Cracked coolant recovery tank on 1994 Executive

[miamatt]

My 1994 Lincoln Continetal Executive recently overheated. Once I got the car home, I discovered the engine coolant recovery tank has a large crack towards the bottom, near the spot the hose connects to.

While most or all of the coolant had leaked out, I was able to start the car and idle it for over 10 minutes, so long as I kept adding water periodically. Water poured out of the tank, but there were no other visible leaks. I feel reasonably confident that this is simply a matter of replacing the plastic tank, but I am having real trouble finding one. Ford no longer manufactures the part, and I haven't found it at standard auto parts stores, ebay/amazon, or JC Whitley. Does anybody have any suggestions? Also, does anybody know of other years or models that might have used a compatible tank? Junkyards are about the only other option I can think of, though I'm not optimistic.

Assuming I can't find a suitable replacement quickly, I believe my only other recourse is to try and plug the leak, at least temporarily. I was thinking of trying to find some sort of epoxy at home depot... but if anybody has an alternative suggestion for what I might use, it would be appreciated. I have attached a pic of the crack and of the tank itself. Thanks!

 

[MooJohn]

The auto parts stores sell a generic plastic recovery tank for cheap. Just connect your hose to its connection and you're done. You'll have to attach the tank under the hood somehow but it's nothing some well-placed zip ties or self-tap screws can't handle.

It won't be exactly the same capacity as the stock tank but that part isn't really important - you just need somewhere for the water to go during heating/cooling cycles.

 

[miamatt]

Thanks, though all the "universal" tanks I found are way too big for me to fit under the hood. There really isn't another spot besides the original reservoir spot, and it is an odd, sloping shape. I took some small cardboard boxes to my engine and played around with what size I could fit where but really, things are packed really tight overall.

In any case, I have plugged the crack with a silicone sealant as a short term fix. I hope I can find a replacement at a junkyard as a more long-term fix, or at least to have a back-up should my patch-job eventually fail. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.

 

[bradyelich]

Use Epoxy glue that hardens underwater, or a marine grade epoxy. You might want to add inside support by pushing a tube of some sort inside, nearly flush at the top and pack glue around it at the top to make inside of tank smooth again.