David skaw of skaw trucking asks

David skaw of skaw trucking asks Why does my peterbilt 379 radiator leak when it is cold outside? Joel: www.radiatorsrus.com David: does your peterbilt 379 radiator have plastic or steel bolted tanks? David: My peterbilt 379 radiator has the steel tanks. Joel: www.radiatorsrus.com More than likely you are looking at a gasket failure on your peterbilt 379 radiator You may be able to tighten the bolts and buy you some time. This has to be done when the engine is cold on your peterbilt 379 radiator I recommend using a torque wrench set at 20 foot lbs. Start on the top tank of your peterbilt 379 radiator in the middle of the tank and torque the bolt to 20 foot lbs, do the next one on the opposite side of the tank on your peterbilt 379 radiator and work your way to the end. You will have two bolts on the end’s of your peterbilt 379 radiator left to do. You will have to follow the same procedure for the bottom tank of your peterbilt 379 radiator if needed. There is one bolt on the top tank of your peterbilt 379 radiator you have to use extreme caution on. It is underneath the top radiator hose connection you will see what I am explaining.this bolt threads into the top tank and does not have a nut Please spray this bolt with penetrating oil and allow enough time to soak in . Use a ½ inch box wrench and apply pressure gently if the bolt moves easily use torque wrench to continue. If it does not move easily leave it alone and move on to the next bolt. If that bolt breaks you will be taking your peterbilt 379 radiator to a radiator shop for repair. I also recommend inspecting the bolts on your peterbilt 379 radiator for excessive corrosion . If you see any that are corroded or have a lot of rust on them replace them one at a time. You will want to use a s.a.e. Grade 5 zinc plated 5/16x 1 ¼ inch bolt. A 5/16 sae grade 5 zinc plated serrated head nut works best.A regular hex head will work but not as well. The reason for doing this on your peterbilt 379 radiator is a rusted bolt has a tendency to stretch causing leaks. T o finish up the repair on your peterbilt 379 radiator dump one can of silver seal in the fill neck of your peterbilt 379 radiator . Never use bars leak it has a tendency to plug the heater core on your peterbilt 379 . The silver seal will help seal up any weak spots in the gaskets. This is the only repair I advise silver seal or any kind of stop leak for. It is also good idea to go to your peterbilt dealer and pick up a new radiator cap for your peterbilt 379 radiator If the cap is not releasing pressure it could have caused your gaskets to start leaking on your peterbilt 379 radiator Now to test your peterbilt 379 radiator for leaks. Start your peterbilt 379 and drive for several hours and let cool off if the leak is fixed you will know. The tools and supplies need for the repair on your peterbilt 379 radiator are 1 ½ inch box wrench ,3 inch extension,1/2 socket,.torque wrench,flat blade screw driver one tube of silver seal and a peterbilt 379 radiator cap David if you still have a leak on your peterbilt 379 radiator and it is on the toptank You can replace the gasket while in the truck. To do this visit our web site www.radiatorsrus.com to purchase the top tank gasket from us For your peterbilt 379 radiator is just under 20.00 dollars. Or call us toll free at 866-920-2220 and ask for our peterbilt 379 radiator sale specialist We can ship same day world wide. The peterbilt 379 radiator gasket is about is about 49.00 dollars in our area,from the peterbilt dealer. You can also email us your order for your peterbilt 379 radiator gasket at sales@radiatorsrus.com To replace the gasket on your peterbilt 379 radiator drain the anti freeze below the top tank. Remove all the bolts on the peterbilt 379 radiator top tank remember the bolt underneath the top neck if it breaks now it is not so critical just warm the broken stud with a torch it will come right out. Scrape all the old gasket off with a putty knife on the Tank and core. Use 3m gasket adhesive on the top tank available at your peterbilt dealer or your local parts store. Soon as the glue is tacky install the gasket to the tank not the core. Replace with all new bolts and nuts size’s are listed above you May also need 20 5/16 x 1 ½ inch depend on what year your peterbilt 379 radiator is. Use the same torque specs as listed above for your peterbilt 379 radiator as listed above to tighten your peterbilt 379 radiator top tank . Use same test procedure as above . If the bottom tank is still leaking on your peterbilt 379 radiator you will either have to take it out to replace it or go to www.radiator911 .com jim check addy to find a certified heavy duty peterbilt radiator repair shop in your area . Here is a rough idea what to expect price wise to pay to have your peterbilt 379 radiator Repaired at a professional shop 4.2 hours to remove and install from truck 4 hours to regasket both ends if I was getting into the repair that deep if the peterbilt 379 is more yhan 5 years old I would have the shop install a new 4 row high efficiency peterbilt 379 radiator core your original peterbilt 379 radiator core is only a 3 row. You will get more cooling plus the piece of mind knowing you will not have a problem for years to come. We also sell a brand new complete peterbilt 379 radiator please check out our store At www.radiatorsrus.com or call us toll free 866-920-2220 . or you can email to sale@radiatorsrus.com David I hope this answers all your questions. If not I can be reached at the toll free number above or you can email me personally at joel@radiatorsrus.com Joel Christianson pres am rad