Yes, I am talking about a Subaru Outback…Has anyone ever used a solution to stop a head gasket leak? I saw an advertisement for Bar’s Leaks on this site and was wondering if it really stopped head gasket leaks. I find it hard to believe that it would!! QUOTE: “Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Fix is compatible with all types of antifreeze!! The easiest solution to stop head gasket coolant leaks. Patent pending formulation contains a combination of sealing liquid and various size gasket sealing particles which penetrate gaps and cracks to permanently stop leaks.” Would this just mess with the system of my car and be a waste of money. I feel like it is! Is it just a temporary fix? Can it be used for a few months safely until the gaskets are fixed (My thought was that it costs so much to fix them so while I save I could use this)…bad idea???
While I am skeptical that this stuff could stand up to cylinder compression, let’s just assume for the moment that it can stop a head gasket leak. Then, you have to consider the possibility that this stuff would also clog a radiator–especially a radiator that has been in service since 2001.
There is a head gasket conditioner (or something to that effect) developed by Subaru, and that Subaru dealers keep in stock. When a Subaru of the vintage that is affected by head gasket problems comes into the shop for a coolant change, that solution is added to the coolant. Supposedly it can greatly defer (or prevent) possible head gasket problems. I would be much more prone to use something developed by the car maker, rather than something developed by an aftermarket supplier.
If this car that you are considering buying was serviced by the dealership, and if it ever had the coolant changed during the past 5 years or so, then this product should have been added to the coolant. Of course, this “regularly-maintained” Subaru may prove to be anything but regularly-maintained, and if it was serviced by anyone other than the dealership, it probably did not receive this officially-sanctioned additive.
Do NOT buy this car unless you can see documentary evidence of good maintenance!
Or you can add sodium silicate to the coolant to stop head gasket leaks.
Read about it here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate#Automotive_repair
Tester
Much could depend on where the gasket is leaking or the circumstances behind the leak.
If the leak is simply a weeping head gasket that is allowing coolant to drip externally then it may work as a short term solution.
If the leak is in a combustion chamber and/or if the engine suffered some serious overheating that led to this then I wouldn’t even consider using it at all because odd are that much greater problems than a head gasket may exist.
This stuff doesn’t “Fix” anything…This stuff allows you to temporarily remove the blown head-gasket symptoms long enough for you to sell the car…
I should start a new thread: Recycling Subaru Horror Stories!
If Tester says sodium silicate works for head gasket leaks, I’d try it.
However, this is the same solution used to destroy engines in the “Cash For Clunkers” program.
I guess it depends on whether you pour it into the coolant or the oil.
Any other product is unlikely to stop a head gasket leak, regardless of claims.
It very well could stop “…head gasket coolant leaks.” However, the usually problem with a head gasket is combustion gases leaking into the coolant. I wonder why this was not mentioned specifically?
Also the warranty for products like these usually covers only the purchase cost of the Bar’s Leak and will probably exclude any colateral damage, so beware.
In regards to head gasket breaches between the water jacket and the combustion chamber, consider this.
The cooling system is under about 15 PSI of pressure when hot. Cylinder pressures are usually around 180 PSI (on a good engine) and about several thousand PSI on a running engine.
How does a 15 PSI cooling system with stop-leak manage to override 180 or 2000 PSI of cylinder pressure?
On a normal head gasket external weepage problem or one in which the water jacket is seeping into the oil return passages and valleys I could see that a stop leak product might work.
It seems to work to a degree. My sister in law recently got rid of her 260k Forester with a dealer trade in. A month before the head gasket failed and they added some sort of miracle in a bottle.
My opinion . . . for what it’s worth . . . is that if you’re trying to get a few more miles out of this car and then junk it . . . do it. But if you expect to keep the car, why risk screwing up other parts of the car (radiator, cooling system, and so on) and also risk really expensive failure (overheating the engine if the “fix” fails while you’re unable to turn the engine off immediately) . . . fix it properly. If you dump this stuff in now and get another month or two but you screw things up royal, you’ll be sorry. Rocketman
I agree, as long as it’s worth the chance loosing the motor on an older junker, sure. Otherwise, if it’s a decent vehicle that otherwise performs well, I’d get it fixed asap.
Generally…bad idea.
I’ve used a product called “Blue Devil” made by gouniversalproducts (one word).So far the vehicle has 2000 miles since I used it.It’s a 2000 Nissan Frontier.It is sodium silicate.The coolant is drained,flushed out and the t-stat removed.Water is added ,leaving enough room to add the product.The engine is started and the solution circulates for an hour.What’s supposed to happen is when the solution hits a hot spot it will flash the water and the sodium silicate will harden at the leak.
Before I used this ,I had coolant in the oil and also the radiator expansion tank would bubble .They have a money back guarantee and claim a 90% sucess rate.
I could not see spending 2000 to fix the vehicle.If the vehicle was worth it,i would probably rebuild the engine.But for a v-6 3.3, liter no way.