Does Radweld fix leaks permanently?

martindow

I had a leak from the car radiator yesterday. After refilling with water a few times I put a pot of Radweld in and it seems magically cured. Any advice on what to do now? Will this last or is Radweld only temporary? Should I leave it as it is for a while before refilling with antifreeze again? The car is old so doesn't justify spending lots of money.

balsingh

I'm not keen on radweld. Years ago I used it on a honda Civic and it clogged up the whole water system ... all the hoses/pipes. The water system had to be flushed out using a pressure washer and I had to replace the radiator anyway..

chrisw

I think it depends on why it was leaking. I had a leaking water pipe in a Hyundai, put Radweld in and it was still going strong 4 years later. I guess if its corrosion, this will continue until the hole gets to big to plug.

I was a bit worried about it clogging up the cooling system as the water turned quite thick and gluey, but never had a problem.

martindow

Thanks - hope mine doesn't clog totally. Do you think I should drain it fairly soon and refill with water /antifreeze?

chrisw

It probably depends on your car. If it's very old and only used for shortish journeys, you could just leave it and see what happens. On the other hand, you might find it gives way miles from home on a dark wet night, in which case I would probaby look at getting the radiator repaired/replaced before too long.