> Oh NO!!... NOT the dreaded timing chain cover COOLANT LEAK! =:O

[901wd#2]

Just stick a few Gm cooling system tablets in it. Pretty sure they are just fine sawdust.

 

[fixizin]

I have never had the Prestone Super Sealer clog things up. Later on once I drained the coolant, I would get a gell blob come out of the coolant system from the Prestone, but it never clogged anything. I have had the bars stop leak with the metal flakes clog things up.

Holy Magnesium Aluminum Sulfate Batman!... that discontinued mystery McFormulation worked!... for now... <knock wood>

... and the heater stills works, so it didn't clog up the core either!

 

[fixizin]

I will tell you what I tried during a emergency, and it actually worked. Pepper that you sprinkle on your dinner. Took the top off the shaker and poured a good amount into the radiator, the leak stopped in short order. Couldn't believe it, but happy it worked.

Not gonna lie, there's some residue in the bottle pictured above that looks exactly like coarse-ground black pepper!... even after rinsing it with coolant to top-off the radiator, there's still some granules in there--they must be dense!

I wonder if the FTC forced them to stop selling this because it's just overpriced black pepper?...

 

[fixizin]

OK, so now, with da leak-stop "stuff" circ-u-malating around my cooling system, what do I have to be careful of? Does it have to remain in there?

Can I use flush-stuff at hose-change time? Is there anything that will UNdo the leak-plug?

Fill me in, I'm in Fook-Mi territory, and her twin sister Fook-Yu is nowhere to be found!

 

[pentode]

They claim those particles are Kevlar. Assuming that's true and the mechanism of sealing is by jamming Kevlar particles into the leak, you're probably fine leaving it in there. The ones that work by hardening when they come in contact with the air have a tendency to gum up over time. If there's some of that in the Prestone that would be my worry. If the instructions don't mention flushing it out, you might as well leave it alone - the extra particles floating around the system will probably continue to seal the leak as the initial patch wears off.

 

[franklin2]

I always left mine alone. The only reason I know what it looks like when you drain it is when I drained it for other work or to fix the original problem.

Occasionally it did not work. When it didn't work, the coolant would spray all over the engine compartment (it was a big leak that it did not fix) and it left a white residue all over everything. What a mess. But it's worth the risk if it stops the leak.

Some people's life situations are different, and a can of stop leak can keep from making things in your life worse than they already are. Money or lack there of comes to mind as one of those life situations.

If you find yourself one day with a leak, and you are out in the middle of no where, what can help the situation also is to run with the radiator cap loose. Unless it's 100 degrees outside and you are towing or hauling something, 90% of the time you can run a engine with the cap loose and run zero pressure on the system. It won't boil over unless you get over 212 F. Or if you live in Denver, it will boil over at 203 F. The thermostats on most of these trucks is 190-195 F.