stvaughn Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 1932 REO. I’ve been driving this car in hot weather (90 +) for two years with no problems. However I had a some water seepage in a crack in the head and a head gasket leak so I decided to “fix” it with some super duper stop leak. K&W Fiberlock. Well, it sealed the leaks just fine but now I’m overheating. In the process of trying to find out what went wrong I noticed the lower radiator hose would collapse when I reved up the engine. I’ve never had that problem before so I’m guessing this stuff has clogged up the radiator. I’ve tried back flushing, filling and driving and draining and repeating several times. I put a stiff coil of wire in the lower hose and when I rev up the engine I can see the hose trying to pull in. I’ve thought about trying a mixture of water and alcohol to see if that might dissolve the stoppage. Any suggestions before I bite the bullet and pull the radiator? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Bite the bullet 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Sounds like the lower hose may need a spring in it or maybe replacement while you're at it.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Call the manufacture's customer support line. See what they recommend to clean out their product. Your lower hose may be a problem as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Bite the bullet Wisdom valued way beyond money..............years of experience dictate the fastest, easiest, and best way to fix it. Do it right the first time........and, by the way, I know it sucks........fix the crack correctly........have it stitched. The easy crack fix takes a driver with an issue into a piece of garage art. Usually not the owners fault, as most have no idea on how to correctly proceed. Now yo have a car with a cracked block, a plugged radiator, and probably other issues to deal with along the way. Take your time, do it right, and it will work out fine. Edited December 23, 2019 by edinmass (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted sweet Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 it plugged up the radiator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 edinmass said it for me. It is simple chemistry. Hot water comes up and the cold water is drawn through from the lower hose when the thermostat is open. Whenever an engine is hot, open the rad cover and see the hot water is coming from the head into the rad. It is another way to check the thermostat is operating. IF THE RAD IS PLUGED THE HOT WATER IS LOCKED IN THE RAD . THE PUMP HAS NOTHING TO SUCK THERE BY CAUSING THE LOWER RAD HOSE TO COLAPSE. Clean the rad out. I do not think the hose is defective. This condition will cause the engine to overheat further aggravating the cracked head. It is possible that the thermostat is not opening to allow free flow from head through radiator through sucking from lower rad hose and back completing the cycle.. You may want to try removing the thermostat temporarily. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 The way that stop leak stuff works is to coat the inner surfaces of the entire cooling system and then it gets pushed out the crack by pressure. If your cooling system is not pressurized, it may not find the crack and will just circulate around until it settles on every surface. In older radiators with small tubes, it can clog them completely. Then it sets up like concrete. It's the kiss of death on a car with a non-pressurized cooling system and a slow death on all others. The best thing to do is what Ed and others mentioned: pull the radiator and the head and have them properly serviced and repaired. New gaskets. There are no shortcuts. Ask me how I know... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Might be lucky enough that the stuff plugged up the thermostat. I would look there before taking the radiator out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPVT Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 I had a 1952 Chevy that I put a lot of "stop leak" in to, trying to seal a head gasket. Turned out that wasn't the problem but I did seal up the thermostat pretty well. It might at least be worth removing the thermostat to see if the problem persists. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 A 1932 Reo ? I would guess does not have a pressurise system. If the head is cracked the water would leak down into the combustion chamber and through the exhaust as white smoke. Driven enough the radiator will go empty, added to the plugged tubes will leave no water for the pump to suck therefor the crimped lower hose. Plug the lower hose and pour a gallon of vaporust and keep it there for a few days and see if that will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 Evapo Rust =good stuff. Wires in radiator hoses - suction side = good stuff. That said, time to start shopping for an extra head and get at least one repaired and installed. Olsen's is great for gaskets - https://www.olsonsgaskets.com/ . And honeycomb radiators tend to clog more so than you would think, but here is the real problem - when you mess around with heads, radiators, and ... to work around some problem you stand a strong chance of creating a block issue/more serious issue. I hear tales at least once a month from someone who tired to put up with some overheating issue to destroy their engine in the process - spare engines do not grow on trees and best to just address properly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted December 25, 2019 Share Posted December 25, 2019 Well said. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvaughn Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. I have been trying to locate a replacement head for two years with no luck. This head had been stick welded in the past which makes proper repair more difficult which is why I tried the Fiberlock product. Anyway, I called CRC tech support to see if they had any suggestions. Ok, bad news, good news. When I told him my situation and stated that I believe his product stopped up the radiator he said “ Yes, it does that sometimes.” He then explained that the radiator would have to be replaced because his product had “set up” in the core. He also explained that the product was not suitable for zero pressure cooling systems which is not noted on the container. He then sent me a claim form to fill out for reimbursement of the cost of a replacement radiator which was a total surprise to me. Apparently it’s a known issue with this product. Since this is a new core in the radiator I know what the cost will be. Hopefully all I’ll be out is my time. We’ll see if they reimburse me for the full cost of getting a replacement core. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 There is a radiator rebuilder in the North East US. They advertise in the Antique magazine. If you like I will look it up and send you the address. Harry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvaughn Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 Thanks trini, but I’ll use my local shop that has already re-cored it once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted December 26, 2019 Share Posted December 26, 2019 I have a guy who can fix the head......even though someone welded on it. That’s a very bad idea. Head should be cut and stitched, then surfaced and painted. Install a new core. Flush and clean the block. Rebuild the water pump while your there. Start ASAP, as spring is almost here and every one is busy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvaughn Posted December 26, 2019 Author Share Posted December 26, 2019 3 hours ago, edinmass said: I have a guy who can fix the head......even though someone welded on it. That’s a very bad idea. Head should be cut and stitched, then surfaced and painted. Install a new core. Flush and clean the block. Rebuild the water pump while your there. Start ASAP, as spring is almost here and every one is busy. Ed, please give me the name/number of someone to fix the head. Thanks, Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trini Posted December 27, 2019 Share Posted December 27, 2019 This is what this forum is all about. Cheers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buick35 Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 I developed a leak in the bottom of my radiator in my 35 Buick after using evaporust in it so I added a bottle of Bars stop leak. So far everything's o.k.I guess I got lucky.Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2019 Share Posted December 31, 2019 1 hour ago, Buick35 said: I developed a leak in the bottom of my radiator in my 35 Buick after using evaporust in it so I added a bottle of Bars stop leak. So far everything's o.k.I guess I got lucky.Greg Not luck Greg, you picked a tried and true product with many years of happy, satisfied customers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 My radiator guy swears by this product http://damonq.com/TechSheets/CoreSure.pdf (and has used it for 30 plus years that I know of and in every single radiator he does) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvaughn Posted January 5, 2020 Author Share Posted January 5, 2020 46 minutes ago, John_Mereness said: My radiator guy swears by this product http://damonq.com/TechSheets/CoreSure.pdf (and has used it for 30 plus years that I know of and in every single radiator he does) Thanks John. I’ll check that product out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) Unfortunately, if you do not have some sort of parts Gu-Ru in your club that specializes in 32 Flying Clouds then you may eventually end up having to get an entire engine or a parts car to be able to get a cylinder head. Try Ed's guy though Edited January 5, 2020 by John_Mereness (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 This is the work done by the person Ed is sure to recommend for metal stitching up in New England. It is extremely impressive. Whatever it costs to ship your head there and whatever he charges to repair it, pay it and never worry about it again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 He’s the best in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvaughn Posted January 9, 2020 Author Share Posted January 9, 2020 6 minutes ago, edinmass said: He’s the best in the world. Contact information please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Frank Casey 1-508-865-6613 Centeral Massachusetts 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stvaughn Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 On 1/8/2020 at 6:52 PM, edinmass said: Frank Casey 1-508-865-6613 Centeral Massachusetts Thanks Ed. I will contact him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broker-len Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 If I had a seepage problem I think I would take the head off and do it correctly don't think I world put ANYTHING in motor to gunk it up------------------but that is just me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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