emergency radiator repair

[Burgamot]

on a recent episode of gold rush they had a leak devloped in the radiator of a d-8 cat. with no repair facility close the mechanic put eggs(number?) in the radiator and the leak stopped. this reminded me of a call to the radio show on pbs called car talk. there a caller related being in a rural area when his radiator started leaking and a freind suggested putting eggs in the radiator which he did. the leak stopped was able to drive home and where it did leak again he drove it for a year when he sold it. interesting.

[wmws]

I assume you crack the egg open first. I've heard of oatmeal but not eggs.

[Ruth]

Old Timer told me black pepper. Didn't say how much or why only black pepper/

[Purdy Swoft]

I used black pepper in my September 29 in the early 60s , it worked pretty good . When the 4 blade fan slung a blade and cut a few tubes , I pinched them shut with pliers . They use to say you could block off six tubes and still get by . The car now has a nearly new aluminum radiator and I don't have to worry with it like I did many years ago .

[Synchro909]

Eggs, pepper, oatmeal, dry manure are all old time fixes. I remember my grandfather telling me about them.

[Dodge]

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Isn’t it the egg white only?

[F.M.]

I always carried a one pound box of pepper while driving around Da-Nang in 1965, had no other fix.. When I left Country it was still going. Oh, A Jeep.. Might have tried Eggs, but all we had was C-Rations !!

[29leatherbackA]

My grandpa had an A when he was a teenager and used the egg method. I had a leaky radiatior and he just cracked an egg in it and it quit leaking. One whole egg, he said you could throw another one in if it still leaked.

[GPierce]

He cracked two eggs open and dropped the contents, yolk and white, in the D8 Cat radiator.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

Eggs, pepper, oatmeal, dry manure are all old time fixes. I remember my grandfather telling me about them.

That's the same 4 things I heard of for an emergency fix, and I always wondered if they really worked.
My 28 Phaeton still has the original radiator, and when I bought the car in 1999 it had a damp spot near the top right of the radiator core. I put some stop leak in, and it's been bone dry ever since. It even held up fine after using vinegar for a month as a rust remover and cleaner.

[chap52]

Originally Posted by F.M.

I always carried a one pound box of pepper while driving around Da-Nang in 1965, had no other fix.. When I left Country it was still going. Oh, A Jeep.. Might have tried Eggs, but all we had was C-Rations !!

What, powdered eggs wouldn't work? How about some of that delicious powered milk? Or the grape flavored "bug juice"?
Thanks for your service, Chap

[Ray64]

I used a lot of black pepper in my younger days swear by it

[eagle]

Another trick my granpa told me about. Burn some cork, then put the ash in the oil to reduce blue smoke out the tailpipe due to bad rings.

[1931 flamingo]

Banannana peels in the differential................................
Paul in CT

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by eagle

Another trick my granpa told me about. Burn some cork, then put the ash in the oil to reduce blue smoke out the tailpipe due to bad rings.

Never heard of that one before. That's what STP is for. LOL
I used lots of STP in my 54 Chevy during my senior year in high school. One piston had a bad ring land and a broken ring. Even though I replaced that piston's rings, one broke again real soon due to the bad ring land.

[redmodelt]

I would suggest Water Glass (sodium silicate) but it says right on the package not to use with anti-freeze. All the years I have read about using it, never knew and was never talked about!

[Purdy Swoft]

I have used water glass . The instructions said to use water glass with water . Let the engine run for a specified length of time and drain it . After that you can use water with antifreeze . You are just not suppose to mix water glass with antifreeze and run it that way . I have had good luck with water glass .

[Jim Brierley]

I used STP in the leaky shocks in my '54 Olds, sure stiffened the up, and stayed in longer than the "correct" fluid!

[Cave]

"Smoke 'em if ya got 'em" --- back in the C Ration days cigarettes were packed with the meals, we were told if our Jeep radiator was leaking in the field to shred cigs into it. Don't know if it would have worked, never needed to find out.

[77Birdman]

Ive heard of the egg trick, but none of the rest. Interesting.