Headgasket sealant: I try stuff so you don't have to!

[Retired VIP]

There's also some risk associated with the repair- quality of services
is not always top notch (people encounter various problems associated
with the repair such as mis-alighnned belt teeth, etc.), also Subaru head
gaskets can be a nasty re-occuring problem.

I am a great fan of giving patch-up jobs a chance.

They do work many times and can be economical, if done the
right way and without delay (!). If the guy can get 10K, or
15k, miles out of some cheap fix what's wrong with that?

M.J.

I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were doing the wrong thing
in using it. I was just amazed at how much prep work was needed
before you even broke the seal on the can.

There's risk associated with just getting out of bed in the morning,
so that isn't a good reason for using it but cost is. The last time I
pulled a head to replace a head gasket was on a '49 Merc flat-head V8.
That was like pulling the head on my lawn mower. I don't know what
kind of work you'd have in pulling the head on your Subaru.

Jack

 

[z]

OK, 'repairing' the headgaskets on the Subaru. Using some stuff called
Bar's Head gasket repair.

http://www.barsproducts.com/1100.htm

Yeah, I've got some snake oil in the refrigerator, too.

All the car has to do is last until April or May. If this stuff works,
fine. It's supposed to be permanent, but I'm keeping my betting money in
my pocket.

If you want to try this stuff, be prepared to spend a couple days (or one
good summer day; of course, the gaskets on my car couldn't wait for nicer
weather...) I was also looking at K&W Permanent Head gasket and block
repair

http://www.autocarepronews.com/default.aspx?type=art&id=5191&

I bought the Bar's stuff since they're as old as dirt. I called tech
support at both places before beginning and they both stressed one thing:
Make sure ALL the anti-freeze is out of the engine! If you flush the
system, and the water is running yellow, flush it again. It has to be
clear water. The were both adamant about this.

So, I spent yesterday draining, filling, draining, flushing, draining,
filling, flushing until the water coming out of any open orifice was
crystal clear. By this time it was 9PM and I had to eveict the Supra from
the heated garage, since there was still some water and NO anti-freeze in
the engine.

This morning I put the thermostat back in and placed a hose to bypass the
heater core. This was a thought I had, and even though it is not mentioned
on either bottle in the detailed instructions, both tech support people
recommended this since the heater core has smaller passages than the
radiator.

I mixed the stuff according to instructions; one bottle with 3 quarts warm
water, and filled the radiator. They want to make sure the cooling system
is full, so you run the car until the t-stat opens, shut it down ,wait and
check. Refill and start again. Do this a couple times until the radiator
is full.

Then start the car and run it at a high idle. This is where I am right
now. I have to admit, the 'chuffing' sound the car was making is
subsiding. You have to run the car at a high idle for 20-30 minutes. It
also says if the leak has just started or is very small, to return the
engine to normal idle and run of one hour. Since the gaskets just started
going, this is what I'll do. I am almost at the end of the 20 minute high
idle cycle now, and as I said, the chuffing noise is drastically
diminished.

After this is complete, you cool the car again, and drain the mixture out
of the car. My poor Supra is going to have to stay outside (first time
it's seen snow in 5 years...) because you have to drain the colling system
thoroughly and let it sit for at least 12 hours, and then flush again,
then refill with regular anti-freeze.

Wish me luck...

I would think it depends on the leak, no? a leak into the combustion
chamber or exhaust would be a lot harder to fix with something you put
into the coolant, than a leak into the intake side.

 

[nobody >]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!

You're kidding, right?

the 727 Torqueflight is still one of the strongest automatic
transmissions ever made up till about '95.

 

[Hachiroku]

The Torqueflite in my car has been working great
for over 30 years

This is the key statement.

Chrysler went to ATF +3, and then to ATF +4.

Problem was, their customers stayed with Dexron/Mercon. Doesn't work in a
Chrysler tranny...

 

[Ashton Crusher]

Every car maker makes a few bad cars.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

Almost every import my family has owned has been as or more trouble
prone then any "American" car they have owned.

 

[Ashton Crusher]

Well, this is encouraging. What product did you use?

It wasn't Barrs. K&W sounds familiar. The instructions were
identical to yours. The car went from running on three cylinders to
purring like a kitten on four. Then the tranny started failing.....

Hmmm...this is not good. I have had a passle of Toyotas, and each one is
better than the one before. My first was in 1974, so by the 80's I had
some pretty decent cars!

Every once in a while you hear a horror story about a Toyota, but nowhere
near as much as Fords or Chevys...or Chrysler trannies!

I drive my vehicles pedal to the medal quite often. I've never had
that cause a problem with any car until this Toyota. The tranny just
couldn't deal with full throttle for long.

 

[Ashton Crusher]

I don't know where you get that idea, Chrysler transmissions are
pretty much the gold standard. The Torqueflite in my car has been
working great for over 30 years, needing no attention other than the
occasional fluid and filter change.

That may have been the last good transmission Chrysler made. We have
some diesel 4x4 Dodges at work and the automatic trans went out in
quite a few of them at around 30K, which was still in warranty. The
"fix", besides repairing the transmission, was to flash the engine
computer to reduce the engine power output to protect their crappy
transmission from blowing up again.

 

[Hachiroku]

It wasn't Barrs. K&W sounds familiar. The instructions were identical to
yours. The car went from running on three cylinders to purring like a
kitten on four. Then the tranny started failing.....

Yeah, K&W Nanotechnology Head Gasket Repair. They were side by side on the
shelf.

I decided $9.99 was enough for snake oil rather than $19.99...

 

[clare at snyder.on.ca]

Yeah, K&W Nanotechnology Head Gasket Repair. They were side by side on the
shelf.

I decided $9.99 was enough for snake oil rather than $19.99...

Solved both the headgasket AND heater core leaks on my cousin's Soob -
worked 'till he scrapped it a year later. The car was NOT worth
replacing a gasket on, but it got him through the winter, where the
4wd was a necessity for him, then through the summer

 

[Hachiroku]

Solved both the headgasket AND heater core leaks on my cousin's Soob -
worked 'till he scrapped it a year later. The car was NOT worth
replacing a gasket on, but it got him through the winter, where the
4wd was a necessity for him, then through the summer

I'm not sure if it's working or not. The leak was intermittant to begin
with, and today was giving me trouble again, in that acceleration up hills
is sluggish.

Wish it were warmer, I'd just yank the d@mn head gaskets and do it!!!

 

[Bob Noble]

So, after you did all of this, you did not put some of Subaru's radiator
conditioner or an equivalent in the radiator?
How come? It's like you didn't finish your job.
You took one shot at patching the dam. Now you have another all time chance
at it, but you failed to do it and this chance is a more continuous chance
than the one time chance you tried.
I never tried the Sub's stuff, but I have used the Barsleak stuff with the
gray pellets twice successfully on head gasket leaks.
These products have some kind of plastic stuff that floats around in the
radiator coolant and flows into leaky holes as you use the car.
I repaired the used Sub I'm driving now several years ago just after I
bought it, with it.
Lucky for you, it's still not too late to try it.

 

[bigjimpack]

A 92 Daytona I knew went through 3 or 4 trannies. The extended
warranty paid pack more than any stockinvestment could with that
car!!!!

 

[Hachiroku]

So, after you did all of this, you did not put some of Subaru's radiator
conditioner or an equivalent in the radiator? How come? It's like you
didn't finish your job. You took one shot at patching the dam. Now you
have another all time chance at it, but you failed to do it and this
chance is a more continuous chance than the one time chance you tried.
I never tried the Sub's stuff, but I have used the Barsleak stuff with the
gray pellets twice successfully on head gasket leaks. These products have
some kind of plastic stuff that floats around in the radiator coolant and
flows into leaky holes as you use the car. I repaired the used Sub I'm
driving now several years ago just after I bought it, with it.
Lucky for you, it's still not too late to try it.

I used this:

http://www.barsproducts.com/1100.htm

and I put some Prestone Anti-rust in after.

This spring I'll tear the heads off and do it right...if the car doesn't
rust away in the mean time...

 

[Bob Noble]

Right, that's what I thought you used. The only other person I know of that
used that, it didn't work, but it might for you.
What I'm saying is if it doesn't work, use this.
http://www.barsproducts.com/PLT11.htm

It works similar to the Subaru radiator stuff they recommend to use to
prevent your problem.

 

[Hachiroku]

Right, that's what I thought you used. The only other person I know of
that used that, it didn't work, but it might for you. What I'm saying is
if it doesn't work, use this. http://www.barsproducts.com/PLT11.htm

It works similar to the Subaru radiator stuff they recommend to use to
prevent your problem.

Hmmm...I thought the Suby stuff was a lubricant/conditioner, to KEEP
things from going bad!

I drive the car 70 miles every night, and over the last three nights have
noticed something interesting: I start the car and drive it, and the
drivability is horrible after about 20 miles. Sluggish acceleration up
hills, lees than usual fuel economy.

I start the car and warm it up to where the thermostat opens. I shut the
car off for about 10-12 minutes until the engine cools almost to cold,
start the car and it runs great most of the night. If I stop and shut it
off again for a few minutes it 'rejuvenates' itself and runs great the
rest of the night.

I'm thinking the expansion and contraction of the block/heads has
something to do with this...

The gasket stuff seems to be working. It only has to go about 7 more
weeks, then it gets parked for the summer. Plenty of time to replace the
gaskets!

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

I drive the car 70 miles every night, and over the last three nights have
noticed something interesting: I start the car and drive it, and the
drivability is horrible after about 20 miles. Sluggish acceleration up
hills, lees than usual fuel economy.

I start the car and warm it up to where the thermostat opens. I shut the
car off for about 10-12 minutes until the engine cools almost to cold,
start the car and it runs great most of the night. If I stop and shut it
off again for a few minutes it 'rejuvenates' itself and runs great the
rest of the night.

Is there any chance that there's a gas tank venting problem?

 

[Hachiroku]

Is there any chance that there's a gas tank venting problem?

Hmmm...I fill it every night.
Some nights, if I over fill it I can smell gas...coming from the front of
the car. I looked at the charcoal cannister and noticed there is a vent on
the bottom. I assumed what was happening was by overfilling the tank I was
flooding the cannister and it was venting through the tube...

Why?

 

[Mike Romain]

Hmmm...I fill it every night.
Some nights, if I over fill it I can smell gas...coming from the front of
the car. I looked at the charcoal cannister and noticed there is a vent on
the bottom. I assumed what was happening was by overfilling the tank I was
flooding the cannister and it was venting through the tube...

Why?

If you saturate the active charcoal in that canister or muck up the air
filter on it's bottom like we do with our Jeeps, it puts a vacuum on the
gas tank causing the engine to starve for gas. Letting it sit lets the
vacuum go away and it runs again. One quick test is to open the gas cap
next time it happens. If it runs better right away, you have the likely
trouble.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
'New' frame in the works for '08. Some Canadian Bush Trip and Build
Photos: http://mikeromainjeeptrips.shutterfly.com

 

[larry moe 'n curly]

Hmmm...I fill it every night.
Some nights, if I over fill it I can smell gas...coming from the front of
the car. I looked at the charcoal cannister and noticed there is a vent on
the bottom. I assumed what was happening was by overfilling the tank I was
flooding the cannister and it was venting through the tube...

Why?

If the plumbing for the charcoal canister doesn't work right, it may
cause a vacuum to build up in the gas tank and eventually choke off
the engine (releasing the gas cap fixes it for a while). That happened
with my Toyota after I replaced a cracked hose going to the canister
because the new hose kinked.