brillo_76
Elite Member
Very bad idea to use any kind of stop leak in an engine. Honestly, does more damage then good
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1997 5vz-fe weird misfire only at idle!!
- Thread starter jharri7140
- Start date
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I would never recommend any of the head gasket repair additives unless you have no plan on reusing the engine (as in you are swapping the engine at a later time and need to buy some time). Those additives can do some weird stuff to the coolant passageways/thermostat/water pump.
I'd suggest Holt's Radweld or genuine Subaru conditioner if going this route. It's different and less harmful than most others.
octanejunkie
Elite Member
Read up on Subaru Conditioner, seems the factory recommends it as an coolant additive on the regular to solve for a ln endemic issue - head gasket issues
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brillo_76
Elite Member
Interesting. If it doesn't clog up the water jackets etc. It's probably a great product for a temporary fix. Till it can be fixed properly. Our at least buy you time to get all the parts you need. Save up the money for the repair.
Being it's cast block to aluminum heads its only a matter of time till the head gaskets fail. As the metals heat up and expand and extract at different rates.
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jharri7140
New member
Older head gasket sealants were very bad about clogging thermostats, water jackets, etc. I spent a while extensively researching results from different sealant products. Based off the severity of my head gasket leak it was minor compared to leaks other people had been able to solve using head gasket sealant. So I made the gamble and bought some K-Seal ultimate and threw it in, making sure to follow the proper procedure for the sealant. Luckily for me it was a success and sealed the leak up, now begs the question of how long I have till it opens back up again, or if it opens back up even worse.
I did find out that the Subaru head gasket head gasket conditioner is just rebranded bar leaks so keep this in mind..
I don't want to make waves with you, Jon. I have very much respect for your knowledge and experience. Please keep this in mind.
The genuine Subaru coolant conditioner is not the same as Bar's Leaks products. It may share some similarities, but the formulation is different, and is much less likely to cause clogging of a healthy cooling system.
Genuine Subaru coolant conditioner is manufactured in England by Holt's, and is the same as their product Radweld. It even says so on the bottle.
There has been no credible evidence that I have seen to support the notion that it causes any clogging issues with engines, radiators or heater cores when used properly.
Here's a thread from a VW Vanagon forum (my '87 Westfalia is my other hobby vehicle) that started out blasting the product but later reversed the position contending that it is not harmful. The author is a very well respected engine builder within the VW platform. Please read all of the posts before rendering your opinion.
thesamba.com - Thread discussing Subaru coolant conditioner
brillo_76
Elite Member
I don't want to make waves with you, Jon. I have very much respect for your knowledge and experience. Please keep this in mind.
The genuine Subaru coolant conditioner is not the same as Bar's Leaks products. It may share some similarities, but the formulation is different, and is much less likely to cause clogging of a healthy cooling system.
Genuine Subaru coolant conditioner is manufactured in England by Holt's, and is the same as their product Radweld. It even says so on the bottle.
There has been no credible evidence that I have seen to support the notion that it causes any clogging issues with engines, radiators or heater cores when used properly.
Here's a thread from a VW Vanagon forum (my '87 Westfalia is my other hobby vehicle) that started out blasting the product but later reversed the position contending that it is not harmful. The author is a very well respected engine builder within the VW platform. Please read all of the posts before rendering your opinion.
thesamba.com - Thread discussing Subaru coolant conditioner
Oh no problem with waves..
I got that information from a mechanic. here is a link: Please Wait... | Cloudflare
Its all very similar. The car mfg did this to get the engines past their warranty times. Its bad engine designs causing most of it. The head gaskets are failing causing the leaks.. :-(
In our case, its from the cast block and aluminum heads. Heating and cooling at different rates. I forget how many revisions toyota did on these head gaskets to make them better. (like 5 or 9 )
I personally stay away from the coolant leak sealants myself.
Plus folks can do as they wish..Its their rigs.
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