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The saga continues. After running the last 2 weeks and not going over half way on the gauge it is now going up to 3/4. When I first had trouble I notice the antifreeze was at the bottom of the plastic tank when cold so I filled it to the line on the tank. I noticed a small amount of antifreeze on the ground after driving around for awhile, just figured I had overfilled. After checking closer I found the puddle was on the drivers side and the overflow side. After some inspection this is what I found. Maybe something like K Seal would work ?
I’ve never removed a radiator so my question is this a replaceable part ? Maybe low antifreeze has been my problem from the start.
Last edited by Hounddogjake; Mar 3, 2019 at 01:37 PM.
Reason: Added to the description
Are you sure the radiator is leaking? Or is it leaking out the end of the hose?
The biggest problem with replacing the radiator is getting the fan shroud out before removing the radiator. The shroud tends to get caught on a bunch of stuff such as wiring harnesses and other items as you try to pull it out. Other than that the AC condenser just slides upward off the hooks on the radiator.
Temps change depending on whether the car is sitting still or running down the road. Sitting still or running less than 35 mph the fans will operate to cool the car and they are programmed to permit some fairly high coolant temps and on very hot days when running high rpms in a low speed autocross I have seen coolant temps go over 250 before coming down. When over 35 mph the fans are turned off to keep them from impeding air flow through the radiator and coolant temps tend to run a little lower. With the C5 you also need to make sure your center air dam is in place and not damaged. The air dam is spring loaded to permit it to deflect backward when it hits an obstruction so if it is stuck in the back position you won't get sufficient air flow through the radiator when the car is running over 35 mph.
By the way when you report what the gauges are reading you get a better reading if you display the coolant temp on the DIC and read the actual temp Vs winging 3/4 of the analog gauge which is on the verge of meaningless. The digital read outs are more accurate and have a much greater resolution.
No it’s leaking right at that spot in the pic, looks like a small crack in the plastic I thought maybe some stop leak would seal the crack. I wipe the leak off and you can see it seep back thru. Never used the DIC, have to look it up in the owners manual.
Pre owned radiators on E-Bay run from $100 to $150. Lots of new aluminum ones from $200 to $300 dollors. Then theres the Hi-dollor stuff after that. You have a large choice. Its a pretty simple job to swap out radiators on these cars. Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet and...." Get 'er done"
I would replace the radiator. I know I'm spending your money and time but I would need the peace of mind of knowing it was fixed.
The knowledge of having a cracked repaired radiator would drive me crazy and I wouldn't go far from home in the car.
Good luck!
I’m leaning your way. After 105,000 miles the car really doesn’t owe me anything. The only replacement has been the water pump, thermostat and the holding tank. Not too bad. My wife drives it everyday and now that it’s relocated to Florida I just want it dependable and safe for her to drive. Performance wise except for Corsa exhaust it is still stock.
I went to autozone first and they were asking me questions about the transcooler, that made it sound like they were getting ready to order the wrong part, so I just went to the dealer and gave them my VIN so I didn't have to deal with any possible wrong parts/incompetence etc....
