Ghetto headgasket repair update

[Mr. BILL]

Here's an update on the ghetto repair I did on my headgasket.

First a little re-cap. I was having trouble getting the engine to turn over, then it ran very rough with a big white cloud coming out of the tailpipe the first five minutes or so. I pulled the plugs and sure enough, #3 looked like it had been soaking in coolant.

Being short on cash and time, I looked for a temporary fix. I searched the web and found a product called CarGo Seal Up. It's available at Pep Boys and Walmart for around $4. I figured what the hell, and gave it a shot. I followed the directions to the letter.

I reported here right afterword, that my starting, running, overheating and white cloud problems were gone. Well, it's been a month and a little over 3K miles and it's still running great. I have kept an eye on #3 plug and I have noticed the slightest amount of moisture at the base of the threads after the car sits overnight. The tip is dry though.

So, to this point, I'll say I'm 98% healed. I decidied to make this a test case to see how long it will hold up. The CarGo people say it's a permanent repair. We'll see. But, if anyone gets in a pinch, this stuff really works. It will get you home safely if you were on a raod trip until you could get it to your regular tech, or longer.

I'll update this at the 90 day mark as kind of a case study.

[Kalevera]

sweet, dude! I kept your original post in my "BMW" folder on my desktop. Great info -- keep me informed -- I'm a paranoid mofo when it comes to Fritz's head gasket


best, whit

[genphreak]

Phew.. you are lucky to have got to it whilst the gaslet was new too- no doubt the goo takes better to new gasket material rather than carbon deposits...

Just be careful though- Vaporised coolant in the exhaust will kill your oxygen sensor. If not already, soon, if you still have a leak in number 3 cylinder, you cannot leave it. The car won;t function w/o the oxy sensor and will use more fuel and eventually cause other problems.

Best of luck!

GP

[Mr. BILL]

SIX MONTH UPDATE:

It's been about six months and almost 10K miles since this "repair" and everything is still OK. No overheating problems in the 95*+ Texas heat.

[Gene in NC]

THis stuff sounds like a better deal for a used car lot than a long term owner. Having said that, GM has a product that they claim is used for radiator leaks.

[an535i]

Subaru Dealer does the same thing to remedy those earlier Forrestor and Outbacks which tend to seap oil into the coolant recovery bottle.. aka headgasket