Radiator Leaking From Bottom: (Causes & Possible Fix)

The Radiator is the main part of a Vehicle’s cooling system that regulate and monitor the engine temperature and protect it from overheating. But, unwanted leakage on the Radiator made it trouble for a comfortable drive. Sometimes it leads to a killed engine.

That’s why knowing the common issue about Radiators is important. So, Here in this article, I’ll explain to you some possible causes of Radiator leaking from the bottom and how you can fix the problems.

What Causes a Radiator to Leak From The Bottom?

Radiator comes with plastic tanks at the top and bottom, which are going to be filled with coolant. The plastic tanks need to seal properly with the aluminum part of the radiator.

If you haven’t maintenance fins of the radiator of vehicle, It cause of overheating condition as well coolant overheats. For this, It’s going to expand and generate more pressure inside the cooling system. As the tank are made with plastic, They can’t tolerate the situation and cause of the crack in the tube.

Also, If your radiator leak from the bottom, It might problem in sealing gasket that goes between the aluminum and tank aspects. The common reason is seal break down for overtime use.

The water pump is connected with the radiator’s lower hose to ensure that coolant is being circulated over the colling system. If the hose connection loses or corrode, It might be made external damage and cause a leak.

Is It Safe To Drive a Car With a Bottom Leaking Radiator?

Yes, You can drive a car, If it has a leaking issue in the radiator. But, It depends on how bad the leak is and how far you’re going. Also, That’ll create a serious issue in your engine in a very short time. So, It’ll be a wise decision to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Here are few tips if you want to drive with a leaking radiator:

  • Remove the radiator cap when you detect any leakage on the radiator. It prevents grow up the leak faster.
  • Don’t drive over 50 mph to prevent overheating.
  • Always carry plenty of water with you and frequently stop to add water.

You may now ask, how long can I drive? The answer is it depends. If your car hasn’t any coolant, you can drive around 10-15 minutes, where you can go several hours with low coolant but not continuously.

What Problems You Will Face By A Bottom Leaked radiator?

In the beginning, This problem doesn’t impact the vehicle’s other parts. But, If you drive with a radiator leak, your vehicle faces an overheats issue.

For this, the Engine faces potential trouble, even sometimes dead. It’ll also create problems on the head gasket, thermostat, and other cooling system parts.    

How Much Does It Cost To Repair A bottom leaking radiator?

The cost will be around $50 if your car radiator is copper made. But, If you have a newer model car with a plastic/aluminium composite radiator, you’ll need to replace the radiator body.

It’ll cost $300 to $900 depending on the car model and including labor costs.  You can fix minor leaks for around $90-100, but it doesn’t last long.

How to Fix A Radiator That Is Leaking From The Bottom?

Radiator leaking problem is hard to solve because of their aluminum/plastic made. It is quite impossible to sealing the leakage as those are thin and weakened by oxidation. So, The good idea is to invest at once to replace the radiator.

But, If you want to solve this problem for a short time period, then you can follow the following tip.

You can use a stop-leak product, the easiest and most popular method for fixing small pinholes in the radiator. For this, you can use Bar’s Leaks Liquid Aluminum Stop Leak, which quickly fill any holes in the radiator cooling system. (https://www.amazon.com/Bars-Leaks-Liquid-Aluminum-Stop/dp/B002696FA2)

  • First, Shake the bottle.
  • Pour the radiator with the sealant.
  • Wait sometimes to completely fill any holes in the cooling system.
  • Check the coolant level and top it off if need.

After that, start the car and look for new signs of leaks; if you haven’t found any sign of leakage, that means your problem is fixed. You can also use egg yolks to stop the leak temporarily. That don’t stay a long time but provide you some time to drive to the store safely.

If it doesn’t solve the problem, then the problem might be on the radiator’s plastic side. For this, you need to meet with a specialist mechanic.

Final Words

If you find that your engine overheats, that might be a problem in your vehicle’s cooling system. Most of the time, it causes for the radiator, which you need to take seriously and try to solve ASAP. Among them, the Bottom leakage issue is most common. So, I hope the above guide will help you to know the common cause and possible fixes on this issue.

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