This is not from a truck, but rather the motor from my Mustang. I have owned it since 37K miles but the damage was already done. A year or so after buying the car I found a forum post by the previous owner saying he was losing compression, but never found a "fix it" thread. Well, this last spring I changed to an off road H pipe and low and behold, my car smoked like a freaking cigar.

To this point I have used Amsoil 5w20 changing it at 5000 miles. I also use no junk additives but here are the pictures and judge for yourself. All me and my motor builder can deduce is that he used Bars Leak to fix the compression issue which was more than likely due to a head gasket. Also due to the excessive wear you can see that the p/o hardly ever changed the oil. He also lived in a county with mostly dirt roads and had an open element filter. When he registered it in Jan 09 it had 5000 miles, when he sold it in may, it had 37K. I got had. It is getting the fully forged 5.0 stroker treatment however.


Crank+Pistons+rods, burnt brown


Mirror like finish in the bore


Chain guide


Chain guide #2


Entire nasty motor.

So I beg you, please please please use only good oil in your rig, and if something goes wrong, do not trust a bottle of goo.

 

Bad assumptions and bad conclusion. You took a motor that ran no aiir cleaner on dirty dusty road, never had an oil changed, had lost antifreeze and overheated, burnt oil evident all over the motor parts.... and you conclusion is "maybe it had stop leak in it ???
--I think maybe it ran without water and air cleaner and used oil, would be a better conclusion.

 

Engines are expendable nowadays and if you are going to replace it anyway there is no reason not to run out the clock with an additive.

PO roached the engine. Such is life. Not the additives fault.

 

I don't see sludge anywhere. Looks like the oil got baked when it first overheated and discolored the internals. I don't see how stop lead in the coolant would have any effect on the internal wear.
That being said, I never use the stuff because it usually just ends up settling in the bottom of the radiator and clogging it up.
Regular pepper works just as good but still clogs the radiator if too much is used.

 

I wonder what the oil pan looked like, it must have been nasty. The pistons look like the engine never had an oil change.

 

Never had an oil change until the sucker (me) bought it. The Bars Leak gummed up the water jackets and at some point caused it to overheat. But yes, lack of oil changes is bad. You also shouldn't be able to shave in the reflection from the cylinder walls.

 

The coolant.

 

I've only ever tried the stuff on one vehicle. It was a 1984 Toyota Camry hatchback with a 4 cylinder. That little piece of crap car would never die and no matter what broke on it, it never left me stranded and I always made it back home.

It had a several leaks in the top of the radiator where coolant would squirt upward straight out in 3 different places. I was skeptical that the Bars Leak would work, but it was a last ditch effort. I poured half a bottle in, still have the other half sitting in my chemical closet to this day. I was very surprised to see that the stuff worked exactly as advertised.

I owned that car for another couple of years before I sold it in 2005 to a nice older lady that was in financial trouble, with this $400 car being all that she could afford. I got a phone call from her a couple of years later when to ask if the timing belt had ever been changed. I had changed it not long before I sold it to her, and I asked her how it was doing. She said she hadn't had a single problem out of it and that she never had the coolant changed in all that time. That car is probably still chugging around somewhere today.

Long story short, I would have to disagree with the statement to "never EVER use bars leak." I am not trying to say it is or isn't what caused your problem, but obviously there are situations out there where the stuff is useful.

 

I had heard quite a few years ago the Bars Leak was put in new cars at the factory. I just did a search and found many articles that indeed stated Bars Leak is installed in new vehicles at the factory.

The articles were not just the one on the Bars Leak website. I doubt Ford, GM, Chrysler or any other manufacturer would allow Bars Leak to make the statement without quick legal action.

My own opinion!

 

Bars Leak has it's place. It looks to Me like the PO was not a Gear Head at all. A combonation of factors caused the damage. Bars Leak prolly contributed, but not to the point of condeming it.

 

we have used bars for years and it has always worked without any problems put it in every engine we have overhauled to help seal head gaskets and such.i always heard that it was put in at the factory too but dont know if that is true.

 

monckywrench is right, engines are expendable. Ever since the rust got out of control on my bronco, i don't change the oil, just add some when it doesn't show on the stick, and i haven't had an air filter for months (long story...). granted, i wouldn't do that with a newer truck, but its not the additives fault. certainly not the fault of a coolant additive.