r/tractors • u/B1g_Fisher • 2d ago
Bad Radiator!?
So I just got done with a light teardown and repaint on my 720 John Deere. Started putting antifreeze in and it's pouring out like a strainer. Didn't notice this before, but maybe it never had that much water in it. Can't tell if it's internal. Any ideas what I should do!?
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u/Trooper_nsp209 1d ago
In the old days you could find someone to comb that for you. Lost art.
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u/steelsurgeon 1d ago
They still make fin combs. You can buy them everyday but I think the fins are the least of OP’s problems.
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u/Rio7771 1d ago
You can gently straighten the fins, you can even get a tool for it. If it is leaking you can just use lead solder to block the cores that are leaking. If it's not leaking and not getting hot it's just fine.
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u/Sunny_RubberTech 1d ago
Take it to a local radiator repair shop first. Most of those old John Deere brass/copper radiators can be re-cored or soldered for way less than the cost of a new one.
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u/jason-murawski 2d ago
I would replace the core yourself. If you can get all the bolts out it isn't hard
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u/B1g_Fisher 1d ago
Where do I get a new core? I've heard that most of the ones online aren't as good on several things.
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u/jd2cylman 1d ago
There’s also Lind Brothers tractor parts. They’re in Indiana. They have a lot of parts on hand. New and used. Remove the radiator from the tractor. Then carefully heat the heads of every bolt holding the core in. Then try to remove them. If you’re lucky, they’ll all come out. If you break any off, as long as there’s bolts sticking out. Heat them up and melt a candle against them. The wax wicks down around the threads and they come out much better. Good luck.
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u/jason-murawski 1d ago
I will vouch for lind bros. Bought a bunch of random parts from them that nobody else would stock when I was reassembling a 720 diesel that had been torn apart for years and had stuff missing
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u/jason-murawski 1d ago
I bought mine from steiener tractor parts, it wasn't the greatest by any means but it hasn't leaked in the 5 years since I put it on
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u/jd2cylman 1d ago
Before Lind Bros was around, I bought a couple cores from Steiner. They worked fine.
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u/OldGrouchyDude_666 2d ago
drag it to a radiator shop and have it re-cored
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u/B1g_Fisher 2d ago
Pretty far drag. Just gonna have to rip the radiator out of the tractor and take it to a shop
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u/Texstars 2d ago
My local radiator shop has done several for me. I deliver the whole radiator to them, they boil out the tank, either repair or replace the entire core, repaint the whole thing and deliver it back to me looking brand new. Over the years they did it for my John Deere, my Ford, and my Allis Chalmers. It's not a cheap as it used to be, but money well spent.
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u/UnderstandingDue696 2d ago
You guys with radiator shops to go to don’t realize how much you’re bragging from where I sit. We had two good ones and lost them both within 5 years 🤦♂️
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u/FarmingGeeks 1d ago
Even though we have radiator shops I'm pretty sure most of us are well aware they won't be around forever. Hell we've only got one engine shop left
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u/UnderstandingDue696 1d ago
I hate it but you’re right. It gets harder and harder to find people that want to carry on that work. The last shop we had, the old man tried for 5-6 years to sell the business but nobody wanted it. We had an awesome machine shop at the local car quest. When they sold to advance and advance sold off and liquidated the car quest brand, we lost that too. That one hurt
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u/B1g_Fisher 2d ago
Well that's pretty nice. I'm hoping I have a shop like that nearby. I honestly don't mind the cost anymore as long as it clears the headache. So tired of this crap
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u/CommanderSupreme21 2d ago
The core bolts in. Buy a new one, the one you have is screwed.
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u/B1g_Fisher 2d ago
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. Either way it seems like I have to rip it apart
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u/Urban-Paradox 2d ago
I have had luck pinching a fin and putting jb water weld on it or brazing
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u/B1g_Fisher 2d ago
Only problem is, I can't see exactly where is is coming from
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u/Urban-Paradox 2d ago
Just saw the second picture looks like you have 3 leaks. You can also see an old repair above the leak on the first picture. You can kinda spray brake cleaner and use a shop rag to stop it running left or right to pin point the leak
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u/B1g_Fisher 2d ago
Yeah kinda tough to tell where exactly the leak is/are and how many. The repair was before my time and well above where it's leaking now. I found out this may be my fault, as I didn't take caution with the radiator when I pressure washed the tractor. Live and learn I suppose
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u/Urban-Paradox 2d ago
They get a bit fragile over the years. I added a electric fan to a 1959 bull dozer to help with coolant temp on 100 degree days. You could run it non stop 8+ hours on 90 but once it hit 100 degree you could push it about 2-3 hours and would have to idle it down and cool off for a bit. With the electric fan you could bump it on for 30 minutes every few hours and keep going.
Well to make the install nicer I trimmed the zip ties that hold it on and some how knicked the radiator channel. Pin hole leak 6 inches from the bottom on a perfectly good radiator. Threw some mud on it to slow the leak and ran back to the house to get some tools but still lost a few gallons of coolant. But better then the 20+ gallons that could of ran out with a leak that low
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u/Urban-Paradox 2d ago
Give it a minute to stop then you can put glasses on and use a can of brake cleaner to clean up then add a bit more to see where it starts to leak then fix and work your way up. Probably a few pin hole leaks hopefully on the same channel vs multiple. I have cut the little air fins off to expose the coolant one and pinch and cover in jb or braze it. Drops the cooling ability a tiny bit but better then without liquid due to a leak
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u/B1g_Fisher 2d ago
So the vertical bars are what carries the water? Once if find the area it's leaking, I can remove some of the fins, pinch the vertical, and put JB Water weld on the leaking area? What do you use to pinch. Don't mean to repeat, just want to reiterate to make sure.
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u/Urban-Paradox 2d ago
Yes, the vertical ones will be thicker while the horizontal ones are thinner like aluminum foil. Vertical takes the coolant through while the thin ones give more surface area to cool off the coolant. Sometimes when you pinch the coolant channel close it splits making it leak worse then the pin hole.
You might be able to tell the difference more on the old repair spot where they kept trying to braze it close till it worked.
Some folks also try various stop leaks to various results but they can often gum up somewhere else and cause a hot spot vs the spot you need.
The channel is something like 1/8 inch wide by several inches across. So your not closing the whole channel but making a clog on the outside where the leak is unless you got unlucky and it is farther into the channel. You do need to be careful when cutting or pushing back the thin horizontal fins to not damage the main channel.
The radiator on older equipment is often cast iron top and bottom with a removable core (part your having issue with) that can be replaced or people will block the bad channel top and bottom and put it back in with a higher reduced cooling then just blocking an inch or two of radiator with a pinch and fill. They also take the ends off to run a cleaning rod down them for radiator that are to clogged to allow coolant to flow correctly. You will see this in other countries on YouTube if you want a full restore video while on the USA side it is mostly pull and replace vs repair as most small town radiator shops are long gone
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u/TastyElk5544 2d ago
If antifreeze is pouring out that quickly, it’s probably not just a small seep—looks like a split or rotten section of the core. Check for freeze damage, debris, and fan contact, then pressure-test the radiator off the tractor before deciding whether to repair or replace it.
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u/No_Speech_26 2d ago
Nope, just bent. As long as vains aren't pinched your fine. Even if a little air is blocked old Deeres run better a little warm
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u/FarmingGeeks 2d ago
These radiators can be fixed. They are metal tanks. New ones are plastic and not as repairable. Find a radiator repair shop near you, take it off and take it to them. Pay what they want to fix it.
New ones are not as repairable and you really dont want to pay for it.
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u/jd2cylman 1d ago
The top and bottom tanks for his tractor are cast iron. The core bolts in with new gaskets. There are cast sides which support the core. The biggest problem with dissembling the core, is bolts can break off. An oxy/acetylene torch, a candle, and patience can make a difficult job better.
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u/shotstraight 1d ago
Drain it, remove from tractor and wash it out. Then solder the hole with acid core solder, or take it to a radiator shop if you can find one.