08-05-2019, 08:31 AM
Whilst repairing my Ruby radiator, I came up with this method to find and pinpoint small leaks. Block the inlet and outlet stubs with tapered winemaker's corks, plus a turn or two of plumber's PTFE tape to help seal. Seal the radiator cap with a rubber insert disc cut from an old inner tube (it ought to have a seal in normal use anyway). Attach a rubber tube to the overflow pipe and pressurise the rad to about 1 PSI with a bicycle pump. With the rad laid flat in a bath of cold water, any leaks show as a stream of bubbles. Or multiple streams in my case !
A simpler leak test would be just to block the stubs, prop the rad vertically and fill with water to nearly the top of the header tank. A heat gun is useful to quickly dry off any spills whilst filling. Then watch for damp patches.
John Cornforth
A simpler leak test would be just to block the stubs, prop the rad vertically and fill with water to nearly the top of the header tank. A heat gun is useful to quickly dry off any spills whilst filling. Then watch for damp patches.
John Cornforth