GM coolant tabs or Barsleaks.

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pbm

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I figure that these two products are basically the same thing. Has anybody ever had a problem caused by using these? I'm talking about things like clogged heater cores etc.... I ask because I have used them (Barsleaks) as a maintenance item on my GM 3.1 to prevent the known Intake-Manifold gasket leak. So far so good as I approach 70K.
 
I ran Bars stopleak for about 5 years to keep a hairline waterpump crack at bay. Car was still running fine at 289,000 miles.
 
Oh yea, keep in mind that my experience did not include DexCool. Don't know that it matters, but my experience was fluorescent green (glycol).
 
I don't think they are the same thing. The GM tabs are ginger, paprica and other organic ingredients, Bars leaks is not. The GM tabs are about $3, and work great, I've got UOA proof of that.(Blackstone thinks I replaced the gasket)

-T
 
I've read that they are the same thing. I doubt that GM makes their own stop leak. I would lean toward using the GM tabs since they were used at the factory and can be purchased at roughly the same price.

I added the GM tabs to Dexcool as a preventive thing. Since then I have run over 10k miles and just switched out the coolant for fresh Dexcool.

How often should they be used?
 
I use the Barrs powder seal, found at Walmart. It is the same as the GM tabs, which are made by Barrs. They powder stuff stopped a weapy heater core on my Dad's truck perfectly and I use it as well to head off the gasket problems. Stopped the slow coolent loss in my mom's Olds 88.

I'd only add a new batch after a thorough coolent flush. Although on their website, it says the stuff that doesn't seal a leak dissolves into nothing. I'd still only add one batch per coolent flush regimine and no more.
 
They are the same, id go with GM just cause of the name on it but it doesnt matter really, ohh and dont use the liquid bars leak...
 
quote:

Originally posted by GT Mike:
An old guy that's been in the automotive business for decades told me once that one of the ingredients in Bar's Leaks was horse turds. Don't know if that's true, or if he was full of horse turds himself, but it almost sounds logical.

It's true! It's horse poop or **.
lol.gif
When I worked at Kragen the Bars leaks rep told us it was Horse poop. He also cautioned us about rotating the old stock.

If the bottles sit on the shelf too long the gasses inside will keep building up pressure and eventully the bottle will explode on the shelf!

More than once we opened the store in the morning and found a blown up Bars leaks bottle.
 
An old guy that's been in the automotive business for decades told me once that one of the ingredients in Bar's Leaks was horse turds. Don't know if that's true, or if he was full of horse turds himself, but it almost sounds logical.
 
bars leak makes a couple of different radiator products.

personally, i have only used the 'original' bars leak in the gray bottle. i was under the impression its crushed walnut shells. under pressure these shrink and circulate harmlessly. when they reach a crack pressure goes down and they expand to fill the crack/gap.
 
Barsleak around here doesn't seem to sell too quickly. All the bottles at the local stores have layers of dust on them.
Funny, never seen them explode. But I have bottle that is 'bloated'.

I'd buy the GM stuff. They must sell a ton of it
grin.gif
High inventory turnover = fresh product.

Also, since Subaru had some gasket issues, they also have a pretty good sealer/conditioner. I believe its the BG sealer stuff.

http://www.barsproducts.com/product.cfm?id=16
http://www.bgprod.com/products/coolingsystem.html
 
Hi

Those pellets may benefit a LIM with poor casting, i.e. pourousity which allows coolant seepage.

As for LIM gasket failures on the 606 engines and the UIM failures on the 3800 SII, I cant see them helping.

When a gasket blows out, thius tuff cannot provide an alternate sealing junction.
 
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