Adhesive for nylon in radiator bottom

[paulsharvey]

What adhesive, epoxy, plastic weld, ect, would be a good product on the nylon portion of a radiator? It's not a puncture, it got hit, and cracked where a bottom "peg" attaches to the tank.

It's actually odd, funny, ironic? But I was backing up, and the way a rear tire lifted a limb, smacking the bottom right of the rear of the radiator. New radiator is $600, so that's not gonna happen. I actually assumed it was the smaller, lower radiator hose, as I've seen multiple reports of that being a weak point, but in my case, that's not the issue.

 

[paulsharvey]

Pictures of the damaged area

 

[RjCorazza]

I have had good luck with the various formulations of JB Weld. I'm sure they have an epoxy product for your application.

 

[paulsharvey]

I have had good luck with the various formulations of JB Weld. I'm sure they have an epoxy product for your application.

I have tried JB weld on a metal one years ago, with not good results, but that could have been prep/cleaning.

I've seen reports for super glue, cylo-something, but typically super glue doesn't hold up to high temps, also not sure if the liquid part is good, to get down in the crack, or build up; or maybe high temp super glue in the crack, with JB on top, maybe?

 

[RjCorazza]

I have had practically zero good results with super glue type adhesives on plastics. I was able to super glue coroplast plastic sign material years ago, but it required a very specific "flaming" technique (for lack of a better term). That's not necessarily related to your nylon material though.

 

[paulsharvey]

Looks like JB Weld, Plastic Bonder, is likely worth a try. It says it does bond to nylon, and is rated to 250 degrees F.

 

[paulsharvey]

By all means, if that is a bad idea, an unsuitable product, or there is something else that is readily available, that works better, I'm open for suggestions.

 

[Sportsman762]

I am not sure if this is a wise repair.

It's not a puncture, it got hit, and cracked where a bottom "peg" attaches to the tank.

The plastic peg is a high stress area, hence why it broke from the impact. A complete failure in this area will drain the radiator very quickly. If not noticed it could lead to the engine rapidly overheating. An engine is darned expensive. I would replace the radiator as a failure could be catastrophic. I am risk adverse so I would not do this if it was my tractor.
I am pretty sure this is the same engine as in your tractor. $6968 is a darned lot of money for me when I could have avoided it for 1/10th the cost.

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[rScotty]

I have had practically zero good results with super glue type adhesives on plastics. I was able to super glue coroplast plastic sign material years ago, but it required a very specific "flaming" technique (for lack of a better term). That's not necessarily related to your nylon material though.

That's what I think as well - though I am not convinced that tank is nylon. It may be some sort of polypropylene - since that is a type of plastic popular for hot water systems. At a minimum you would want to find out exactly what type of plastic it is, and then probably look at making some reinforcement for that joint using commercial adhesives - not hardware store plastic cements.

Even if it is polypro, hot water in a house isn't nearly as hot as a a radiator has to deal with. And to make it worse, that break isn't a slip joint with lots of surface area at the break, it's a butt joint right in the wrong direction to hold pressure. To stand a chance of working for a while, It needs lots of surface area.

The trouble I have with this repair is that most of the ideas in this thread would work for a little while - good enough to finish a job or maybe a season. But when it fails you don't just lose the coolant, you could lose a diesel engine.

Bottom line is I don't see a decent radiator repair. You might want to look at aftermarket generic replacement radiators. Maybe Google replacement compact tractor radiators.

rScotty

 

[paulsharvey]

Hmm, after watching more on YouTube, I'm wondering if I should plastic weld it? Everything seems to suggest tank is Nylon, and in automotive applications, the "right" fix is to weld the crack; preheat with heat gun, about 250 degrees F, use welder to "gouge" the crack, add nylon rod, and "stir" the rod into the parent material. I have also seen some suggesting heat pressing SS screen into the repair