So on Monday I had to replace the battery in my Mustang. I guess, while I was fastening the negative terminal I hit my radiator cap and loosened it about a quarter of a turn and didn't notice. So on Tuesday I come home from school and my garage smells like Maple syrup, so i knew I was leaking coolant somewhere. So I tighten the cap back up and the next day it does the same thing. I, for the life of me, could not find the a leak anywhere. So I took it in to have the cap pressure tested, which is passes. They send me to a local tire shop to have the whole thing tested, turns out I have a pinhole sized leak in the arm that connects the radiator to the resevoir and they tell me I need to replace the whole radiator. So, I have three questions.

1) I am obviously not having them replace the radiator, because I have a family friend mechanic who will only charge me $70 for labor and they wanted almost $300 just for labor. So, he is going to take a look at it and see if I ACTUALLY need a new radiator, or if they were just trying to slide one up my tailpipe. If i DO need to replace the whole thing, what should I be expecting to pay for parts? I tried to do a little research on my own, but the range I found was way too wide.

2) Could me accidentally loosening the cap and not noticing it for one day really do enough damage to cause me to replace the whole thing? I feel like the biggest moron thinking a small mistake like that is going to end up setting me back a few hundred bucks, all because I didn't see my ratchet hit the cap.

3) If I don't actually need a radiator and the tire place was just trying to bend me over a table. What size of a rock should I lob through their window?

 

If you have a pinhole leak, epoxy that bitch. JB-weld for plastics and metals, 10 minutes and you're done. Give it 24 hours to cure before driving.

Post pic with arrow to the hole. We can be sure I give you the right tip that way.

 

So I am stuck at work today so I had my Dad go pick up the car and take it to our mechanic. On the drive there the car never got above a normal temperature. We were assuming he would have to pull over every 10 minutes or so to let it cool down. When he gets there he pops the hood and it had not leaked any coolant. So, the mechanic tests the radiator and everything is holding pressure, which it wouldn't do if there was a hole in anything. So right now it is looking like all I will need it a new thermostat.

Now the only question remains is how many windows do I break at the place that tried to sell me a radiator that I didn't need and how big of rock do I use to do it?

 

I am gonna say 2 windows with a baseball sized rock

 

1) I agree with you. But I am definitely going to wait and make sure that the thermostat is the only problem before I vandal.

2) If you see Aho around town could you please stab his face for missing so many kicks against BYU? I've never seen a kicker hit the upright so many times in one game.

3) I apologize for what Jordan Wynn is going to do to you this season.