Soldering the radiator. Repair of radiators

The most common cause of boiling and overheating of the car engine is an insufficient amount of antifreeze - a cooling liquid. The cause of this can serve as a hole formed in the radiator. If you find that the radiator is depressurized, it must be replaced. However, to temporarily fix the problem, you can use more affordable and cheaper methods, such as, for example, radiator soldering.

Thanks to such welding it is possible not only to drive safely to the house by car (if it happened on the way), but also for a while to drive with the bitter tosol further along the road.

So, let's look at how the soldering of car radiators is done.

Identification of the place of the pass

It often happens that a leak can not form a hollow (hole) in the device, but various microcracks that gradually expand with the heating of the metal and form an ever larger and larger hole. Under normal conditions, it is almost impossible to detect the place of the pass on such a radiator, so in this case it is necessary to remove the part and muffle all the outputs (except one). To the last one, connect the compressor (for example, which is used for pumping tires) and, as shown in the photo below, lower the element into the bathroom with water.

The compressor will pump air, and it will subsequently exit through the microcracks in the metal, forming small bubbles. Most often this happens in the place where the radiator bank is compressed with a block of tubes. Also, the flow of coolant can be observed due to mechanical damage to these parts. Visually, such places are very well visible, they can be revealed with the naked eye.

How is soldered copper radiators?

If this element is made of copper, it can be very quickly sealed. Soldering is the process of performing work with low-melting solders, which takes place at a temperature of 300 to 550 degrees Celsius. The main tool for this is a special copper soldering iron with a power of 250 watts. It should be noted that those analogs that are used in everyday life do not have the necessary capacity to eliminate holes in automobile radiators.

Often, a special copper soldering iron has a copper sting with a high heat capacity, which can be heated with a soldering lamp. Using household analogues, repairing the radiator is almost impossible, because the quality of the connections will not be too reliable.

As with a soldering iron for 250 watts you can repair the radiator at home

To begin with, you will need to select the materials. In addition to a powerful soldering iron you will need tin, soldering acid (grinded rosin, for example), sandpaper and a metal brush. With this simple set of tools and a soldering radiator at home.

All the work to restore the integrity of the element can be divided into several stages:

1. First, the damaged section of the radiator is cleaned with a metal brush and sandpaper.
2. Further repair of radiators is accompanied by applying a few milliliters of acid to the surface.
3. With the aid of a soldering iron, the crack is heated and poured with tin.

All, after a few seconds, the hole in the radiator will be successfully eliminated. Copper on the radiator is perfectly soldered, so you should not have any difficulties with welding.

It is worth noting that if the location of the coolant passage was detected in the tubes, then the most reasonable solution to this problem will be the clamping of the element to the point of leakage with its further sealing. Thus, the toxol flow is completely eliminated. At the same time, do not forget that this tube will be impassable, and this will be displayed on the heat sink of the radiator. Soldering the radiator in this place is only used for low-dimmer elements, as well as for parts that do not carry any mechanical loads.

Where can not you apply soldering?

This method of repair will not solve the problem with leakage if the location of the badge was detected in the fittings, as well as the massive power parts of the device. Such a soldering of the radiator will simply be impotent. In this case, the only solution is to purchase and install a new copper device. However, there is a way by which you can return the factory parameters (tightness) of the union by applying a layer of copper on its surface.

Braising - an alternative to buying new radiators

Professional SRTs provide motorists with a service like repairing a radiator with a braze. This method of soldering involves the use of special carbide solders of copper on specialized equipment. The repair process is carried out at a temperature of 500 to 1000 degrees Celsius. As for reliability, the quality of the connections here practically does not differ from the factory ones. Brazing is performed when copper brazing is applied to a damaged zone in a borax medium. The last element protects the metal from oxidation, which guarantees a high-quality and airtight connection of parts.

How is soldered aluminum radiators?

If a hole was found in the tube of the device, in this case it is possible to restore the integrity of the part only by soldering. Work with aluminum parts is best done with the help of specialized solders (for example, those used to repair refrigeration units).

Cold repair

If there is plastic in your radiator, then you can not do without cold welding when repairing it. The essence of this process is to restore the tightness of the device using a two-component adhesive on an epoxy basis. How to apply cold welding correctly? First of all, you need to treat the damaged area with alcohol or gasoline to degrease it. Then you can not wait until the radiator cools down (if the engine is heated), and immediately proceed to welding.

In the course of the work, it is important to observe the correct application of the glue. Unlike previous cases, the radiator after such repairs can not be immediately used. The instruction says that after applying cold welding it is necessary to wait until the material finally dries and solidifies. This repair technology is not very often used, but all because this type of welding gives only temporary results, i.e., after a few weeks the machine will again drive the antifreeze. Although on the road this method very well helps.

Argon Welding

Such soldering of car radiators allows to repair only the tanks on the radiator with a fairly thick layer of walls. And if you have a honeycomb pierced, then it will be almost impossible to weld it with argon. As a result, it will break through the arc, and the hole will only slightly expand under the influence of high temperatures. Welding of aluminum occurs at a temperature of the order of 1000 or more degrees Celsius in a protective gas atmosphere - argon (therefore its name is argon welding).

Why is this method not widely used by motorists? It's not even that argon welding repairs only the holes surrounded by thick aluminum walls, but that working with argon requires high experience and skill. This gives grounds to consider such repairs to professional.

So, we found out how the radiator is soldered by hand, and what welding methods are best used.