Oil Stop Leak Additives Recommendations

[hrv]

ATP 205....

 

[Carlostrece]

Is there oil on the ground under it in the mornings?

A few drops. I put some Blue Devil Stop Leak in it. Still too soon to know if it'll stop leaking.

 

[Carlostrece]

My minor oil leak/drip has stopped completely. The cure was easy. My cousin changed my oil from synthetic to blend.

I switched from Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic 5w30 to Maxlife Blend 5w30. No more leak/drip. It was a near instant cure.

I know it's not dripping because my cousin put fresh, clean flattened cardboard box on the floor under where my car is parked. It's a week later now. He's driven the car 3x in the last week. The cardboard is still clean. Not a drop of oil on it.

 

[Retirednow]

My minor oil leak/drip has stopped completely. The cure was easy. My cousin changed my oil from synthetic to blend.

I switched from Valvoline Maxlife Synthetic 5w30 to Maxlife Blend 5w30. No more leak/drip. It was a near instant cure.

I know it's not dripping because my cousin put fresh, clean flattened cardboard box on the floor under where my car is parked. It's a week later now. He's driven the car 3x in the last week. The cardboard is still clean. Not a drop of oil on it.

You added Blue Devil Stop Leak recently, which takes time to work, but you believe it’s an oil change…

 

[Carlostrece]

You added Blue Devil Stop Leak recently, which takes time to work, but you believe it’s an oil change…

I think Blue Devil had little or nothing to do with it. I think it was the oil change from Maxlife Syn to Maxlife Blend. I'll explain why I think that.

Blue Devil is supposed to be left in for at 300-500 miles. However, soon after I put it in, I saw a video where testing was done of various brands of oil additive stop leak additives. The tests were to determine how the additives affected lubrication, seals & gaskets.

According to the video tests... ATP205 worked the best. Blue Devil signifigantly degraded lubrication in the tests and didn't do much to stop leaks.

After watching the video, I didn't want Blue Devil in my oil because it signifigantly degrades lubrication.

So I had my cousin change my oil ASAP. At the time he changed my oil, Blue Devil was in my oil for 30 miles for a week. Blue Devil supposed to be in oil for 300-500 miles to stop a leak.

I can't know for sure that Blue Devil had nothing to do with stopping my leak, but it seems more likely that it was switching to Maxlife Blend that stopped the leak.

We'll never know for sure which thing stopped the leak. Maybe it was both. However, I now know Blue Devil is detrimental to lubrication (and not very helpful for leaks) so I no longer recommend it.

If I was going to use a stop leak product in future, it'd be ATP205 because it's the most effective product for stopping leaks. However, ATP205 does degrade lubrication. See video.

ATP205 & Blue Devil Oil Stop Leak both degrade lubrication, but at least ATP205 is effective at stopping leaks. Blue Devil is only slightly effective at stopping leaks. See video where both are tested.

Maxlife Blend is my preferred cure for leaks because it's 100% safe because it lubricates well. I think it's also what stopped my leak.

Click here to watch the video I was referring too where various stop oil leak products are tested.

 

[Carlostrece]

I noticed my prior post has an embassingly high amount of redundancy in it. I typed it late at night when I was sleepy. But its info is relevant.

 

[Rygrego]

My 97 Buick Park Ave full size luxury car with 100K miles on it still runs great. It idles smooth, has good power, and averages 33 mpg on highway at 70 mph. It does not lose any engine coolant.

For most of its life it had 10w30 conventional with no leaks. Then I switched it to Mobil One 5w40 synthetic and still no leaks. Several oil changes later I switched it to Penzoil 5w40 and still no leaks. It used those thicker synthetics for 10 years with no leaks.

At my last oil change I switched to Valvoline 5w30 Maxlife High Mileage full synthetic. It started having a slow drip from an unknown place. My cousin looked for it and can't find it. We have to add about ⅓ quart oil every 500 miles. So it's a minor leak, but messy and annoying.

My cousin replaced the PCV yesterday in case that might help. We haven't driven it since. So we don't know if that will help.

The Valvoline 5w30 full syn ML HM oil is still too new to change.

Are there good seal conditioner additives that you guys recommend that actually work and are safe for my engine?

I have used AT205 with good results in my Jeep TJ 4.0. I add 1 bottle a year and my rear main leak is gone.

 

[FoxProTwisty]

You could try AT-205 but at the age of the vehicle it's probably a waste. You cant just add plasticizer to dried out, beat to death rubber and hope for a miracle.

I've used it before and it seems to me it's a chemical that would work best for gaskets that would normally fail, but you're going to catch them before they do. I put a bottle in probably a year before I had my rear main replaced and when my mechanic handed it to me it was still as hard as a hockey puck.

 

[Carlostrece]

You could try AT-205 but at the age of the vehicle it's probably a waste. You cant just add plasticizer to dried out, beat to death rubber and hope for a miracle.

I've used it before and it seems to me it's a chemical that would work best for gaskets that would normally fail, but you're going to catch them before they do. I put a bottle in probably a year before I had my rear main replaced and when my mechanic handed it to me it was still as hard as a hockey puck.

I changed from Maxlife Synthetic to Maxlife Blend and the oil leak stopped.

 

[Paco Pena]

If Blue Devil oil stop leak does not fix an oil leak, then you likely need a new gasket or seal. End of story. And a bump up in viscosity can help as well with leaks and consumption. Also, we have had good results with Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W-30 oil by itself, or HPL EC40 in a 5W-40 or 10W-40 oil for heavier viscosity needs or warm weather. Things to try perhaps before tackling a repair.

If I have to roll the dice on a last ditch additive it's Blue Devil for the win. Both stop leak and head gasket. Follow the instructions to the letter.

Paco