chris1

On my 1986 Convertible that I just purchased used, it seems like it may be using a little coolant. I have used the Bar's Head Gasket Repair/Stop Leak in the past, but don't really want to gunk up the cooling system, etc on something that really won't do much good anyway. Has anyone had any positive experiences with any of the products out there on the market? I thought I saw one thread that someone posted that they has some success, but can't remember what brand it was. I'm hoping that if it is a small enough breach, maybe one of the higher end quality products may do just enough to seal whatever portion may have developed the small leak, and save me some $$$ on a head gasket(s) repair.........

Thanks

LoneStarV

No. Waste of money pull the head.

Joe C

my 2 cents - if you have a blown head gasket, that crap in a bottle, if it even works, is just a band-aid. might as well pull the heads and fix the problem - the right way!

Bobcatt

gums up everything. Worse on the heater

jcorkin

The head gasket repair stuff in a bottle can work well or only for a couple thousand miles, its a crap shot really. Had a friend with a bad head gasket in his dodge truck, we used a block sealer in a bottle and followed the directions to a t. Then we added bars stop leak after words just incase. He has been driving the truck for 20k miles since then with no issues, but i think it is nothing more than a band aid and sometimes you get lucky as my friend did. The real answer is replacing the head gasket. You can go the other route if you want but id never take her on a long road trip. Just my .02

C409

........ If you act now ... we'll include a second bottle absolutely free ... just pay shipping and handling ........... ............

eatmydst1234

Bluedevil used as per directions will last fir a while. Friend used it in his 5.0 explorer and it had worked well for over 5k miles

WW7

Head Gasket repair in a bottle? Do any really work?

Hell No!!!!

leesvet

Its junk science. Under SOME conditions, (usually NOT yours) and for certain
situations ( like those in the lab)...the chemistry is simple and reliable. Thing is, its indiscriminate...meaning EVERY small gap (radiator veins) and heater cores get the same treatment. And..
if its a head gasket thats under stress from combustion chamber pressure and exhaust gases..it won;t last too long. The exhaust gas pressure is higher than the seal pressure so it fails. For an intake leak it might work better...but again...heater and radiators get plugged as well. If a gasket is bad, stop leak MIGHT fill the leak but the gasket will continue to degrade in the damaged area and more leaking will take place...and you DO NOT keep adding stop leak.

I have seen a water passage in a head completely blocked by stop leak. That last water port in the back of left side...blocked off. No coolant circulation back there since that crap was added.
Its not a bad job to do right (new gaskets)considering the cost of stop leak and what the cost is to fix the other stuff it plugs up...

Speedjester

In some conditions yes it does work..I had winter beater that somehow snapped a head bolt... Car would smoke like a fog machine at idle.. Poured a bottle in and it worked.. Drove it like that for two winters.. Then gave the car to a friend.. Who drove it for another 4... But bare in mind I used it as an alternative to scraping the car as it wasn't worth the time to fix..

SPDKNGG

Only way is the right way..
Pull heads and have them inspected and milled.
Block could also have a hairline crack in the cylinder or jacket.
If this seems like to much work..might wanna sell the vette and buy a Ford.
True vette owners fix their pride and joy...not put a bandaid on it...
Fix it right!

chris1

Thanks for the replies, that's what I figured, I just had hoped that the technology had improved over the past 20 years or so beyond just dumping sludge into the radiator and hoping for the best............

So far, no visible leaks on the ground, but will pressure test to be sure; haven't had the car long enough to make an exact determination, so I will continue to investigate further; it blows a little smoke during the first few minutes of warm-up, then it goes away; my concern was when I was working on the A/C system last weekend, the fan came on at 223F as normal, however the coolant was bubbling/boiling back into the overflow tank; not sure I've seen that before; it has a new AC Delco 195F thermostat and all new hoses; the bubbling stopped when the temp went back down to around 200F; I just purchased one of the low fan temp switches from Corvette Central to turn the fan(s) on at 200F and off at 185F; also ordered a new AC Delco radiator cap (RC-27), so we'll see how that goes; need to drive it and put some additional miles on it to see if it is really losing any siginificant amount of coolant; just changed the oil last month, and it still looks great, so I'm hoping it's nothing major; just curious, how much should a shop charge (both parts and labor) to replace both head gaskets on these L98's?

SPDKNGG

Really depends on how it looks coming apart. Machining the heads and inspecting the block.
A quick cooling system pressure test will let you know if your leaking down.
Sounds like the thermostat might be old and not opening all the way or something.

Speedjester

Around here I would guess 900-1200 for a head gasket repair..extra for head work..


If your going to do it..your better off doing it yourself...Really not that difficult... Just make sure your organized and take pictures so you know how everything is routed...

chris1

Spd - Thermostat is brand new, just changed it with a 195F AC Delco unit, so hopefully I'm OK; upper radiator hose gets hot at 195F, so it looks like it is opening at the correct temperature.....

Speed: Not sure I can handle that type of job; love to do some stuff, however with potential broken bolts, incorrect tools, etc, I'd rather farm it out to someone that has more experience, and will provide a warranty for their work.........

Speedjester

Its really simple.. No special tools required really.... As for broken bolts hardest part the exhaust manifold and if you by chance you do snap one the machine shop can pull them easily when they inspect the heads..
But if your not comfortable do what you feel is best... If you take it to a shop make sure it's reputable.. And guarantee there work...

A story...Friend just had head gasket replaced on her Saab $1250 ..two weeks later the gasket went again... Garage stated they did it right and that the head must be cracked...They claimed they never sent heads out to inspect to save her money(they never gave her that option)...I got involved and after a lot of hassle they redid the job.. Guess what ..Heads were good.. Install was bad..

ejscarfo

Are you sure the smoke you're seeing isn't just typical water vapor? A blown head gasket will have thick white smoke and I doubt it will go away after a few minutes, at least I've never seen that.

To tackle the job yourself wouldn't be a bad idea and you'd save some money. The hardest part would be removing the front y-pipe bolts off the exhaust mainfolds. With a good set of tools, torq sockets and patience, the job can be done.

I knew guys that used to use the Barr's Leak and other sealers just so they could sell they headache to someone else. No one ever expects that stuff to last. It attacks everything, most of the time you wind up with a clogged heater core or radiator, especially if the car hasn't been maintained.

nutz4c4

Put your Hands on the TV and Pray... We'll ship it out right away....

Just BOB

I'd pressure test the cooling system first and see where the leak is before arbitrarily signing up for head gaskets. You could have a bad water pump shaft seal, hose leak or intake manifold leak. Check the oil level, then presurize the system, let it leak down, then check the oil level again and make sure it hasn't changed. If it has, you probably have a bad manifold gasket letting coolant leak into the lifter valley. Then pull ALL the plugs and spin the engine with the starter and look for coolant spraying out the plug holes. This step is very important because if you have filled a cylinder with as little as 30cc of coolant you can bend a rod if you try to crank the engine.

TPI BOY

Is this te stuff you were talking about
http://www.seal-a-head.com/page18.html