DON"T DO ANY STOP LEAK PRDUCTS!!! Gimmick fix in ah bottle products WILL, do more harm then good in the long run. Whats the year, make, engine, and model of your truck? I'll see if I can find ah rad on line thats in your price range.

I will share 2 Stop Leak episodes.  Many years ago a rock launched by a vehicle I was following nicked a tube in my radiator.  It was late and I was a couple hundred miles from home.  I was able to pinch the tube above & below the hole in the tube, but it still leaked more than I wanted to try to drive with.  I added stop leak, and slowed the leak, which allowed me to get home.  I was happy that the product helped in my emergency position.

Last summer my old suburban started to lose coolant, and it turned out to be a slow intake gasket leak.  I was on the fence about keeping the truck and the mechanic that fixes the corproate fleet I manage said to throw in some stop leak.  I did.  When I decided to keep the truck I replaced the intake gaskets, as they still leaked.  Last fall when the weather turned cooler, the truck had inadequate heat.  Yup, my heater core was where the stop leak had settled.  I will only ever use that stuff in an emergency, and then cross my fingers against collateral damage.

If you need a radiator, park it until you can buy a radiator. Drive your Mustang

We used to sell some 2 part epoxy stuff at the auto supply I worked at a long time ago. Basically 2 strips you kneeded together and then applied to the outside of the radiator. Maybe that would get you by without putting stuff in the cooling system that could cause other issues down the road. Wish I could remember the name.

I have one vehicle that I chose to use some stop leak in. It is a full size conversion van and is quite a pain to tear apart. So several years ago and 50000 miles ago I dumped in a tube of that silver powered stuff (They used to call it Silver Stallion). The leak at the front of the drivers side head quit leaking and has not let a drop since. Heater still works good (regularly more than 10 below here this winter). So I keep a tube of it around.

Here's one I found on ebay with free shipping..............http://www.ebay.com/itm/RADIATOR-FOR-FORD-FITS-VAN-E-150-E-250-ECONOLINE-4-2-4-6-V6-6CYL-V8-8CYL-/271465688754?fits=Make%3AFord%7CModel%3AE-150

Take it to your local radiator shop and have it repaired.  It will be cheaper than you think.

boomyal wrote:

Derek wrote:

Here's one I found on ebay with free shipping..............http://www.ebay.com/itm/RADIATOR-FOR-FORD-FITS-VAN-E-150-E-250-ECONOLINE-4-2-4-6-V6-6CYL-V8-8CYL-/271465688754?fits=Make%3AFord%7CModel%3AE-150

Thanks Derek!  A good deal with the shipping included.  Do you need a special tool to release the transmission cooling lines>
 

Don't expect a $95.00 chinese rad to properly cool your engine.
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MAW wrote:

Many years ago when I first hired in at Ford Kentucky Truck Plant where we used to make F600 up to large Semi's it was common practice to put Stop Leak in radiators that had a small leak somewhere in the cooling system.  We called them "Dog Turds" , they were about the diameter of a 50 cent piece and about 1 inch thick.  Don't know how they would work on aluminum butt(TS) they worked great otherwise, so maybe they are not as bad as some people think. Ford had no problem using them at our plant and probably many more.  I still have a bag of them at home just in case I ever get a leak.

you can still get something similar . . it is the same stuff that the old liguid bardahl had in it that looked like bran cereal, lol.

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Brents65 wrote:

Take it to your local radiator shop and have it repaired. It will be cheaper than you think.

As far as I know, shops do not repair aluminum radiators, especially when the leak is between the metal and the plastic tank.
 

barnett468 wrote:

boomyal wrote:

Brents65 wrote:

Take it to your local radiator shop and have it repaired. It will be cheaper than you think.

As far as I know, shops do not repair aluminum radiators, especially when the leak is between the metal and the plastic tank.
 

if this is the type you have, they can retighten it . . i had it done on this type before . . might fix it, might not
 

I'll call the local radiator shop and see what they may be able to do.