Re: New radiator for '86 Coupe GT

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

> If the problem is because of reduced cooling, you may be able to fix that.
> Both my father and I have pulled our radiators and taken it to a local
> shop to be "rodded" out.  Basically, the fellow pulls off the endcaps
> and jams a rod through each channel in the radiator.  He then solders the
> endcaps back onto the finned section, and the radiator is done.

The local radiator shop I use claims this CAN'T be done to Audi/BMW/VW, etc.
because the radiators on these cars use plastic tanks and he can't get them
to seal perfectly (if at all) when reinstalling them.  Anyone else have any
experience with doing this?

For years, it has been my habit to replace the water pump with every timing
belt, the radiator hoses every two years and the radiator itself every five
years as a precaution against the summer heat of the desert.  Due to recent
budgetary concerns, though, I've postponed the radiator replacement for the
last two years and [whispering, fingers crossed] am starting to get nervous
about the wisdom of this ... if "rodding them out" will help me get another
year or two of life out of them for $50 or so, I'm tempted to go this route
rather put a call into GPR and "melt the plastic" a bit more.

To provide you with a frame of reference, it's been my experience that here
in Arizona, batteries last three years, tops; tires last two to three years
(in fact, my last set ROTTED before they wore out!); belts & CV boots, two
to three years; vacuum hoses and airflow sensor boots, three to five years;
suspension bushings, three to five years; and metallic paint, five to seven
years.  I have no doubt others have fared better than me but I'm relatively
fastidious about maintenance and much prefer replacing otherwise good parts
at my convenience than broken parts in an emergency...


                /| | | |\  |   |\  | | |\  |  AudiDudi@delphi.com
               /-| | | | | | = | | | | | | |  Jeffrey Goggin
              /  | |_| |/  |   |/  |_| |/  |  Scottsdale, Arizona