Myth-Buster: Can ground pepper stop a small leak in a radiator?
 

Someone told me that pouring a tablespoon a ground black pepper into the radiator can plug small leaks.

Is this guy pulling my leg? Have any of you heard this before? Does this really work?

:eek:

I've done it many times over the years, and it works, for a while :D

I would use like 2 or 3 spoonfulls. I guess It all depends on the crack.

So can egg white and grits...........but now were into Bubba's field of expertise.

I have heard of an egg, But not willing to try that. I think it would stay stuck in the radiator :ack:

Ordinary yellow mustard also works.

I've got some chewing gum and duct tape!

Why not repair it the right way? I wouldn't put any of that crap in my radiator, just end up doing more work then to do it right in the first place.

This would work if you were trying to (say hypothetically) get out of Iraq and had a 1952 Buick as a last resort. I wouldn't do it to my car. This is usually done at the same time sawdust is added to the transmission just before the car goes on Ebay. :)

:iagree:

Why do people spend so much time, effort, and $$$ to keep these beautiful car going and looking sweet, then do crazy sh** like this to them.

If I can't afford to repair my vette the right way, I wait until I can. Sure there's thing that I need to repair on my 73, but no BS/bubba fix is going on my sweet girl, at least not by me. No use doing the same repair several times.

My Dad's 66 Ford Econoline developed a nasty radiator leak while we were on a road trip. We would stop and get a container of silver solder sealer and a few jugs of water every 60 miles or so. You pour the silver dust in then add the water and you could drive away. It got us home.

I have tried pepper before and it works too. Never in any car you would care about. :) It gets in the holes and plugs them up for a while.

-Mark.

Don't underestimate eggs...had to do that once in Mexico....took six eggs...but I got back across the border... :ack:

You do this because you don't have money for a new radiator- in which case your not talking about fixing the Vettes radiator but your daily driver. Or you just need to get home rather than spend $50 for a flatbed. Thats the real reason for the pepper.
Remember if this is fixing a leak the radiator is also pretty much shot. The pepper not only fills the leak but the clogged passages too.
Your not ruining a ruined radiator. Remember? It leaks.
You also don't put the cap back on so the radiator isn't pressurized, now it has a lower boiling point. But it works and you can drive home.
If you didn't do this the car is sitting at a store or at work or at the side of the road.

There are a few of these emergency fixes. bubba gum and a paper clip for a rotor and stuff like that.
This is like you've got the stuff or have it handy like a house you broke down in front of.
Fix a flat?

Bubba fixes fall into 2 catagories. The stuff that was fixed with mechanical ineptitude. They couldn't have done it correctly in the first place. This was the 1st place. :ack:
The stuff that is fine mechanicaly but really isn't up to par. This one is the "quick fix" The fix that gets you on the road again while you spend your time (Or $$) on the real repairs. The ones in the job jar. :D But somehow it doesn't get put in the job jar too. :(

:iagree: well said :D

The old pepper trick goes back to the Model T Ford days. :) Chuck

That MythBusters TV show did the egg trick with the radiator:

If there is a leak in the radiator, can an egg be used to plug the hole? Jamie punctures the radiator and Adam drops a raw egg into the radiator. The engine is started and the leak stops.

Myth Plausible.

I wouldn't do it with my vette unless absolutely necessary!

:iagree: The right way is the only way in my book... cost be damned

:iagree: I once tried it in my Model A but the darn car just kept sneezing :ack:

come on guys, nobody has mentioned oat meal flakes yet!!! :lol:

Anything you can pour into a car that says it will fix something, is only temporary and more often than not will worsen the damage. the only thing that goes beyond this rule is stuff like fuel injection cleaners. Radiator seals, motor seals, trans seals, all might work for awhile but they only put off the inevitable and sometimes might make the problem worse. Usually anything you put in the radiator, gets the thermostat stuck in the open position after awhile, so there goes a degree of driveability and heat in the winter time.

I agree with the above, OATMEAL. I've actually stopped leaks in cast iron steam boilers long enough to get a replacement on board. I don't think I would try this on my vette though. Drop a couple Bar's Leak pellets in there. Our cars left the factory with a couple in there.

How bout brown sugar :cheers: