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i started up the car to move it to the other side of the drive way, (had to be on for less than 30 secs) i popped the hood and open the radiator cap because its saying LO and there was this thick foam sitting on top i thought since the car has been sitting for a while its time for a flush i pulled the plug let it drain out water hose let it run threw plugged it back up and went to put some coolant in it when it started pouring from the bottom right hand corner like there is a crack. but what i don't get how could it crack when the motor was not running, the motor was room temp has this ever happened to anyone else. is there like another plug that came loose and i didn't notice or something? o yeah its an 84 its been sitting since July and for six years before that. i just shipped it to AZ from CA yesterday.
I just changed mine for an all aluminum dual core so I have a spare that is perfectly good. search the forum they are using an inexpensive two row that everyone seems to like.
Also if you had foam in the system after running, I would think that air is getting in somewhere.
Check hoses, connections, including heater hoses etc.
If it's a '94, the right side of the radiator is plastic, and can be prone to cracking. Check for cracks along this part, especially at the connections.
Cracks are not that unusual...the tanks are not even secured by anything other than the tiny clamps along the edge of the metal core. These lite-weight radiators are cheap and not worth repairing IMO...they're throw-aways. You can buy a stock rad for $85 or something thats all aluminum and extra capacity for $200. All the coolant and a couple new hoses cost more than the radiator these days...
Cracks are not that unusual...the tanks are not even secured by anything other than the tiny clamps along the edge of the metal core. These lite-weight radiators are cheap and not worth repairing IMO...they're throw-aways. You can buy a stock rad for $85 or something thats all aluminum and extra capacity for $200. All the coolant and a couple new hoses cost more than the radiator these days...
The only thing I'll add is, on the '84 we didn't have a low coolant gauge like the later years, if you buy a new radiator, you'll have to buy that sensor to fill the hole in the radiator......just stick it in there as you won't have a wire to hook onto it.
Last edited by jhammons01; Oct 29, 2012 at 04:04 PM.