Coolant leak
#1
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#2
you're pronouncing it wrong, it's called Bar's "HEAT-stop"
it's job is to clog pinhole leaks, and very temporarily only.
what's good for business, is that it likes to clog the small holes in the heater core too, and when that's clogged, you have no heat.
then when it comes time for me to fix it, i have to fix the original problem(the leak), then the clogged core, then whatever else is clogged, then sometimes i get to do a headgasket (or other major repair) because someone ran it low on coolant 1 too many times.
depending on the car (which we don't know!) you can buy a very cheap, 'made in taiwan' radiator for under $100, it will work good for about 3-4 years before the fins start falling out and it starts overheating again. i call these 'body shop special' radiators.
you're welcome to use it (bar's) i thought i'd let you know what can happen and isn't printed on the label. it's helped a few people, or they wouldn't be in business still. i'm just stating what i've seen.
it's job is to clog pinhole leaks, and very temporarily only.
what's good for business, is that it likes to clog the small holes in the heater core too, and when that's clogged, you have no heat.
then when it comes time for me to fix it, i have to fix the original problem(the leak), then the clogged core, then whatever else is clogged, then sometimes i get to do a headgasket (or other major repair) because someone ran it low on coolant 1 too many times.
depending on the car (which we don't know!) you can buy a very cheap, 'made in taiwan' radiator for under $100, it will work good for about 3-4 years before the fins start falling out and it starts overheating again. i call these 'body shop special' radiators.
you're welcome to use it (bar's) i thought i'd let you know what can happen and isn't printed on the label. it's helped a few people, or they wouldn't be in business still. i'm just stating what i've seen.
#3
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I did a little research on stop leak products a while back. There are a lot of them out there. From what I found the one that seemed to be the best was the original Bars leak. It is a brown liquid with pellets in it. It is the only stop leaK product approved by general motors from what I found. They claim it will not clog heater cores. It solidifies when it hits air and supposedly stays liquid inside the cooling system.
It is not for every problem and should be considered a temporary repair. I had a visable cylinder head crack in my daughter's Grand Am. The coolant would run out of the crack. I was willing to roll the dice and try stop leak as opposed to pulling the head.
The Bars Leak worked great. After I put it in it would leave a stain at the crack but the leakage was so small I only had to add a cup or two of coolany every few months for the next 2 years she had the car and the heater worked great and the radiator had no trouble keeping the car cool in the hot summer city traffic with the AC on.
I was very pleased with the results. There are many variables that will affect the ability of stop leak to work. For one if you have a dirty cooling system it will be like trying to put glue over dirt.
If you have a good car and plan to keep it I suggest biting the bullet & fixing the problem. For an older car as long as you know it may or may not work it may be worth trying. If the cooling system is dirty plan on flushing it with a good cleaning soultion first or probably won't work.
It is not for every problem and should be considered a temporary repair. I had a visable cylinder head crack in my daughter's Grand Am. The coolant would run out of the crack. I was willing to roll the dice and try stop leak as opposed to pulling the head.
The Bars Leak worked great. After I put it in it would leave a stain at the crack but the leakage was so small I only had to add a cup or two of coolany every few months for the next 2 years she had the car and the heater worked great and the radiator had no trouble keeping the car cool in the hot summer city traffic with the AC on.
I was very pleased with the results. There are many variables that will affect the ability of stop leak to work. For one if you have a dirty cooling system it will be like trying to put glue over dirt.
If you have a good car and plan to keep it I suggest biting the bullet & fixing the problem. For an older car as long as you know it may or may not work it may be worth trying. If the cooling system is dirty plan on flushing it with a good cleaning soultion first or probably won't work.
#5
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Junk
Junk I tell ya Junk I used it once many years ago and never again. I used it in an old 89 Chevy pickup with a 350 Did not work and polluted my whole system for years,
Stained my coolant tank and just would not come out no matter how much I flushed I always had a brown goop in the water.
Fix the problem and leave the miracle in the can on the shelf.
Stained my coolant tank and just would not come out no matter how much I flushed I always had a brown goop in the water.
Fix the problem and leave the miracle in the can on the shelf.
#6
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Re: Junk
Originally posted by michael van
Junk I tell ya Junk I used it once many years ago and never again. I used it in an old 89 Chevy pickup with a 350 Did not work and polluted my whole system for years,
Stained my coolant tank and just would not come out no matter how much I flushed I always had a brown goop in the water.
Fix the problem and leave the miracle in the can on the shelf.
Junk I tell ya Junk I used it once many years ago and never again. I used it in an old 89 Chevy pickup with a 350 Did not work and polluted my whole system for years,
Stained my coolant tank and just would not come out no matter how much I flushed I always had a brown goop in the water.
Fix the problem and leave the miracle in the can on the shelf.
It does make the coolant look pretty bad but it worked fine for me.
#7
i worked at napa auto parts for 9 1/2 yrs and i found that when the customer followed the directions bars leak worked as it said.
however when shortcuts were taken it normally didnt. bars has the original with the pellets pt # plt-11 and they also have the liquid copper both of these require draining and flushing before ever putting it in that is the key if you use please follow all the directions. also k&w block seal is a great prod. i have seen these work in everything from 74 c30 pickup to a 99 cad dev with alum engine. hope my .02 is helpfull
however when shortcuts were taken it normally didnt. bars has the original with the pellets pt # plt-11 and they also have the liquid copper both of these require draining and flushing before ever putting it in that is the key if you use please follow all the directions. also k&w block seal is a great prod. i have seen these work in everything from 74 c30 pickup to a 99 cad dev with alum engine. hope my .02 is helpfull