Followup on Silverado 5.3 engine leaking head gasket - cheap fix

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Wanted to give a followup on a leaking head gasket on a 2001 Silverado with 5.3 engine. It kept using more and more coolant until I was putting in over a quart every tank of gas. With over 200,000 miles on the truck, I really thougth it was worth the try of one of the magic elixors Tom and Ray talk about. Tried Barrs Leaks for head gaskets - cost about $35.00 - it looks like there are all slivers of bright copper in the solution.

Put it in about a year ago and it really did help. It still uses a little coolant, but more like a pint every 2,000 or 3,000 miles now. I can live with that as the truck is nearing rust bucket status.

Thought people needed a good outcome for a change.

2

More than likely the Barrs -Leak contained sodium silicate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_silicate#Automotive_repair

You can order this from a pharmacy for about $20.00 and it’ll do the same thing.

Tester

3

If the OP overspent on the treatment by $15 and got another year’s use out of the truck, I guess he has lost $1.25 a month. On the other hand, I wish that the auto parts store had a cheaper substitute for Geritol. Mrs. Triedaq thinks that Geritol is overpriced and makes me fitness walk 3 miles a day five days a week.