coolant "stop leak" products
 

I have to use one of these products in a honda. wanted to know which one to give a try. the coolant is leaking into the engine giving away white smoke. mechanic said it's a leaking head gasket but advised to try one of the "stop leak" prodcuts.
any suggestions on what brand to use that has proven effective ?
thnx.

For what it is worth...
 

...I've had no problems with the standard BarsLeak products, nor have I heard of any.

Many manufacturers recommend or require this product (or one just like it) every coolant change.

Cheers!:idea2:

yea most of the online search comes back giving bars leak a good recommendation. I'll give that a try.
thnx.

Best stop-leak I ever saw is GM block sealant. Comes in 2, 4 or 6-tablet packages. Two would probably be enough for the honda. If this stuff won't stop it, nothing will.

The cooling system leak stoppers work only on 15psi. When you have leaks in or out of the combustion chamber, those products will not work. You need a new head gasket, and you should probably resurface the head and/or block and get a valve job and timing belt while you are at it.

Thanks for your input. I used this stuff once and had no problems, but I was always afraid that anything that would stop a leak might also clog something else up.

I know you already know this, but the best stop leak product is to fix the leak.

It'll only get worse. Possibly you can't afford it right now, but you're risking disaster by putting it off.

Is it available at local stores like pep boys etc ?
acura suv has a v6 3.5L engine with similiar situation. how many tables would work in that ?
have you used this ? is it better than the other products and how many miles would this usually last ?
thnx again.

Stop Leaks are temporary BUT, if you are going to use one get one that contains Sodium silicate. This does not have the clogging effect other stop leaks have in areas like heater cores. Sodium silicate turns to a thin glass like substance from your engine heat.
Remember it's temporary.

Source at a GM dealer. Especially Cadillac. It was mandatory for the old HT4100 engines. I'd do 3 or 4 in a V6. Can't say how long it'll last...or even if it'll work for you at all. As others have already said, best is to fix the leak.

However, I did watch this stuff plug a leak that was putting a steady 1/4 in. diameter stream of antifreeze on the shop floor.

Leak sealer can cause problems
 

Years ago I had a head to block leak on a Plymouth K-car. I tried a sealer, probably Bars-leak. The leak was only temporarily slowed. I eventually had to have the head gasket replaced. It was then that I discovered that the leak sealer had also plugged up the heater core. I had to have the core cleaned out.
:(
I doubt that leak sealer will help much where the leak is between the cylinder and the coolant passages. It might be ok to try but don't expect miracles and don't use too much or you may have the heater system problem I had. Better to just repair the head gasket problem. :)

I used 'Car go Seal-up' in my Benz before I did the head gaskets. Worked really well until I started to beat on it hard one day and the stuff let go. Didn't lose a drop of water in about 5 months. Probably be still working now if I didnt give it italian tune-ups every time I took it out.

Ben.

On my 190e, my heater core started leaking, after extensive research, I tried a stop leak (available from Shucks, don't remember the name of it, clear bottle, silver metallic stuff inside). I followed the instructions and it stopped my heater core leak, after a couple of days, flushed the readiator to get rid of the excess. I had the car for an additional 2 years before I sold it, never once did it leak again.

Look at $$$$$
 

It may surprise you to find out what the head gasket price is,If you have the ability to do the job it can be done on Saturday why waist your money on the chance that you may plug up the heater core and the radiator core,If I could I would go for the upper gasket set and maybe a thermostat.jnt:greedy: