My radiator recently developed a leaky end tank so I called around and found a local shop that claimed to be able to fix Behr radiators. Well I removed it and dropped it off.

After a couple days of no news, I called them and they said first that they could not get parts. When I challenged them and said I could get a part and asked if I could bring in the replacement, they then said that the metal tabs that hold it on were "cracked" and would not work anymore.

So, I retrieved my radiator. None of the tabs are missing, but some of them look severely bent out of shape, as if they did not hold it correctly.

I have taken pictures because I want to know if this indeed cannot now hold a replacement tank. Hell, if I have to I'll get some little pliers and a little hammer and bend each one back into place by hand if it will work. Any and all opinions are welcome!

Oh, and the end tank itself is not damaged, do I still need to replace it or do I just need a new seal?

 

The secret with our radiators is that the end tank must be compressed on the radiator before the tabs are bent back. This requires a special jig.
From my experience you can only get away with an end cap replacement once before the tabs start to crack and break. The odd one or two in different areas that break may not be a problem. Too many in one place not so good.
I have read on Rennlist where people have done this so do a search.
Until I recently had end caps replaced I thought that our radiators could be rodded and cleaned out internally. Not so as they are the "Turbulent" type and cannot be rodded.
Also it is amazing how quickly they clog up. Hold the rad up to the light and look through from top to bottom. Where you can see the light at the "end of the tunnel" the rad is blocked. Anything more than 20% and I would start again. Purists would probably say any blockage and start again.
If you can buy a seal its worth a try as you have nothing to loose, make sure you check for blockage first though.

 

Roger,

I've changed the end tank on a BMW 750 radiator and they look very similar to the 928. All I had to use was two large carpenter's clamps. They are cheap ($15each) and any tools store should have them. The clamps have to be long enough to reach from one tank to the other.

 

Imo000,
I just paid $160 to have both replaced + the cost of the caps.
I had read that someone had done it and its nice to know I could as well.
The next one I will try myself.
Thanks,
Roger

 

Well, since at the moment it looks like I'm in for a new radiator anyway, attempting a fix on this isn't going to get me any farther in the hole, so I can give it a shot. The guy at the shop said something about it not being able to handle the pressure and exploding or something? I don't know, but I wonder what would be the best tools to actually bend the tabs back, pliers? Something else?

 

everyone should own one....

http://www.johnsonmfg.com/temp/behrtool.htm

 

I was under the impression that the correct tools for the job would bend multiple tabs at the same time, and it looks like those tabs were bent back individually with pliers. I could be wrong though IIRC Bill Ball has seen it done properly, firsthand.

 

Speaking of radiators, My original one didn't leak, but over half of the aluminuim fins were corroded or missing, and the core was bent. Can these radiators be 'recored' or shall I just dump it?

 

Roger,

Ironic post

Dan

 

Dan, Right!

The reason I was told it could blow up split or whatever was that it was blocked.
Do the check I suggested to see how bad it is.

Borland - thanks for the tool info.

Roger

 

Roger,

I see that Johnson Mfg also sells other radiator repair tools.

 

When I was looking into radiator stuff I got a PM talking about a shop here in SoCal that I believe 928Intl sent someone to with new end tanks for them to install, and IIRC they were able to replace tabs.

Something I wondered about was using a metal "collar" square channel cut in half that would go over the seam between tank and core like some sort of a compression fit. If I understand it a fair amount of force is on those tanks, 15 psi x about 40in2 = 600 lbs, but thats not a lot per tab, aluminum just isn't my first choice for a thing to bend down and clamp. The clamping though is just to hold, not "clamp" since the tank uses a rubber seal that must need to stay somewhat resilient?

Lots of people make a decent aluminum radiator these days, the factory Behr gets down to about $900 if you shop around, cheapest I found was some company called Kaiser Radiator with a replacement around $500. Others that might work could be less, but pose fit or connection issues beyond any questions of quality. I was just glad digging into my car showed a recent factory replacement.

 

I have heard of people who compress the end tank with those straps you can use for roof racks or trailers; they have a sort of ratchet connector that you can use to get the strap nice and tight.

If you can not get the correct seal, run a bead of silicon around and let it partially dry before putting the end tank back on.

Marton

 

TOTAL DITTO! Great post.

Right after I bought my 928, the radiator started leaking. I had a tank installed on the original- the shop that I took it to in Orlando was run by an acquaintance who raced Volkswagens, which also use the cheesy Behr radiator. He told me EXACTLY what you said- the plastic needs to be compressed on the radiator, and the tabs are good for one replacement ONLY. He swore at Behr radiators, but told me that it was just easier to replace them. A VW radiator is about $125 online, so why not. Porsche 928 radiators are NOT $125 online, so....why!

He told me to replace my coolant EVERY year, and use name brand coolants in a strong concentration. He also said that every radiator should be considered a "time" part; if you want reliability with these parts, change them out at 5 year intervals. And he said to avoid aftermarket radiators at all costs!

-Did I heed his advice? No-

I used an aftermarket radiator for three years and this eight f*cking hundred dollar part failed! What's more...one of the big 3 [Devek] sold this $800 part to me, telling me that it had all this more cooling capacity, total aluminum construction...etc. No, they didn't give me ANY sort of recompense.

I should post the picture I have on my hard drive of Devek's $800 radiator sitting next to the garbage bags while my 928 sits in the driveway behind it.

N!

 

ROG100 wrote: "... Until I recently had end caps replaced I thought that our radiators could be rodded and cleaned out internally. Not so as they are the "Turbulent" type and cannot be rodded. Also it is amazing how quickly they clog up. Hold the rad up to the light and look through from top to bottom. Where you can see the light at the "end of the tunnel" the rad is blocked. Anything more than 20% and I would start again. Purists would probably say any blockage and start again."

Cannot be rodded? Turbulent type? <MORE> please. Those pictures look like other radiators I've seen.

Compressing the tanks and seals? Carpenter's clamps and 2 x 2's.

Distilled water, 50/50 with antifreeze. Once you have a an empty jug you can premix it quite accurately. Distilled is key.

Good radiator shops can build radiators from scratch.