2003 Jetta Radiator Leak

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Hi everyone,

My Jetta has a radiator leak in the top left. It's a 650$ repair and I'm short on money right now since I just moved. The leak is slow enough that I only need to top off my overflow bottle once a day.

What are my options for this issue besides paying for a proper repair? I realize it's unlikely anything can fix the problem, but I imagine it may buy me some time.

Has anyone had good results with Bar's Stopleak?

If I could find the hole could I try some epoxy over it or something?

What about just letting it go and topping it off every night?

Thanks!
 
This is most likely either rot or failed plastic and it might quickly get worse.
The only cure is a new rad.
If you google around, you can certainly find one for less than six-fiddy and installation shouldn't be too difficult.
Check Rock Auto as a first resort.
 
Willing to DIY? Most radiators are not all that difficult to replace...my beautiful wife that doesn't know jack about cars (until she met me of course) was able to change the radiator on my truck after I had surgery. You can do it too. Shop amazon and you might be able to get away with a 50-150$ radiator, look at reviews.
 
How can a radiator job be $650?

An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.

I would youtube it and DIY.

I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.
 
Originally Posted By: JustinH
How can a radiator job be $650?

An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.

I would youtube it and DIY.

I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.

5 hrs labor plus evac and recharge the ac
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
5 hrs labor plus evac and recharge the ac

That is correct, by the book. More or less the entire front of the car needs removed.

You do not need to disconnect the AC condenser though, you can just move it away.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: JustinH
How can a radiator job be $650?

An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.

I would youtube it and DIY.

I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.

5 hrs labor plus evac and recharge the ac


Ridiculous. I've done the same job in 2 hours. Ac costs $150 to have charged.
 
Originally Posted By: TinyVoices
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: JustinH
How can a radiator job be $650?

An aftermarket radiator for a mk4 jetta is between $40-$100 depending on brand.

I would youtube it and DIY.

I replaced radiators in my toyota cars before its a one hour job even for non mechanics.

5 hrs labor plus evac and recharge the ac

Ridiculous. I've done the same job in 2 hours. Ac costs $150 to have charged.

Ok so:

$100 for aftermarket rad
$200 for 2hrs labor
$150 to have the AC charged.

Seems that $650 isn't too far off there, especially if the price includes an OE rad.

But why should a mechanic make any money?
 
A few years ago, my Element went through 2 radiators over the course of a few months. At that point, I found that there was a metal bracket that was loose that was rattling against the radiator, eventually causing it to leak through. I found the leak by using a pressure testing kit, saw exactly where the coolant was shooting out.

I didn't have time to do the replacement again, so what I did was empty out the coolant, then use some Quiksteel epoxy putty to put over the hole. I put the cooling system under a slight vacuum with a hand vacuum pump hoping to help suck in the epoxy. 2 years later, it's still holding. I expected it to start leaking after the first winter. I even bought a new radiator, I just haven't put it in.

I'd personally be a little worried about putting anything into the coolant to try seal the leak, just in case it damages anything else.
 
Replacing the radiator is the easy part. It's removing all the interference (such as cooling fan assemblies and radiator hoses/clamps) and reinstalling it that is the harder part. Coolant hoses and clamps can be a bit touchy when trying to remove/reinstall/reseal them. My mechanic charged me $600 for a radiator diagnosis and replace. Turned out the leak was from the internal transmission cooler. The radiator was cheap. The labor wasn't. If it happened again, I'd probably tackle the job myself - having to remove much of the front end of the car.
 
Originally Posted By: 69GTX
My mechanic charged me $600 for a radiator diagnosis and replace.


How much would it have been for the diagnosis without the replace ?
 
If I decide to do this myself should I buy anything besides the radiator? Will I need new hose clips or hoses for instance? How about a sensor?
 
You need to determine what coolant your car has as you are going to need coolant as well. Might still be the factory G12 or whatever but someone could have switched it for dexcool. You could also use dexcool if you wanted to, but you would have to flush the entire cooling system if your car has G12 or whatever the later versions are.

If you have a 2.0 litre engine the rad should be a piece of cake. There is quite a bit more room in front of the engine with a 2.0 than a 1.8 or a VR6. VR6 is going to be tough, it takes up almost all of the engine bay. You should also take a peak at the cooling fans, as this is the time to change them if one or both are not working.

I have a 2003 1.8 Jetta that I flushed as I had to replace the cooling fans. I used dexcool and it is fine, but my coolant elbow is leaking about a year later. I do not believe the dexcool caused that.
 
Originally Posted By: llmercll
If I decide to do this myself should I buy anything besides the radiator? Will I need new hose clips or hoses for instance? How about a sensor?

While not specifically familiar with 03 Jetta, did replace an 01 Civic radiator several years ago.

While your there you should replace the upper and lower radiator hoses. I reused the spring type hose clips, I prefer them to the screw type. But, you should check their condition to make sure they are reusable. As long as the AF was drained I also replaced the t'stat.

As noted though, it's prep work to get to the radiator and then the subsequent replacement that take the majority of time. So as to be fully informed before tackling this project and what you may face, here's a 2000 Jetta radiator replacement you tube. FYI, I did have the remove the bumper cover to do the mentioned Civic.
 
Originally Posted By: llmercll
If I decide to do this myself should I buy anything besides the radiator? Will I need new hose clips or hoses for instance? How about a sensor?


Go through that link I posted above, you should be able to see the tools and parts necessary. Beforehand, you can inspect the hoses and see if you think they need replacing (soft, cracked, bulging, etc).

And as mentioned, coolant and distilled water if it is not pre-mix. G-12 should be stock and you can get some at the dealer. Pentofrost SF is the aftermarket version and you can likely get it at NAPA and some other auto parts stores. Mixing coolants can be lethal to the system so verify what you have and don't mix anything else in it unless you are dead certain it will work OK.
 
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