I have a slightly blown head gasket on a '97 Grand Marquis with 130K miles. The replacemnt of the gaskets runs $1700 for a car worth maybe $3000 and I would replace in about a year anyway. Is Bar’s Head Gasket Repair my $10 answer? It looks and reads different than standard ‘stop leak’.
dougout@attglobal.net
At $10. it could be worth trying, Doug. Such “Merlin’s Mystery Formulas” have some success or they wouldn’t remain on the market. In fact they would be much more successfull if the directions on the bottle were closely followed. I hate to admit that I have used one of the similar products on several occasions with somewhat satisfactory results. Several Ford 3.8L engines have carried their owners many miles home from here with cracked heads and/or blown head gaskets plugged with K&N Block Sealer. In my own defense, I have never charged for such a patch-up.
Just remember, read the directions and follow them closely.
First can you define “slightly blown head gasket”? How was this determined? What kind of symptoms is your vehicle showing?
~Michael
I’ll second Dartman at this point about needing more info since they’re often misdiagnosed.
How does one have a “slightly” blown head gasket?
It worked for them:
What the hell is a “slightly blown” head gasket? Is that like being slightly pregnant?
If you have a leaking head gasket there is only one cure; a new head gasket. Additives won’t work, at least not in the long run. You can’t “cheap out” on this one. Resale value has NOTHING to do with repair cost. If you want to keep driving the car, FIX IT.
Additives are great for nursing some extra miles out of an old beater. If that’s your goal, then by all means try some. But let that be the limits of your expectations. You may get lucky, it may work without problems, but of it doesn’t the breech in the headgasket will continue to grow through erosion, and may even wear a groove into the metal between the cylinder and the water jacket.
The only real solution is a new headgasket. However the Bar’s Leak may get you some more life without breaking the bank.
Thanks, I’ll try the $10 fix. I have little to lose. I notice the instructions are very specific that the coolings system only contains water or the sealant won’t work. I’ll drain, refill and cross my fingers.