K&W head gasket and block repair question

[Benfolio]

Hrm, a head gasket fix in a bottle for my EJ25D?

 

I know, I know, I KNOW it needs head gaskets, but I'm on a budget and just wanted to try this first.

 

I've heard mixed reviews, and mixed answers about the proper procedure for using it (some say follow the directions, others modify them and still get good results, such as DRIVING the car with the mixture in it, instead of just idling), but wanted some info from actual SUBARU people. Has it been used? How? Has it worked? How long?

 

Engine is a stock 1997 Phase I EJ25D, 164,000 miles, not sure if the HG's have been done.....

It was pushing coolant out of the radiator into the overflow slightly, usually it would go back down as the car cooled, and maybe it'd go a week or three before it got too high and would overheat, now it's doing it DAILY. Hell, every time I drive it.

Funny thing is, I set it to idle at 3,000RPM for 20 minutes in the shop at work to simulate a drive home and it was fine. Didn't even get any combustion gasses in the radiator according to our fancy-schmancy tester here at work.

But that makes a case for ignoring the instructions on the bottle, and driving it with the mixture in, if it didn't push any gasses into the coolant just sitting there running without a load. I mean, if it's not going to bubble out sitting in the shop like that, how is the K&W stuff going to fill the crack that's not leaking?

[davebugs]

Waste of time.

 

And harder to fix later. All that crap gets into the heater core, radiator, engine, WP, etc.

 

I'd say either park it, sell it, or fix it right.

 

Anything else is pissing into the wind. A waste of time and money.

 

Do yourself a favor and do a little searching here. Cause next thing you know if it's all about the money you'll be buying an EBay HG kit (due to the price) and get to do it twice. That really sucks(but it goes much quicker the second time).

 

Infact it was probably a waste of my time with the response.

[Fairtax4me]

It fills the cracks by coating the entire cooling system with sludge. Testing in a shop is nothing like driving in the real world. The engine is turning, but it has no load on it. Even when just cruising down the highway there is plenty of load on the engine. Gravity, friction, drive line resistance, wind resistance, all play a major part in how hard the engine works to move the car. The engine is under its heaviest load during acceleration, that is when the most heat is created, and the most stress is put on the cooling system right after that.

 

I'm not sure how your coolant analyzer works, but most will detect exhaust gases based on chemical contamination of the coolant, not by air/exhaust physically moving through it. If there were any evidence of exhaust gases in the coolant the analysis would have showed that whether the engine was running or not.

 

If you haven't done so, change the coolant. Don't do a flush, just drain and refill with Subaru approved antifreeze and distilled water. Put a new thermostat on, and a new radiator cap. Follow the procedure for properly bleeding the cooling system and make absolutely sure that you get all of the air out of the system.

[Benfolio]

I've done all the flushing and bleeding. And I'll take my chances with this fix.

I've already settled that I need head gaskets, and will NOT cheap out on eBay crap. Cometic here I come.....

 

But first I had to try this. I don't have the time to pull this motor. Again.

 

I did let it idle for 10, then drove it for 10, then let it idle again. Saw bubbles in the overflow so I know I beat it enough to cause the leak to pop up.

 

Even if this DOES work, I'm buying a JDM EJ25D (40k on it) and swapping that in and rebuilding my motor. That way I don't have to be without a car for too long, and if it gets all gunked up with the head gasket fix-in-a-bottle, so what?. It's only a spare after the JDM goes in.

[Log1call]

Couple of things...

That stuff in a bottle is for fixinng cracks in heads, it's meant to seal solid gaps that are metal to metal. The gasket is cardboard and that stuff was never intended to fix cardboard.

 

When you buy a motor that has been run before then had the coolant drained and been left sitting for more than a few weeks(a second hand motor in other words), the cardboard head-gasket dries ot and, in my experiance they will start leaking after a couple of months. If I ever get a second hand motor for anyone I always suggest pulling the heads and doing the gaskets and inspecting the internals before fitting it. Then they know what they have and that it was worth the cost of fitting it.

 

I'd just do the gaskets if it was me. It will be cheaper and easier than buying and swapping a motor. Get the radiator checked at the same time and change the thermostat.

[subaru360]

Crap in a bottle will not fix it. The problem is exhaust gas going into coolant. Nothing in the coolant will stop this. It'll just clog everything else up like the radiator and heater core. It'll cost you more in the long run.

 

Cometics are not going to work out for you. The finish on the block and heads has to be perfect for those gaskets to work. Better than a local machine can do, race engine pefect.

 

The JDM engines come over with the old style head gaskets in them. They blow too. I've got one sitting here that went 5,000 miles and blew the gaskets.

 

Buy new head gaskets from the dealer, they are $40 each and will fix it for good. It's not a hard job, I have idea why it's made such a big deal about.

[Benfolio]

Good points, everyone.

 

When I take the next step I'll be sure to heed your advice(s).

 

It's back running on 50/50 coolant now. Just got back from a drive and it seems okay. We'll see how long this lasts........