My '96 4.0 loses 1/2gallon coolant weekly, from head gasket leak to outside the block. 2 questions: Would retorquing the head be worth it, and is there a stopleak you'd recommend to postpone the inevitable tear down? It has 148K, runs well, and I'd hate to have to tear into it for 1/2gallon of water a week. Water is still a bargain in CA, but that's the only bargain.

 

Be carefull. It's a toss of the dice, because you risk causing other issues with the "stop leak" products, namely reduced radiator flow, or heater core restriction. See the thing is, that stop leak stuff just coats everywhere it flows, possibly finding the leak, maybe not. If they had a product that would go right to a radiator pinhole etc. and seal it, that would be fine. My brother-in-law just put in a bunch of block sealer, because he thought he had a cracked head gasket. Long story short (94 Ford F-150 eddie bauer, six cylinder 4.9,I beleive) it was not a head gasket. It was a defective water pump, that the impellers had broken off inside the pump. He had to have the radiator rodded/boiled out, and the thermostat replaced, because after replacking the water pump, it was running very hot. Now the truck runs normal, but a misdiagnosing a head gasket, was actually a bad water pump. I'm not saying that is your problem, but only to be carefull with that "sealer". If your Aerostar is not overheating, you have good heat blowing, it might be just worth adding water/coolant until it can be fixed properly. And yes, as your Sacramento, CA neighbor, these gas prices are horrific. Now, between 1/2 tank and 3/4 tank, I fill my Aerostar up. No way do I want to fill up an empty gas tank, and these rip-off prices... ED

 

"If your Aerostar is not overheating, you have good heat blowing, it might be just worth adding water/coolant until it can be fixed properly."
--Good advice. It doesn't seem to be worsening. RE your comment on gas prices in Sacramento, (where I live, too) I bought my first $50 Aerostar tank of gas yesterday. Sobering experience. 'glad our other car is an '04 Prius--55 in town, and as high as 50 on road trips.

 

Blown head gaskets can not be reliably fixed with stop leak. ou need to have that gasket replaced when you can afford it. Like mentioned above, if it isn't overheating, just keep replaceing coolant till you can afford to get it fixed.

 

'91 4.0 AWD 81,000 milea. Mine has had a slow leak (more seepage actually)
for several years and couldn't find it. I had noticed a "funny" looking spot
between cylinder head and block on drivers side. Apparently that is where
the seepage is at. Was considering stop leak or a clone, but after reading
this thread I'll just leave it alone. At one time it had a hot running problem
that no one could figure out (even the dealer) and I suspect that's when
the problem started. Turned out to be a bad fan clutch, which I figured out
finally all by myself, thus ending my dependancy on repair shops from then on. Anyway as long as I can replace the antifreeze quicker than it runs out
it will be O.K

 

i have the same problem and got the old pellet bars leak and have been running the last year on this stuff. no overheating. i thought i would have had to do the head gaskets by now but it is still working fine.
i know iam probably on borrowed time but this stuff worked for me.