Anyone used these products to alleviate the need to completely tear down and replace head gasket? I am afraid to tear everything up. Thanks.
Have never used any of these products on a vehicle I owned but over the years as a fleet mechanic I did occasionally use some of the silver stuff and/or bars leak in a vehicle as a short term solution only if I knew it was due to be junked or disposed(traded in or auctioned off) of in the near future. I do not know the consequences in the long run as a vehicle to be kept. Fred
I agree with Fred! Old school of thought is those short term, easy way out gimmicks, are not really the solution to the problem! Think of it as to sticking your finger in the dam to hold the water, or putting lipstick on a pig. This is what I was told years ago, by men who I trusted and learned from! Nobody wants to tear it down and jump into it unless we have too, but not only is it the right way to do it, but, you might discover that something else along the way should be replaced! It sucks to be without your vehicle, when needed, and even the extra money part, but if you take care of it now, it won't bother you later, in most cases! Limestone
I’ve used the aluminum powder-sodium silicate stuff to limp home. Would never consider it a fix. Just something to get you a few hundred miles to where your shop is kind of thing. A buddy did it on his Chevy truck with the biggest gas engine Chevy made, and it lasted about three months. Which was long enough to get the new radiator ordered and delivered. With it being the head, I would definitely replace the head gasket. As the water leaks it ablades the aluminum, and you end up having to deck or replace the head. Also, the head gasket can suddenly give out, on the cylinder side and flood the cylinder with enough coolant, that it locks the cylinder with truly catastrophic results. Snapped crank, con rod through the side of the block kind of catastrophic results. Chrysler had a 6-cylinder they put in late 80s Jeeps, which would start to leak coolant, and then blow out and dump enough water into the #5 cylinder to lock up and destroy the engine. Common enough that they had to do a recall and replace the head gasket on several hundred thousand of them.
Thanks for all the advice. Right now, the truck starts and drives fine. No power loss or hiccups. It gives out a moderate white smoke/steamy exhaust after it's warmed up. Engine oil doesn't look contaminated, nor the oil cap looks milky. Same with coolant level, not dropping off or anything like that. I will probably order a test kit to test the coolant. I'd rather not tear it apart until i know what's wrong...
