Head gasket fix in a bottle

We've all seen the stuff that magically repairs bad head gaskets.. Are any of them for-real? Don't have a current need, just curious for future CL finds.

cwh wrote: We've all seen the stuff that magically repairs bad head gaskets.. Are any of them for-real? Don't have a current need, just curious for future CL finds.

for $8 I'd rather put a new HG in there than an $8 bottle of ground up turtle doves...

Its made to clog holes. Do you really want it in your water passages.

Raze wrote:

cwh wrote: We've all seen the stuff that magically repairs bad head gaskets.. Are any of them for-real? Don't have a current need, just curious for future CL finds.

for $8 I'd rather put a new HG in there than an $8 bottle of ground up turtle doves...

What sort of head gasket replacement job can you do for $8? I can't even do it on my lawnmower for under $20

One of the local shops here likes to use the $30 bottle of Bar's Leak "Head Gasket Fix"

http://www.barsproducts.com/1111.htm

*edit. - I haven't used the stuff. I put the Aluma-Seal in my Camaro and it stopped whatever leak I had.

i really like those ones that are like 1" diameter tablets of pressed together brown magic powder.

have 'fixed' a lot of headgaskets with that one, with no ill effects.

A little more info on 1" diameter tablets of pressed together brown magic powder, please.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/BRL0/HDC.oap?ck=Search_N0452_BRL_-1_-1&mn=Bars+Leak&mc=BRL&pt=N0452&ppt=C0180

i've also bought it over the counter at GM dealerships in their parts department. not sure exactly what the gm part number is, but if you tell them what you want they'll know.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

Raze wrote:

cwh wrote: We've all seen the stuff that magically repairs bad head gaskets.. Are any of them for-real? Don't have a current need, just curious for future CL finds.

for $8 I'd rather put a new HG in there than an $8 bottle of ground up turtle doves...

What sort of head gasket replacement job can you do for $8? I can't even do it on my lawnmower for under $20

He said CL finds, and while I may be exaggerating slightly, a Felpro 8993 for a Ford 2.3L is $10-12 depending on retailer, I just wanted to point out to do it right, do it right, it's not that bad, and worth it in the long run. If you're blowing combustion gasses into your radiator it's only a matter of time before your elcheapo fix turns into a nightmare, ask me how I know...

I tried gasket-in-a-bottle on an old, beater civic years ago. it made the leak slightly less bad, but the gasket failure returned with a vengeance a short time later. I'd never try it again, and certainly not on a drivetrain I actually cared about.

belteshazzar wrote: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/BRL0/HDC.oap?ck=Search_N0452_BRL_-1_-1&mn=Bars+Leak&mc=BRL&pt=N0452&ppt=C0180 i've also bought it over the counter at GM dealerships in their parts department. not sure exactly what the gm part number is, but if you tell them what you want they'll know.

GM started putting those in the Caddy 4.1L, 4.5L, and 4.9L when they were new because they had so many head gasket issues. The GM ones are a great band-aid.

Not to threadjack, but is a head gasket replacement ever a standalone thing?

I tend to assume that if it needs a head gasket, it also needs to
1) Have the underlying problem diagnosed
2) Have the head flattened

So, I tend run away from anything that "just" needs a head gasket. May be a lack of info/experience, and the fact that the only head gasket issue I've had a hand in was helping a friend with a Mercedes 190 whose blown head gasket was likely caused by engine management issues caused by the biodegradable insulation on the wiring harness. Suffice it to say it wasn't a one-weekend job.

ransom wrote: Not to threadjack, but is a head gasket replacement ever a standalone thing? I tend to assume that if it needs a head gasket, it also needs to 1) Have the underlying problem diagnosed 2) Have the head flattened So, I tend run away from anything that "just" needs a head gasket. May be a lack of info/experience, and the fact that the only head gasket issue I've had a hand in was helping a friend with a Mercedes 190 whose blown head gasket was likely caused by engine management issues caused by the biodegradable insulation on the wiring harness. Suffice to say it wasn't a one-weekend job.

That all depends on the vehicle. If it's a Subaru or Chrysler 2.0L or 2.4L, they had really crappy gaskets that would fail, just because they were crappy gaskets. If it failed because of being over heated, the head should definitely be checked for cracks and straightness, and you're going to need to find out why it over heated.

If it failed because of being over heated, the head should definitely be checked for cracks and straightness, and you're going to need to find out why it over heated.

Which costs time and money.

i bought a cavalier for $300 because the headgasket on the 2.2 was running coolant out by cylinder 4. One package of those tablets went into the overflow bottle. That car served my brother in law for FOUR YEARS. He traded it in eventually, and had still never leaked another drop.

some cars are known for headgasket issues. The saab 2.1 is known for them due to how close the bores are together