"Stop Leak" products
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Joined: May 2002
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"Stop Leak" products
My 390 has got a slow leak at the back of the engine(intake, maybe rear main...) I don't really have time to change the seal right now. So I was thinking about TRYING one of those "stop leak" fluids in my oil.I know that it might not work, but I'll only be out a couple of dollars.
My questions are...Will this hurt my engine at all? and What do you guys think of Bar's stop leak products??
My questions are...Will this hurt my engine at all? and What do you guys think of Bar's stop leak products??
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Joined: Dec 2002
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"Stop Leak" products
DON'T USE IT! Or any other oil additive for that matter. I once put STP engine oil treatment in my Mercury Sable, it caused the head gaskets to blow. I'm talking 5 minutes! Good thing I just bought that car as a fixer upper!
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Mansfield, TX USA
"Stop Leak" products
25 years or so ago, I put some of that "stops oil burning" stuff in my '67 Charger (young, no money for engine work). I got to tell you, it really worked pretty good. Was using 1 quart every 500 miles or so. Went a whole oil change (3000 miles) without adding oil or cleaning the plugs.
That was an old car with lots of miles on it, looser tolerances, etc.
My dear old dad warned me that I would be out of the will if he ever caught me using any stop leak product. "Plugs everything up", he always claimed. My guess is that he was speaking from experience, but he never told me the whole story.
I say if your only alternative is an engine tear down and rebuild, then it might be worth a shot to try. If the leaks are that bad, a rebuild is going to be necessary eventually. Stop leak will only buy you some time (if it works at all).
That was an old car with lots of miles on it, looser tolerances, etc.
My dear old dad warned me that I would be out of the will if he ever caught me using any stop leak product. "Plugs everything up", he always claimed. My guess is that he was speaking from experience, but he never told me the whole story.
I say if your only alternative is an engine tear down and rebuild, then it might be worth a shot to try. If the leaks are that bad, a rebuild is going to be necessary eventually. Stop leak will only buy you some time (if it works at all).
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Minneapolis USA
"Stop Leak" products
If you do use it make sure you do a very thourough (sp?) flush of the system before you put everything back together so you dont have further problems with the radiator.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,624
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From: Missouri
"Stop Leak" products
First before you put anything in your engine seal off the rear of the intake. This is hillbilly but it works. Take some carb cleaner and completely clean aal the gunk off of the rear seal area. Then take some silicone blue and glob it into and on to the crach where the rear intake seal goes. Be very genereous. Let the truck set for a day and it will stop the intake leak.. Many people mistake this kind of leak for a rear main seal leak. If you have a rear main leak use the gold eagle brand "engine sealer". It will swell the seals up instead of dumping garbage into your engine. I see no way how any engine sealer can cause head gaskets to blow.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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"Stop Leak" products
What I used wasn't an engine sealer. It was an oil treatment (supposed to quiet engine make oil last longer). When I tore down the engine the stuff I used was gummed up on the oil pan. It was stuck on the cylinder walls. It looked like peanut butter. This caused my engine to overheat which is what blew the head gasket!!!
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"Stop Leak" products
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