steel seal(blown head gasket)
02-13-2009, 01:53 AM
#1
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: socal
Posts: 163
steel seal(blown head gasket)
has anyone actually used this stuff and does it work? im very skeptical about it but it does seem like it could possibly save me alot of time and money i truely dont have at this moment in time
http://www.steelseal.com/
i searched this and other mustang forums but nothing really informative
http://www.steelseal.com/
i searched this and other mustang forums but nothing really informative
02-13-2009, 03:55 AM
#2
Resident Ginger
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Cali
Posts: 4,624
Sorry but this will not fix the problem! It might hold you over for a few days, or weeks but your going to have to replace the gasket. The longer you wait, the more coolent gets into the engine, the worse it will be.
Matthew
Matthew
02-13-2009, 07:57 AM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 4
I personally wouldn't trust any form of "mechanic in a bottle". It usually just causes more problems than it fixes. You are basically pouring a version of Bar's Stop Leak into your cooling system to try and fix a blown head gasket. I'm very skeptical when it comes to such a 'repair'. Plus, if the product truely does somehow seal your head gasket, what do you think it is going to do to your thermostat, radiator, heater core, and even your water jacket. It's a judgement call on this one, but I would lean more towards not trusting it.
02-13-2009, 10:28 AM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: PA
Posts: 26
Lets assume your car is worth $3000. And you use the $10 fix to temporarily patch the problem. Then the headgaskets lets go when you are sitting in traffic somewhere.
When that happens, you can walk away and junk a $3000 car, therefore not repairing properly cost you $3000. But you would not want to do that.
So, option 2, you have the car towed. That might cost $200 or $300 dollars. Then, if you have the tools, you'll pay 200-300 for gasket kit to replace the top end gaskets. Or you may pay someone else to do the work for $1500-2000. If the engine overheats or the bearings take a beating, it'll cost more like 5000-6000.
However, if you take that $200-300 dollars (from possible towing) and buy a torque-wrench, a good manual, and some basic tools, you could disassemble it yourself (mark every connection and collect all bolts in separate zip-lock baggies with labels), send the heads to a machine shop to check for warp and have the seals replaced for about 300 more, then get the gasket kit and reassemble for about 300. So for less than $1000, you can have a fresh top end and some good tools that you can use again.
Sorry if this sounds lame, but everytime something breaks I analyze it like that. Which explains why I have a lot of tools.
Of course, you need a place to work on it, and the time to do it.
When that happens, you can walk away and junk a $3000 car, therefore not repairing properly cost you $3000. But you would not want to do that.
So, option 2, you have the car towed. That might cost $200 or $300 dollars. Then, if you have the tools, you'll pay 200-300 for gasket kit to replace the top end gaskets. Or you may pay someone else to do the work for $1500-2000. If the engine overheats or the bearings take a beating, it'll cost more like 5000-6000.
However, if you take that $200-300 dollars (from possible towing) and buy a torque-wrench, a good manual, and some basic tools, you could disassemble it yourself (mark every connection and collect all bolts in separate zip-lock baggies with labels), send the heads to a machine shop to check for warp and have the seals replaced for about 300 more, then get the gasket kit and reassemble for about 300. So for less than $1000, you can have a fresh top end and some good tools that you can use again.
Sorry if this sounds lame, but everytime something breaks I analyze it like that. Which explains why I have a lot of tools.
Of course, you need a place to work on it, and the time to do it.
02-14-2009, 02:35 AM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: socal
Posts: 163
well i went ahead anyways and dang near have my block taken apart. going to get my cylinder heads milled, then all new gasket
I personally wouldn't trust any form of "mechanic in a bottle". It usually just causes more problems than it fixes. You are basically pouring a version of Bar's Stop Leak into your cooling system to try and fix a blown head gasket. I'm very skeptical when it comes to such a 'repair'. Plus, if the product truely does somehow seal your head gasket, what do you think it is going to do to your thermostat, radiator, heater core, and even your water jacket. It's a judgement call on this one, but I would lean more towards not trusting it.
Lets assume your car is worth $3000. And you use the $10 fix to temporarily patch the problem. Then the headgaskets lets go when you are sitting in traffic somewhere.
When that happens, you can walk away and junk a $3000 car, therefore not repairing properly cost you $3000. But you would not want to do that.
So, option 2, you have the car towed. That might cost $200 or $300 dollars. Then, if you have the tools, you'll pay 200-300 for gasket kit to replace the top end gaskets. Or you may pay someone else to do the work for $1500-2000. If the engine overheats or the bearings take a beating, it'll cost more like 5000-6000.
However, if you take that $200-300 dollars (from possible towing) and buy a torque-wrench, a good manual, and some basic tools, you could disassemble it yourself (mark every connection and collect all bolts in separate zip-lock baggies with labels), send the heads to a machine shop to check for warp and have the seals replaced for about 300 more, then get the gasket kit and reassemble for about 300. So for less than $1000, you can have a fresh top end and some good tools that you can use again.
Sorry if this sounds lame, but everytime something breaks I analyze it like that. Which explains why I have a lot of tools.
Of course, you need a place to work on it, and the time to do it.
When that happens, you can walk away and junk a $3000 car, therefore not repairing properly cost you $3000. But you would not want to do that.
So, option 2, you have the car towed. That might cost $200 or $300 dollars. Then, if you have the tools, you'll pay 200-300 for gasket kit to replace the top end gaskets. Or you may pay someone else to do the work for $1500-2000. If the engine overheats or the bearings take a beating, it'll cost more like 5000-6000.
However, if you take that $200-300 dollars (from possible towing) and buy a torque-wrench, a good manual, and some basic tools, you could disassemble it yourself (mark every connection and collect all bolts in separate zip-lock baggies with labels), send the heads to a machine shop to check for warp and have the seals replaced for about 300 more, then get the gasket kit and reassemble for about 300. So for less than $1000, you can have a fresh top end and some good tools that you can use again.
Sorry if this sounds lame, but everytime something breaks I analyze it like that. Which explains why I have a lot of tools.
Of course, you need a place to work on it, and the time to do it.
just the only thing was buggin me was the cost of everything, im really broke right now but id rather get it done right instead of taking shortcuts which could cost me my engine.wish it would stop raining so i can finish taking it apart
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