Subaru Coolant Conditioner

[2002 Maxima SE]

Hi all,

This product is mandatory additive when changing the coolant in my wife's 2004 Forester XT. When I opened it, it is a small blue bottle full of brown grainy liquid. Poured it in and let it mix..seems fine.

Does anyone know if this contains a stop leak additive like Bar's?

My wife's other car, 1993 Sable junker, has a head gasket leak. Should I use bar's or would I be safe using the Subaru Conditioner?

 

[unDummy]

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=488157

Radiator stop leak added as a bandaid for bad headgaskets, bummer!

 

[Winston]

It is amazing finding out about all of the screwed up engine designs out there. Hmmm

 

[oilyriser]

I should put up the photos of my engine after it was all "piston broke".

 

[Eddie]

Most manufactures use a "cooling system conditioner" these days. GM in particular adds at the factory as does Chrstler(sp) and now my Subaru. I suspose it is related to Aluminum blocks and heads and the conditioner is to stop "weepage" and not blown head gaskets.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

Well, we added it to the 93 Sable almost a month ago. The overflow tank has been stable ever since. Looks like it does a good job.

 

[LarryL]

GM makes something called "Cooling System Seal Tabs' and it's totally out of caracter for them. They really work. I had a sweet smell in my Volvo. I was leary of using something like Bar's Leak, but, as advised by Terry Dyson, tried the GM tabs and they worked, and the smell went away on the first long drive.

 

[brianl703]

From what I've been able to find out, GM's cooling system seal tabs are the exact same thing as Bar's Leaks Golden Seal (the powder in the tube that sells for about $1.50). The powder and tabs consist of ground-up ginger root. Bar's Leaks makes the seal tabs for GM.

As a side note, Bar's Leaks used to get the ginger root from Vernor's (makers of Vernor's Ginger Ale), when Vernor's was still located in Michigan. It was basically what Vernor's threw out.

 

[Eddie]

Wow ginger ale in my radiator instead of in my mixed drink.

 

[bott63]

I used to have an '88 caddy CDV, 4.5L.. Factory required the use of those 'Bown Tabs' at coolant change... I was told that they were a corrosion inhibitor for the alum. heads... Always used them with no probs... Other than it made the coolant look a putrid brown color...

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

I have about 5k on the 1993 Sable after adding Subaru Coolant Conditioner. The leak seems to have stopped. One time the tank went down a bit (could have been an air pocket).

 

[LubeOiler]

It is amazing finding out about all of the screwed up engine designs out there. Hmmm : You mean from a cooling system standpoint.Which cars have "Weepage".If car dealers are adding Subaru Coolant Conditioner or GM's cooling system seal tabs then its as if the cooling system has to be primed before being treated with coolent.