I have a 92 chevy beretta with the v-6
the check engine laight came on and the wife took it to a mechanic to see what was wrong.
the mechanic said the head gasket was leaking coolant. so a gear head guy at work suggested i add a leak stopping additive (like bars leaks) to the coolant system.
i have used bars and product like this many time in an old pick up i had, but, i am baffled as to how to get the additive in to the system with the beretta because the radiator has no cap. do i remove a large return hose or add it to the coolant reseviour?
i know products like bars are not the best but if i can fix the problem in the “city car” for $5 instead of $1000 i will go that route.
opinions please.
ALL COOLING SYSTEMS ARE CLOSED,if not they would be leaking.
Add the bars to the coolant overflow reservoir
dont do it.
why not? explain yourself.
did you read the post?
the bars head gasket sealer cannot be added to a system will coolant in it. Read the instructions carefully. My vehicle has no “radiator cap.” Coolant gets added through the thermostat cap.
I think they are afraid it will plug something else up but on a 92, why not? When I flushed and serviced our Olds, it requires an additive. I just put it in through the upper radiator hose. I believe though that the Barrs requires a very hot system to work so be careful taking the hose off when hot. It sure won’t work putting it in the overflow tank.
read the instructions and it stats it works with all coolant types.
i do not have the bars head gasket sealer, maybe i will buy this instead, thanks for the idea.
i will look for the thermostat cap, did not think of that, but then i also did not notice it.
instructions state to add when the system is cold.
Many GM V6 engines are prone to an intake manifold gasket leak. This will leak coolant into the oil. If this is what’s happening to your car, I’d get a second opinion on the head gasket diagnosis. If it is a head gasket leak, unless you’re going to get rid of the car pretty soon, I’d keep from adding anything like that to the cooling system. It may or may not work, but it will likely reduce the cooling system’s capacity to cool and possibly plug up your heater core as well. Any gunk you put in there will have an impact on the whole system.
Bar?s now makes a new product called ?Headgasket Fix.? It?s very different from the older ?Headgasket Repair.? It comes in a tall cylindrical bottle. It doesn?t require draining the radiator like most products. It?s simple ? pour it in and go.
I used ?fix? on my 1998 BMW 5 series when it began running rough, steaming out the tailpipe and losing coolant. Oftentimes the leaking cylinder piston would stick causing the starter gear to grind and make a horrible noise as if I had a thrown rod. To loosen the stuck piston I put the car in drive and pushed it a few feet. After that I added the Bar?s and drove it around for a while. My car began running better and better the more I drove. After about 100 miles it ran perfectly and was no longer losing coolant. This stuff works great. ? BTW, yes, you just disconnect the upper radiator hose and pour it in.