Happy New Year All! Thanks again for all the great info you all provide. I have learned a lot. I always read the forum, but don't post much (I suppose I am like that neighbor who spies on you through the hole in the fence but only comes over to visit when he needs to borrow a tool). I have a 51 3/4 ton with a radiator that is in good working order despite a few dents. The problem is that there is a hole in the overflow pipe now, which results in coolant leaking out. Can this pipe be replaced or fixed? I hate to buy a new radiator - Thanks for any help! Ed
Yes but ; You'll probably find when they drop the thing in the hot tank for cleaning that it begins to leak from myriad tiny holes as that looks pretty rusty . Me , I'd fix it and install a new three row core so I could forget about it forevermore .
You can heat it with a propane torch till the solder melts and pull it out. We have a torch with a "fan" flame tip but you can just go back and forth with the torch and a steady pull on the tube till it turns loose. If it comes off in pieces your not out anything. Go back with a copper tube that won't rust but is more easily dented or pinched. By the looks of the top of your radiator this may be a concern. This won't help any heating problem but will keep over flow off the engine and away from the fan.
Great, thanks a bunch guys. I'll try the propane torch trick to pull out the old tube and try to replace. I think that you may be right Nate, if the overflow tube is in that kind of shape I imagine the radiator itself may be developing pin hole leaks. I'll give it all a try before pulling out the checkbook for a 3 core new radiator!
Remember ; once you've replace the overflow tube , you can use Cirtic Acid powder to easily clean the entire cooling system hospital clean .
Great, thanks Nate! I hadn't even heard of the trick with citric acid until your post, so I looked it up and everyone swears by it. Does it work for gas tanks too? I have a pretty clean tank, but it does have a bit of scale and a little bit of surface rust that I would like to clean up prior to installing it - Thanks for the help, I know a lot about a few things (all pretty useless and boring but it brings in a paycheck) but this here truck has me scratching my head.
Ed ; For most of my career I heard daily : ' Nate , stop messing with those old cars and trucks ! you'll never make any money and no one else cares ! ' . Point being , everyone brings something to the table . _I_ certainly don't think Mechanicing is boring but many do .
Hah, there are plenty of days I'd like to swap jobs with a mechanic. I imagine there is plenty of satisfaction working with your hands and seeing the product of your efforts. Me, I just crunch numbers and send them down the rabbit hole for a living! I like working on my truck because it don't involve a computer (except posting on this forum and ordering parts) and it is something real and tangible... and it don't talk back or yell at me!!
Any time you fix , correct or finish something , there's a great feeling of satisfaction . Doesn't matter what you do , do it well and don't complain nor belittle the folks under you who clean toilets , flip burgers or whatever . " A job well done is a thing to behold " .
