Radiator Stop-leak Products

[fish-freak]

Hi all ,
Just interested on your thoughts on using radiator products that claim to fix minor leaks.
I have used "bars stop-leaks" with mixed results.
Can these products also do internal damage to engine parts(water pump etc ) ?
Are there any products that are better than others?
cheers daz...

[tunaticer]

The only "good" one on the market is a fixed radiator anything else is very temporary and will let you down right before you bite the bullet and get it fixed.

Jack.

[Tailortaker]

I once used winns stopleak, it sealed the leak and i drove that car for a further 2 years before i sold it without a single drop leaking again.
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[blaze]

couple of personel accounts
I had a suzuki 4x4, early 2 stroke job. It had been shot with a high powered rifle before I purchased it, part of the damage was a split in the side of the block about 50mm long. I put chemiweld in it, it seal the crack and was still doing the job 5 years later.
Mate had a leaking raditor in his trition 4x4 and used the same product, stuff the radiator and also had to remove head to unblock water galleries.
The best temp repair is either the white of a few eggs or a couple small bottles of pepper as both these can be cleaned out with a good radiator cleaner at a later date.
The long term solution is to fix the problem with a recore/repair to the radiator or if its another cooling system problem like welsh plugs, replace them.
cheers
blaze

[ashh]

I think it was the leyland brothers, out bush once with a hole in there radiator, they cracked & put a raw egg in the radiator whilst the water was hot. Cooked the egg and sealed the hole. Temporarily of course.

[jimbamb]

Pepper is a great stand by if you cant get it fixed properly.Will usually get you home etc.provided it isnt too big a hole.
Best as a temporary fix only..

[Noelm]

not too sure about the old pepper and eggs and stuff, but most of the "fix it in a can" stuff does work, as long as the hole is not huge and it is not right on the top of the radiator, if it is on the top, the water has leaked out and the spot is dry before it has a chance to work, but a minor leak low down will certainly be fixed, and in my experience permantly.

[Taipan]

I tried winns in my old patrol ute, worked for about 6months then I sold it. But it worked while i had it.

[rubba]

i used chemi weld in old ford the hole was in the water pump and i whached it seal it up i think this stuff is good

[Brett1907]

Both eggs and pepper work well as a temporary fix. Saw the Mythbusters do the egg one, couldn't beleive my eyes!! Also, have seen the pepper used on the Variety Bash. It works well too! Make sure you use the powdered pepper and not the coarse ground stuff.

Brett

[Cruiser93]

Daz
All of the above remedies will do the job for a minor emergency repair only , long term they can cause overheating problems , depending on how good your cooling system was to start with ie always maintained & a quality inhibitor used & you'd probably get away with using as previously stated "a repair in a can " for many years but if your system hasn't been kept up to scratch & youv'e got scale deposits which have started restricting galleries thus reducing flow the products that are designed to repair leaks will also identify these areas that have reduced flow as a leak & will further reduce the flow or can block cores & galleries stopping flow & creating hot spots ....
So in answer to your question : YES these products can cause damage to your engine & should only be used in emergency situations & the leak should be repaired properly at the earliest opportunity ......... Mal