Pepper in radiator

[rajp]

I was told today that ground black pepper will stop a radiator leak.
Will it?

[JazzMan]

Post by rajp
I was told today that ground black pepper will stop a radiator leak.
Will it?

LOL!

What will stop a radiator leak is popping it out and running
it down to the local radiator dungeon for proper repairs.
Most things that clock a radiator leak from the inside will
also clog coolant passages in the radiator, heater core,
cylinder head and block. Not good, not good at all.

James

[John S.]

What a great way to gum up radiator. Just about as useful as that
thick gooey substance filled with what looks like rat turds that has
been used to fill holes in radiators. Problem with stop leak products
is that they are non-selective about the holes they fill.

My suggestion is to fix the radiator.

[Steve B.]

It will fix it for a while if your lucky. You can also use the Barrs
Leak powder that is made from Ginseng to seal it up temporarily but
the only way to do it right is to have the hole fixed or replace the
radiator.

Steve B.

[ed]

Defintely not a long term fix.
Ginseng too huh? gawd.

[Steve B.]

Post by ed
Defintely not a long term fix.
Ginseng too huh? gawd.

Ginsend based. It's a fairly good product for what it is designed
for. GM used it for years (their own design but same basic thing) in
the Cadillac 4.1, 4.5 and 4.9 engines to prevent any internal leaks.
One of the biggest problems with that engine series was that people
just changed the coolant and didn't add the required supplement.
Coolan then leaked in to the engine and resulted in dead engines.

Steve B.

[y_p_w]

Post by ed
Defintely not a long term fix.
Ginseng too huh? gawd.

Ginseng? The AC Delco cooling system tabs I bought included
ground almond shells as an ingredient.

A lot of these sealing system things work because they
harden in the presence of oxygen and soften when surrounded
by air. Bars Leaks works to a certain extent, but it has
its limits. Some carmakers install their cars with some
sort of sealant. Subaru had a headgasket problem that they
solved by giving away $3 bottles of sealant as a preventative
measure.

[John S.]

The problem with leak fixers is that they are non-selective. Chances
are the leaking radiator is far from new and Barr Leak will fill up
orofices that should remain open.

[H***@nospam.nix]

Post by rajp
I was told today that ground black pepper will stop a radiator leak.
Will it?

People used to use this, or even a little cornmeal, as a stopgap repair.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
It is no substitute, for the longer haul, for proper repair of the radiator.

[Napalm Heart]

Post by H***@nospam.nix

Post by rajp
I was told today that ground black pepper will stop a radiator leak.
Will it?

People used to use this, or even a little cornmeal, as a stopgap repair.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
It is no substitute, for the longer haul, for proper repair of the radiator.

I have used this as a fix until I could get the radiator properly
repaired. I first heard about using pepper about 30 years ago.

Back in the days of non-pressurized cooling systems oatmeal was a
popular fix. Doesn't work under pressure, it just cooks the oatmeal.

Ken (MI)

[H***@nospam.nix]

Post by Napalm Heart
I have used this as a fix until I could get the radiator properly
repaired. I first heard about using pepper about 30 years ago.
Back in the days of non-pressurized cooling systems oatmeal was a
popular fix. Doesn't work under pressure, it just cooks the oatmeal.
Ken (MI)

It's like a lot of other perverse things, Ken. If you want it to leak (like
a drip irrigation system)
most anything will plug it solid. If you want it to seal, it can be the
devil to get it stopped.

My brother-in-law ran through a landslide in the mountains of Mexico some
years ago, punctured the fuel tank, far from any garages, welders, etc. The
indians there fixed it for him using an old rag impregnated with coco
butter. Gasoline didn't dissolve it and it held solid for a week or two
until
he got back to DF.

[Napalm Heart]

Post by H***@nospam.nix

Post by Napalm Heart
I have used this as a fix until I could get the radiator properly
repaired. I first heard about using pepper about 30 years ago.
Back in the days of non-pressurized cooling systems oatmeal was a
popular fix. Doesn't work under pressure, it just cooks the

oatmeal.

Post by H***@nospam.nix

Post by Napalm Heart
Ken (MI)

It's like a lot of other perverse things, Ken. If you want it to leak (like
a drip irrigation system)
most anything will plug it solid. If you want it to seal, it can be the
devil to get it stopped.
My brother-in-law ran through a landslide in the mountains of Mexico some
years ago, punctured the fuel tank, far from any garages, welders, etc. The
indians there fixed it for him using an old rag impregnated with coco
butter. Gasoline didn't dissolve it and it held solid for a week or two
until
he got back to DF.

Good one. Sometimes I think that it can be as much having the will to
do something that might work as what you actually do.

Ken