HELP! Engine Pinging/clatter!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 109
Likes: 1
From: Huntsville, AL
So, when the engine is cold, the tank is half full. You run it for 15 minutes or so and the tank is empty and the engine temperature rises. Then, you shut it off and let the engine cool. Does the tank then come back to half full as the engine cools or do you have to add coolant to get it there?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,461
Likes: 18
From: cooper city florida
A guy gave me a 350" engine out of a '73 Blazer he had been driving to work. He said it used two gallons of water driving 15 miles to work and two gallons of water driving the 15 miles home. He'd been driving it that way for a year and finally got tired of hauling water around with him.
I installed the engine in a '65 Chevy II along with a can of Barr's Stop leak. Gave the car to my kid to drive. He ran it a year and a half. No coolant loss and the engine ran fine until one day it quit. I took it apart. A connecting rod had siezed to the crank and broke it and took out the camshaft in the process.
The car had a single core, cross flow radiator in it. Never any sign of running warm.
I've never used block sealer by name but I have used the Barr's radiator stop leak a number of times, always with success and never any negative side effects that were obvious. It doesn't clog the cooling system. It simply goes to where it finds air, seals it and the rest that's not needed stays in suspension in the cooling system.
Some block sealers are supposed to be drained after the initial dose and that may be to drain out excess sealer that may clog your system. It's important to follow directions on the can.
I installed the engine in a '65 Chevy II along with a can of Barr's Stop leak. Gave the car to my kid to drive. He ran it a year and a half. No coolant loss and the engine ran fine until one day it quit. I took it apart. A connecting rod had siezed to the crank and broke it and took out the camshaft in the process.
The car had a single core, cross flow radiator in it. Never any sign of running warm.
I've never used block sealer by name but I have used the Barr's radiator stop leak a number of times, always with success and never any negative side effects that were obvious. It doesn't clog the cooling system. It simply goes to where it finds air, seals it and the rest that's not needed stays in suspension in the cooling system.
Some block sealers are supposed to be drained after the initial dose and that may be to drain out excess sealer that may clog your system. It's important to follow directions on the can.
: I have used Barr's Stop Leak many times, and I have never had a problem,and its always worked for me. I would drain the coolant out,and flush that block out with vinegar and water. I would also remove the block drains and take a coat hanger and clean all the junk out of there. Refill with 50/50 and go for a drive. When the temp reach's 180 degrees, at 20 mph,put it in 4th gear, and floor it. In other words,lug the motor and try to make it detonate. If it doesn't spark knock,continue driving and see if the temp continues to rise,and if the spark knock comes back. I think I would do this test with the thermostat removed,since it was exposed to the block sealer. Of course I would keep close to home while I do these test, just in case.
I would also check the lower radiator hose and make sure the spring is inside,and hasn't rusted away and collapsed.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 109
Likes: 1
From: Huntsville, AL
Good news! I had the system flushed/back flushed, and the pinging is gone, and the temp is about 175. The block sealer had clogged up the system. Now runs great....no overheatig, no engine clatter. Thanks for all of you guy's help!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
Likes: 1,874
From: Greenville, Indiana
?????
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,145
Army
Kinda what AZDoug and I were saying a few posts back...I almost ruined my wife's old Duster by adding that stuff...
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 26,118
Likes: 1,874
From: Greenville, Indiana
As one who is naturally curious and has used the Barr's a number of times with success, I thought I'l do some surfing on the proper instructions to using block sealer. I couldn't find any product instructions but there's a ton of testimony to be found about car owners using block sealers in their car.
An overview of what I read is that most that used the stuff had success with it and saved very large repair expenses. Some reported permanent fixes, some not. Some people claimed that it will stop up cooling systems but I'm not sure those people even used the product. The one thing that stood out was to "follow the instructions". The large majority of respondents reported the cooling system was draind and thoroughly flushed before adding the stop leak. The engine was run some amount of time to heat up and circulate the chemical and then the engine allowed to cool. The most important step appears to be to then flush out of the cooling system, ALL RESIDUAL SEALANT before then adding the 50-50 anti-freeze final fill.
If almost sounds like in this case when D Wolfe took his car to the flush place, he just completed the last step of the process. He says it doesn't lose water. Doesn't overheat and doesn't ping. What more could he ask for?
