Pepper in the radiator-testimonial

fixerupper · Sep 2, 2014

Ever since I got on this site I've read about using black pepper to seal a coolant leak in a tractor, but I've never tried it. I always took the radiator off and had it fixed first. We have a B Farmall that developed a leaky radiator this summer. We have a belly mower on it and have been adding water all summer just to nurse it through till it can be fixed this winter. My son got tired of the water mist in his face while mowing so yesterday he swiped his wife's black pepper, poured it in the rad and started mowing. At first he thought it was the wrong thing to do because the water mist turned into a PEPPERY water mist. After a little run time the rad sealed up and he kept mowing happily along. I didn't ask him if he had red eyes. LOL. This B does not have a water pump but it must have circulated enough to do the job. Anyway, it made a believer out of me! This winter it gets a new rad. The old one was rodded out and patched up last fall but evidently it's on it's last legs. It only lasted 58 years. I'll be very surprised if a new one will last that long. Jim.

Whoah, wrong math, 68 years.

David G · Sep 2, 2014

I guy I helped out in college had a lot of old equipment and carried pepper with him. He would jump out and add pepper if it was leaking. It does work, but dont plan on it being permanent.

You could smell him coming with all the pepper.

wilson ind · Sep 2, 2014

Ground flax seed works also. Years ago, many years
ago Dad through fan blade in radiator on trip. Got
in quite well with flax seed and egg. Note you must
crack egg and break yoke . Broke other oppasite bade
off to balance.

Brendon Warren · Sep 2, 2014

I've seen both the pepper and egg done by my great
uncle Jack Warren. If he were still around he'd of
been 100 this year. Just a temporary fix though.

Tech 7 · Sep 2, 2014

Read of the Grey hairs years back using oatmeal in locomotive boilers. Certainly pre OHSA!!

jwal10 · Sep 2, 2014

We had a Cummins 220 engine on a water pump at the city. It started leaking water during a 2 week continuous run during a cold spell when the power was off from a bad ice storm. We babied it along for 3 days. It ran 24/7 except to check the oil twice a day and do minimal maintenance. I asked the shop mechanic to try to find something to fix it. He checked around and was told, pepper. We added pepper each time we started it back up. We maintained the engine for a year after that, starting it each month and running for 1 hour pumping water. The City finally got a big generator so we could run all the operations at the water intakes (air compressor, screen wash pumps and an air bladder). When torn down, all the O-rings were bad and the liners had floated. It got us through and the director finally got the hint to upgrade. The motor was installed in 1953 and had 8,000 hours on it. It had been put on the list for replacement in 1978. Removed in 2009....James

Wile E · Sep 2, 2014

I remember on my first car.......30 years ago. I had a few pin hole leaks in the radiator. I bought this aluminum metal flake stuff that sealed it up for several months, then I had to switch to bars leak.

Mike (WA) · Sep 2, 2014

Couple of squares of toilet paper works, too.

JOCCO · Sep 3, 2014

For what its worth they have a bottle of radiator stop leak (looks like ground up solder) works well for small holes. Too much can cause overheating or plug the heater in a car!!!

in-too-deep · Sep 3, 2014

Had a discussion similar to this at the parts counter a few months ago. Guy was mentioning egg and pepper and ground mustard, then one of my co-workers said "Bar's Leak." I coulda sworn he said "Paprika" I laughed so darn hard. Hey, we're doing pepper and mustard... might as well dump in another seasoning! Man oh man was that funny. Maybe some noodles and ground beef and green beans and carrots and potatoes and make soup!

dr sportster · Sep 3, 2014

I remember fixing radiators that had pepper in them . It was not pleasant.

mj · Sep 4, 2014

Using a cigar ground up with your hands is an old Baja 1000 trick 8)

4play · Sep 4, 2014

I understand the idea of using what you got to get by, but why not use a product specifically intended for that purpose? I don't usually recommend use of those types of products but I have seen certain leaks fixed for the time with those products, including head gaskets, heater cores and radiators. Of course some leaks are beyond band-aid type repairs.

Pepper in the radiator-testimonial

fixerupper

Well-known Member

David G

Well-known Member

wilson ind

Well-known Member

Brendon Warren

Well-known Member

Tech 7

Well-known Member

jwal10

Member

Wile E

Well-known Member

Mike (WA)

Well-known Member

JOCCO

Well-known Member

in-too-deep

Well-known Member

dr sportster

Well-known Member

mj

Well-known Member

4play

Well-known Member

Similar threads