355 Radiator leak, what to do? | FerrariChat
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355 Radiator leak, what to do?

Discussion in '348/355' started by marvinsheldon, Jul 18, 2011.

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  1. marvinsheldon

    marvinsheldon Rookie

    Aug 12, 2010
    18
    Pennsylvania
    Full Name:
    Sean hegarty
    #1 marvinsheldon, Jul 18, 2011
    After a 65 mile ride this weekend I arrived at my destination and a few minutes later I noticed coolant leaking out of the left side under the car. There happened to be 2 mechanics at the get together I went to and they felt they saw the coolant coming directly out of the radiator which looked to them to be corroded. As much as I hate to admit it, I let them put leak stop in to get me home and it worked fine and I made it back with no problems and no leak. I plan to flush that stuff out as soon as possible but I would like to ask for recomendations about a radiator replacement.

    Are there any aftermarket radiators out there that will fit the 1999 355 spider? I know that there are used ones out there but I don't want to put a used one in my car that's going to be as old or even older than the one I'm replacing. Also, is this a common problem or does it sound unusual? The unfunny part is it was just serviced at Algar and they pressure tested the system about 350 miles ago and it passed. Over the winter some coolant had collected under the water pump area and I took it too them to see if there was a problem with the pump or a coolant hose.

    What do you guys suggest for a repair?
     
  2. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
    Consultant

    Nov 29, 2001
    13,566
    San Carlos, CA
    Full Name:
    Mitchell Le
    #2 yelcab, Jul 18, 2011
    you either get stock replacement, or custom built after market. There was a posting on the forum about where to get the custom built ones. It is not going to be cheap either way. I do agree that putting in a used one is not a long term solution either.

    As much as people have said that one can get it fixed at the radiator shop, I have never found one that would do the job. Replacement only.
     
  3. brian.s

    brian.s F1 Rookie
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 3, 2003
    3,809
    Midwest
    Full Name:
    Brian
    #3 brian.s, Jul 18, 2011
    Repair shops cannot/will not recrimp the tanks on these, the only way is new.
     
  4. pourquoi_ne

    pourquoi_ne Karting

    Mar 16, 2006
    224
    England
    Full Name:
    John
    #4 pourquoi_ne, Jul 18, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2011
    Not true in the UK! I had my 348 and 355 rads recored - no probs!
     
  5. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 9, 2010
    23,684
    WI
    #5 WATSON, Jul 18, 2011
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2011
    The link yelcab is referring to is here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=321214&highlight=radiator

    I had developed a leak and it is pretty hard to see the cause without getting the car up in the air.

    The leak on mine was coming from the center of the R/H radiator. I reached in to tighten the drain plug by hand...it broke right off complete with the o-ring. Seems it wasn't replaced very well when I had some service work done.

    Hot screwdriver removed what was remaining of the old plug....fast hands inserted new plug before too much fluid leaked out and the leak was gone.

    Get a better look before you rush to new radiators....hopefully it is something simple.
     
  6. marvinsheldon

    marvinsheldon Rookie

    Aug 12, 2010
    18
    Pennsylvania
    Full Name:
    Sean hegarty
    #6 marvinsheldon, Jul 18, 2011

    Watson. Thank you for the link,$1200 for a pair of those doesn't make me feel as bad. But you drain plug problem, was the plug at the top (vent) or bottom of the rad? Did the coolant look to you like it was coming from the core when you inspected it after you noticed the leak? It sounds like you may have thought it was the core at first also.
     
  7. WATSON

    WATSON Two Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Sep 9, 2010
    23,684
    WI
    #7 WATSON, Jul 18, 2011
    When I first looked under the car I could not tell what the source of the leak was. The car sits far too low for any reasonable assessment. I could peak up in by the radiator and mine isn't the cleanest thing going....could have been leaking from the base of the radiator or it could be just years of accumulated gunk.

    Once I had it in the air and pulled some of the aero panels down I could poke my head up in there and look. I still really couldn't tell the source but it was dripping right off the drain plug.

    The plug is centered in the radiator at the bottom. I reached out to see if it was tight and it snapped right off. It is a plastic plug with an o-ring at the base. Without that o-ring tight, it leaks a little. The plug is less than $10 from Ricambi. I heated up a flat head screwdriver and drove it into the remnants of the old plug. R&R and it stopped leaking.

    In your case I would also check the hoses and hose clamps. Little cracks can make big leaks under pressure. Hopefully it is something simple....
     
  8. ndpendant

    ndpendant Formula Junior

    Jun 5, 2010
    636
    Chicago- west burbs
    Full Name:
    Paul
    #8 ndpendant, Jul 21, 2011
    Mine were the ones on the post referred to. about 600 miles on them now, not a drop of leak. The car is at least 20 degrees cooler and runs great. They were made at Saldana Racing in indiana. Very good quality and much less than OEM rads.
    I understand they produce a lot of radiators for NASCAR, F1, Indy etc.. cars.. Here is the link
    http://www.saldanaracingproducts.com/
    ND
     

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