D2FE-4BEF-93F7-DFB9812AAB8E.jpeg
I noticed this line seemed to have a leak
 






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