Radiator Woes

In the past I have attempted to solder a leaking heater core on my Oldsmobile and found that I just couldn't adequately get a good joint and wound up making it worse by melting some of the solder from the surrounding joints. It was no big deal since the heater core was a mere $30 dollars. However that isn't going to be the case with the F-20 even were I able to find replacement core. I would gladly pay the pro's to fix it properly but a cursory search seems to idicate that most local shops are proficient at flushing radiators and simply installing new ones, not actually repairing such a situation as I have at hand. My question is; Are problems such as this addressed by a good old fashioned radiator shop and I should just keep on looking or am I kidding myself and looking for something that was never really done in the first place. I am assuming that it isn't too hard a job for someone who is proficient at it, maybe that's not the case.

The next question is do leave the core out to be worked on or would one expect the have to put it all back together for a shop to figure out which tubes need attention?

However, first thing he does is clean the crap out of it inside and out. If any signs of rotting he tells ya to get new one instead. It wont hold up or be worth it if the metal is rotting. Best have it checked by a real pro and ask if it is better to just replace it.

Remember to keep your radiator/water mix right. Too far off and its less effective at cooling, or causes the water pump bearing to fail (lube in rad fluid) and use the RIGHT radiator cap too. Too high presure and it will blow rad or lines too low and it will boil over at too low a temp, which isnt as bad as too high a cap! hehe.

Personally I would reccomend that you get a new core rather than paying to fix the one you have, because you never know how long the repair will last. Or how long till it decides to leak again.

Hope this helps..... ....JJ