Put a bandaid on a headgasket leak.

[JonnyHotcakes]

Hey everyone,

Recently I had one of my cars diagnosed with a blown headgasket. (1997 Plymouth Breeze)

The price quoted for repair was higher then the car is really worth and it's not my daily driver so it's not really an important vehicle, just handy at times.

So I bought some Bars Head Gasket repair to try. If it worked, great, if not, eh no biggie.

Well, shortly after application the car smoothed out some (still runs rough) and stopped losing oil and coolant completely. The car is still overheating, and running somewhat rough, but the situation is improved.

My question is, did the stuff work? Is it possible that the current symptoms are from contaminated oil and coolant, and not the headgasket, or should I just give up the ghost? I'm willing to flush the coolant and change the oil if it's possible that is the issue (even if it's slightly possible) but if not I'm just gonna put her in the front yard to sell.

Thanks for any imput!

 

[Solo2driver]

I ended up biting the bullet and going with the $60 Blue Devil permanent head gasket/block sealer. You don't have to wait 24 hours and drain/refill a ton of times, and there are no particulates (looks like blue windex, they call it "liquid glass"). I have been driving the car about 1100 miles now since doing the treatment, and there is no sign of any coolant leaks.

Now, granted, this was used to help solve the common Subaru EXTERNAL head gasket leak (weeps coolant outside the block, no mixing of oil and water), and my car never had any sign of overheating.

I only used half the bottle, if it was safe and legal to ship it I'd send it to you

 

[d00df00d]

Bar's Leaks, like most head gasket repair compounds, is exactly what you called it: a Band-Aid.

If it worked for you, it might run for a while, but don't plan on it being a permanent fix.

 

[JonnyHotcakes]

Yeah, I have no illusions of it being a complete fix. As I said the car is not a daily driver. I'm just wondering if rough idle and overheating can occur from contaminated fluids.

The Blue Devil is something I may try as well, I have had success with their White Shepard product in the past.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: JonnyHotcakes
I'm just wondering if rough idle and overheating can occur from contaminated fluids.

Sorry. I missed that in your first post.

Overheating could result from contamination. Flush the coolant and see what happens.

I doubt the rough idle is due to the same thing. Maybe some leftover gunk in the combustion chambers? Might want to change your oil frequently for a while.

 

[mechtech2]

A good tip/trick is to simply run the car with the radiator cap loose - on the first click.

It will have much less pressure, and leaks are often stopped or attenuated. You will have to set the level below normal, and the puke tank won't work.

This can buy you time - even a lot of time. But it does not work for certain head gasket leaks, only some.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
A good tip/trick is to simply run the car with the radiator cap loose - on the first click.

It will have much less pressure, and leaks are often stopped or attenuated. You will have to set the level below normal, and the puke tank won't work.

This can buy you time - even a lot of time. But it does not work for certain head gasket leaks, only some.


Or try using a much lower pressure radiator cap, that somewhat reduced my leak to a manageable level.

 

[eljefino]

Pretty sure the breeze has only a surge tank cap. Loosening it may help though.

As summer approaches, run pure water in it, the silicates in antifreeze are unfriendly to oxygen sensors. Plus water cools better.

Rig the fan relay so it runs all the time, make the car happier.

 

[JonnyHotcakes]

Yeah, just a surge tank cap.

I'm not losing any oil or coolant, but I'll run the cap loose to see if I can prolong this.

I wanted to do a flush today but the car is very low and I have loaned out my jack and forgot about it, haha.

No obvious petcock from what I could see. *grumbles*

I did run a can of chemtool and changed the oil and the rough idle is gone. Still gets really hot really quick, though.

 

[nthach]

K&W Block Seal

 

[JonnyHotcakes]

Haha, is that an endorsement?

 

[demarpaint]

I'd change out the T-Stat, just to be sure that is not causing the over heating problem, and then run a 7 lb. radiator cap. It's a band-aid and since you don't care about the car there is really no great loss if it doesn't work. I also would dump the oil, and while changing the thermostat make sure the coolant is still good.

 

[artificialist]

If Blue Devil is as good as that companies "Red Angel A/C sealant" then it is an excellent product.

 

[SnakeOil]

You have to be careful with these "bandaid" additives. They clog your heater core or some coolant passages easily.

Do the radiator cap thing they speak of, or just flat out remove it. It should help with the overheating.

Prepare to have glazed over spark plugs from any coolant making it to the cylinders.

 

[Solo2driver]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
If Blue Devil is as good as that companies "Red Angel A/C sealant" then it is an excellent product.


Same manufacturer, after I googled it. No system clogs in the Subie thus far, heater works great. Had it at the dealership today, and even they were pleasantly surprised! Band-Aide nonetheless, but if it extends the point of repair a few months, then it's worth it, especially for an older/cheaper car.