How to pressure test a 4 pass ally radiator for leaks?

[anthony1956]

Links welcome ;-)

Anthony

[aerobod - near CYYC]

Use short pieces of hose and suitable plugs for the hoses such as plastic plumbing blanking plugs, with hose clips to keep them in place. Through one plug insert a rubber Schraeder tyre valve stem. Fill the radiator as full as possible with water, then increase the pressure up to 1 bar with a tyre pump on the Schraeder valve. Confirm the pressure stays for at least an hour without any leaks.

[EEK]

Find a local swimming pool maintenance man - they have loads of bungs/plugs and gauges for pressure testing pipe work in pool systems. It is sort of the same.

[rj]

I'd probably take two small pieces of hose and make some blinds - one with a thread and a valve in and just pressurise it with air to throw the whole lot under water.
 

Bubbles = trouble

No links I'm afraid.

 

[anthony1956]

Thanks all. Perfect.

 

must find a pool guy.

[Roger King]

"Use short pieces of hose and suitable plugs for the hoses such as plastic plumbing blanking plugs, with hose clips to keep them in place. Through one plug insert a rubber Schraeder tyre valve stem. Fill the radiator as full as possible with water, then increase the pressure up to 1 bar with a tyre pump on the Schraeder valve. Confirm the pressure stays for at least an hour without any leaks."

Agreed, except that is easier and quicker to pump air only into the radiator and then immerse it in water, obviously looking for air bubbles.

[TomB]

Stick it on the car and test it?  Pink coolant is easy to spot when it leaks/ drips from pin holes.  

[aerobod - near CYYC]

The problem with pumping only air (or any gas) into a vessel as opposed to mainly water (or other incompressible liquid) and air is that you have a lot more energy from the compressed air to release, making the exercise a lot more dangerous if something fails and releases the air rapidly.

[Roger King]

Quite true, but it's not necessary to use more than a few psi to find an air leak. And it gives a visual indication rather than having to wait for the pressure to change - plus it can be done with a bicycle pump if you don't have a compressor. This is how we used to test all radiators, intercoolers, oil coolers, etc.