Motherfucker.
So only three years ago I replaced my badly leaking heater core. The whole fucking dash had to be taken out and it took all day to do. Everything was uneventful since but then as it got cold a week ago I turned on the heat (core always has hot coolant flowing through it but a plastic flap turns the heat on or off) and I got that distinct sweet smell of coolant again. On inspection of my lower ducts I found no coolant leakage but my reserve tank had emptied out so something was amiss. Further searching found that the low side of my core had residue built up on it like a very tiny leak was present and the coolant was evaporating before it could drip anywhere but none the less, there was a leak. I want to fight this before it becomes another pain in my ass and I don't want to take the dash out...yet.
I know there's a few different additives you can add to your coolant to plug small leaks but I've heard all sorts of stories on things like it's designed for very old cars or it gums up the radiator or it ruins your pump seals or it's only designed for a few hundred kilometers or it needs a compatible coolant. I've never had confirmation on any of them. What should I do in this situation? IF I leave it I'm sure it will only get worse with time.
[QUOTE=pentium;46231050]Motherfucker.
So only three years ago I replaced my badly leaking heater core. The whole fucking dash had to be taken out and it took all day to do. Everything was uneventful since but then as it got cold a week ago I turned on the heat (core always has hot coolant flowing through it but a plastic flap turns the heat on or off) and I got that distinct sweet smell of coolant again. On inspection of my lower ducts I found no coolant leakage but my reserve tank had emptied out so something was amiss. Further searching found that the low side of my core had residue built up on it like a very tiny leak was present and the coolant was evaporating before it could drip anywhere but none the less, there was a leak. I want to fight this before it becomes another pain in my ass and I don't want to take the dash out...yet.
I know there's a few different additives you can add to your coolant to plug small leaks but I've heard all sorts of stories on things like it's designed for very old cars or it gums up the radiator or it ruins your pump seals or it's only designed for a few hundred kilometers or it needs a compatible coolant. I've never had confirmation on any of them. What should I do in this situation? IF I leave it I'm sure it will only get worse with time.[/QUOTE]
I would never use it myself. I could only imagine what it does to the water pump in a vehicle if the fluid is actually effective enough to gum up a hole in a pressurized cooling system that rapidly changes temperature. Water pumps are already a regular maintenance item for most vehicles, why take the chance of bringing it on sooner? I wouldn't be surprised if it also causes blockage in the radiator, although I've never seen the inside of a radiator after using it.
I would either bypass the core or get it fixed. Since you've done it before, I'm sure you can replace it quicker than the first time.
Additives or stop-leaks, never ever trust a mechanic-in-a-bottle. At least I wouldn't.
We had a Nissan Patrol in at work with a coolant leak from the timing cover. Replacing the gasket is something like a 4 hour job according to the Nissan mechanic who worked with us at the time. So that option was going to be very expensive for the customer.
He still wanted to fix the leak so we gave the guy the option for some coolant sealup shit that he hadn't used before. It was worth a shot. Basically for the seal stuff we used, it was just a process of flushing all of coolant with water and then adding 2 bottles of the stuff (1 bottle treats 5 litres, Patrols are 10 litres) and letting it warm up. We let the customer drive it around for a week (Bottle said to) and then flushed it and put in some coolant. He hasn't come back with any coolant related issues since and that was over a year ago now.
But hey your car isn't a Nissan Patrol and your block may magically split if you use it
Oh and the car I'm talking about is like a 2006 4cyl diesel thing. certainly not an 'old' car
[QUOTE=The Decoy;46266731]
Oh and the car I'm talking about is like a 2006 4cyl diesel thing. certainly not an 'old' car[/QUOTE]
Old enough to bang.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
