1990 Coolant Pellets/Sealant
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,677
Likes: 812
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
"Coolant Pellets" and their usage.
Hello again,
Arbee, you may be right about GM not replacing Heater Cores under warranty due to excessive sealants. They have replaced a lot of heater cores in recent years but do to them leaking under warranty. It is on the internet, i.e. http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topi...-smell-in-cab/ "2014 Silverado going in to service on Monday for antifreeze smell in cab with heat and or on auto...Has anyone else had issues? As of last Monday there were 29 heater cores ordered by gm dealerships, (wife works at gm call center, had her look it up) no special notes from dealerships on the order.. seems like alot for a part that shouldnt have to be replaced very often..Will keep everyone updated on diagnosis from Gm dealer..."
A trained GM mechanic would know the danger of using too much sealant inside the cooling system so they would simply replace the unit. We will probably never know as I doubt that the people at GM would tell us the whole truth as it is bad for business.
Most leaks seem to happen after the warranty expires. There are people who see Bars Leak Pellets or the GM Coolant pellets as a simple solution for leaks. This product was never intended to stop "all" leaks, and it is not the proper way to stop "any leak" I have ever known.
I personally have in fact replaced three heater cores that were fouled by the Bars Leaks or something similar. One was in a Merkur XR4Ti (German Ford/Mercury), one in a 1980 Ford F-150 Pickup and the last one was a 1969 Impala. I cut open each one of the units and physically saw with my own two eyes the damage done by an excess of sealing material.
I suspect that these cars were owned previously by people who thought "more is better", "hey if one works okay lets put in two or three or even the whole pack". All three had large and small passages blocked and were rendered useless by the excessive usage of some sort of sealant added to the coolant. The Merkur was a dead give away as the heater did not work when my brother bought it and when I questioned the previous owner he admitted to using Bars Leaks multiple times to slow the loss of coolant from his radiator.
All three of the cars mentioned had little to no heat coming out of the heater inside the car. Pressure testing the cores indicated a blockage. I personally replaced them with new heater cores. The Merkur heater core was expensive and we tried a variety of solvents to clean or soften the material to no avail.
Why did GM do this with these "Sealant" pellets? It sounds like they were having trouble when they were using more and more aluminum in the engine blocks. It is and was a "Micky Mouse" fix in my humble opinion and if they had the production problems "solved" they would not have needed them.
Arbee, you may be right about GM not replacing Heater Cores under warranty due to excessive sealants. They have replaced a lot of heater cores in recent years but do to them leaking under warranty. It is on the internet, i.e. http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topi...-smell-in-cab/ "2014 Silverado going in to service on Monday for antifreeze smell in cab with heat and or on auto...Has anyone else had issues? As of last Monday there were 29 heater cores ordered by gm dealerships, (wife works at gm call center, had her look it up) no special notes from dealerships on the order.. seems like alot for a part that shouldnt have to be replaced very often..Will keep everyone updated on diagnosis from Gm dealer..."
A trained GM mechanic would know the danger of using too much sealant inside the cooling system so they would simply replace the unit. We will probably never know as I doubt that the people at GM would tell us the whole truth as it is bad for business.
Most leaks seem to happen after the warranty expires. There are people who see Bars Leak Pellets or the GM Coolant pellets as a simple solution for leaks. This product was never intended to stop "all" leaks, and it is not the proper way to stop "any leak" I have ever known.
I personally have in fact replaced three heater cores that were fouled by the Bars Leaks or something similar. One was in a Merkur XR4Ti (German Ford/Mercury), one in a 1980 Ford F-150 Pickup and the last one was a 1969 Impala. I cut open each one of the units and physically saw with my own two eyes the damage done by an excess of sealing material.
I suspect that these cars were owned previously by people who thought "more is better", "hey if one works okay lets put in two or three or even the whole pack". All three had large and small passages blocked and were rendered useless by the excessive usage of some sort of sealant added to the coolant. The Merkur was a dead give away as the heater did not work when my brother bought it and when I questioned the previous owner he admitted to using Bars Leaks multiple times to slow the loss of coolant from his radiator.
All three of the cars mentioned had little to no heat coming out of the heater inside the car. Pressure testing the cores indicated a blockage. I personally replaced them with new heater cores. The Merkur heater core was expensive and we tried a variety of solvents to clean or soften the material to no avail.
Why did GM do this with these "Sealant" pellets? It sounds like they were having trouble when they were using more and more aluminum in the engine blocks. It is and was a "Micky Mouse" fix in my humble opinion and if they had the production problems "solved" they would not have needed them.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,677
Likes: 812
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Hello again,
Arbee, you may be right about GM not replacing Heater Cores under warranty due to excessive sealants. They have replaced a lot of heater cores in recent years but do to them leaking under warranty. It is on the internet, i.e. http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topi...-smell-in-cab/ "2014 Silverado going in to service on Monday for antifreeze smell in cab with heat and or on auto...Has anyone else had issues? As of last Monday there were 29 heater cores ordered by gm dealerships, (wife works at gm call center, had her look it up) no special notes from dealerships on the order.. seems like alot for a part that shouldnt have to be replaced very often..Will keep everyone updated on diagnosis from Gm dealer..."
A trained GM mechanic would know the danger of using too much sealant inside the cooling system so they would simply replace the unit. We will probably never know as I doubt that the people at GM would tell us the whole truth as it is bad for business.
Most leaks seem to happen after the warranty expires. There are people who see Bars Leak Pellets or the GM Coolant pellets as a simple solution for leaks. This product was never intended to stop "all" leaks, and it is not the proper way to stop "any leak" I have ever known.
I personally have in fact replaced three heater cores that were fouled by the Bars Leaks or something similar. One was in a Merkur XR4Ti (German Ford/Mercury), one in a 1980 Ford F-150 Pickup and the last one was a 1969 Impala. I cut open each one of the units and physically saw with my own two eyes the damage done by an excess of sealing material.
I suspect that these cars were owned previously by people who thought "more is better", "hey if one works okay lets put in two or three or even the whole pack". All three had large and small passages blocked and were rendered useless by the excessive usage of some sort of sealant added to the coolant. The Merkur was a dead give away as the heater did not work when my brother bought it and when I questioned the previous owner he admitted to using Bars Leaks multiple times to slow the loss of coolant from his radiator.
All three of the cars mentioned had little to no heat coming out of the heater inside the car. Pressure testing the cores indicated a blockage. I personally replaced them with new heater cores. The Merkur heater core was expensive and we tried a variety of solvents to clean or soften the material to no avail.
Why did GM do this with these "Sealant" pellets? It sounds like they were having trouble when they were using more and more aluminum in the engine blocks. It is and was a "Micky Mouse" fix in my humble opinion and if they had the production problems "solved" they would not have needed them.
Arbee, you may be right about GM not replacing Heater Cores under warranty due to excessive sealants. They have replaced a lot of heater cores in recent years but do to them leaking under warranty. It is on the internet, i.e. http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topi...-smell-in-cab/ "2014 Silverado going in to service on Monday for antifreeze smell in cab with heat and or on auto...Has anyone else had issues? As of last Monday there were 29 heater cores ordered by gm dealerships, (wife works at gm call center, had her look it up) no special notes from dealerships on the order.. seems like alot for a part that shouldnt have to be replaced very often..Will keep everyone updated on diagnosis from Gm dealer..."
A trained GM mechanic would know the danger of using too much sealant inside the cooling system so they would simply replace the unit. We will probably never know as I doubt that the people at GM would tell us the whole truth as it is bad for business.
Most leaks seem to happen after the warranty expires. There are people who see Bars Leak Pellets or the GM Coolant pellets as a simple solution for leaks. This product was never intended to stop "all" leaks, and it is not the proper way to stop "any leak" I have ever known.
I personally have in fact replaced three heater cores that were fouled by the Bars Leaks or something similar. One was in a Merkur XR4Ti (German Ford/Mercury), one in a 1980 Ford F-150 Pickup and the last one was a 1969 Impala. I cut open each one of the units and physically saw with my own two eyes the damage done by an excess of sealing material.
I suspect that these cars were owned previously by people who thought "more is better", "hey if one works okay lets put in two or three or even the whole pack". All three had large and small passages blocked and were rendered useless by the excessive usage of some sort of sealant added to the coolant. The Merkur was a dead give away as the heater did not work when my brother bought it and when I questioned the previous owner he admitted to using Bars Leaks multiple times to slow the loss of coolant from his radiator.
All three of the cars mentioned had little to no heat coming out of the heater inside the car. Pressure testing the cores indicated a blockage. I personally replaced them with new heater cores. The Merkur heater core was expensive and we tried a variety of solvents to clean or soften the material to no avail.
Why did GM do this with these "Sealant" pellets? It sounds like they were having trouble when they were using more and more aluminum in the engine blocks. It is and was a "Micky Mouse" fix in my humble opinion and if they had the production problems "solved" they would not have needed them.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
Response,
If I were you, I would not waste my time buying lottery tickets. You seem to have the shittiest luck of anyone I have heard of. Personally, I have never experienced this phenomenon or know of anyone in my midst that has either and you have had THREE. I have used pellets in everything from combine engines to snowmobiles and I live in one of the coldest areas in North America - still have all my fingers and toes! Once again, this is anecdotal and I see no clear evidence of the "clogging" legend. If improperly used, maybe! More likely than not due to improper maintenance. When I see a notification from a legitimate lab such as Consumer Reports or other recognized testing organization I will alter my thinking. Internet lore is not the least bit reliable.
You said it was just a "story" and I corrected you.
Accept that as it is.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,677
Likes: 812
From: Saskatoon Sask.
So you are saying here that manufacturer approved sealing tablets "clog" up the heater core but throwing a chicken egg in the radiator is OK?
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Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,474
Likes: 3,291
From: Hartford WI
Most leaks seem to happen after the warranty expires. There are people who see Bars Leak Pellets or the GM Coolant pellets as a simple solution for leaks. This product was never intended to stop "all" leaks, and it is not the proper way to stop "any leak" I have ever known.
I personally have in fact replaced three heater cores that were fouled by the Bars Leaks or something similar. One was in a Merkur XR4Ti (German Ford/Mercury), one in a 1980 Ford F-150 Pickup and the last one was a 1969 Impala. I cut open each one of the units and physically saw with my own two eyes the damage done by an excess of sealing material.
I suspect that these cars were owned previously by people who thought "more is better", "hey if one works okay lets put in two or three or even the whole pack". All three had large and small passages blocked and were rendered useless by the excessive usage of some sort of sealant added to the coolant. The Merkur was a dead give away as the heater did not work when my brother bought it and when I questioned the previous owner he admitted to using Bars Leaks multiple times to slow the loss of coolant from his radiator.
Why did GM do this with these "Sealant" pellets? It sounds like they were having trouble when they were using more and more aluminum in the engine blocks. It is and was a "Micky Mouse" fix in my humble opinion and if they had the production problems "solved" they would not have needed them.
I personally have in fact replaced three heater cores that were fouled by the Bars Leaks or something similar. One was in a Merkur XR4Ti (German Ford/Mercury), one in a 1980 Ford F-150 Pickup and the last one was a 1969 Impala. I cut open each one of the units and physically saw with my own two eyes the damage done by an excess of sealing material.
I suspect that these cars were owned previously by people who thought "more is better", "hey if one works okay lets put in two or three or even the whole pack". All three had large and small passages blocked and were rendered useless by the excessive usage of some sort of sealant added to the coolant. The Merkur was a dead give away as the heater did not work when my brother bought it and when I questioned the previous owner he admitted to using Bars Leaks multiple times to slow the loss of coolant from his radiator.
Why did GM do this with these "Sealant" pellets? It sounds like they were having trouble when they were using more and more aluminum in the engine blocks. It is and was a "Micky Mouse" fix in my humble opinion and if they had the production problems "solved" they would not have needed them.
Why did you even buy that thing? When I had it, Ford treated it like the basturd child it didn't want to admit it had with the crack *****. I should know. I had the Scorpio and the XR4Ti. XR4Ti was a fun car to modify but when things break, you can't get OE parts. I changed to a T-bird EEC-IV, added intercooler, T3/T4 turbo, head ported, C4 trans and other crap. Always blowing head gaskets.
Seems to be the way of the backyard mechanic