Degrees of engine compromise in head gasket and other issues?

[ccrinc]

I went and read them to give you the benefit of the doubt.  Apparently, they claim the product will seal a gasket, but once warpage happens, it's no help.  Also, and more important, especially in a Subaru, it will eventually clog the radiator, heater core and any other coolant area it can, like the coolant crossover pipe. 

 

I stand by my comment:  fixes in a bottle, especially for Subarus, are not worth it.

 

(OK, the one thing I will acknowledge, which is VERY temporary, is if you have a pinhole leak, like in a hose, drop a couple of MacDonalds sized black pepper packets into your radiator.  It will follow the coolant to the source of the leak, swell and get stuck there and seal it long enough to get somewhere to fix it.  When it finally dissolves, it's so small it can't hurt anything.  Laugh if you will, but I've seen it work more than a few times!)

[Fairtax4me]

I've personally used Blue Devil twice. Both times it "worked". On Fords.

It made them stop smoking, and one which was mixing coolant and oil (at such rate that I drained 4 gallons of milkshake from the crankcase) stopped mixing.

 

How long did they last?! No clue. Both ended up being sold shortly after. (Not my vehicles) One of them I still see on the road occasionally. The other I assumed to have bearing damage based on the volume of sludge that drained out of it.

 

I can get head gaskets and actually fix a Subaru for less money than a bottle of the smurf goo, so for me personally there's no advantage to even considering it.

For a customers car, if they're dead set on not spending $500 to put gaskets in, it's an option... I guess.

Edited June 20, 2015 by Fairtax4me

[ccrinc]

Well, there are almost always "options".  A match to a fuel line or driving it off a cliff are 2 other which come to mind. 

[lstevens76]

I went and read them to give you the benefit of the doubt.  Apparently, they claim the product will seal a gasket, but once warpage happens, it's no help.  Also, and more important, especially in a Subaru, it will eventually clog the radiator, heater core and any other coolant area it can, like the coolant crossover pipe. 

 

I stand by my comment:  fixes in a bottle, especially for Subarus, are not worth it.

 

(OK, the one thing I will acknowledge, which is VERY temporary, is if you have a pinhole leak, like in a hose, drop a couple of MacDonalds sized black pepper packets into your radiator.  It will follow the coolant to the source of the leak, swell and get stuck there and seal it long enough to get somewhere to fix it.  When it finally dissolves, it's so small it can't hurt anything.  Laugh if you will, but I've seen it work more than a few times!)

 

 

I have to disagree with one comment here about it clogging things up.  I ran it in mine without clogging anything for almost a month.  I didn't flush the system after the rebuild, but I did replace the radiator (due to a bad neck from the compression gases forcing the radiator cap off, not blue devil).  I know people who have used it in other cars without clogging things up as well, including Hondas that people make the same claims.

 

Before I put it in the Subaru I did a ton of research and what I found was that most of the ones getting clogged up that listed there "steps" they used for any sealant product were not following the instructions correctly.  Don't expect things to go right if you don't read the instructions and follow them exactly, especially something like these where the potential for problems is there.

 

I'm not saying to use it or not to, but until I see some review or car somewhere that was known to have been done exactly as the directions state clogging up I believe this is more of a problem with following directions not the product itself.

 

This is also after having looked at the inside of the block, the hoses, and the radiator (I didn't look in the heater core, but I know for fact it's not clogged).

 

The best option, IMO, is still to pull the engine and remove the heads to inspect the cylinders then either replacing the head gaskets or swapping an engine in.  

[Fairtax4me]

Well, there are almost always "options". A match to a fuel line or driving it off a cliff are 2 other which come to mind.

Both great options, neither of which is well received!

Edited June 20, 2015 by Fairtax4me

[ThosL]

Well, there are almost always "options".  A match to a fuel line or driving it off a cliff are 2 other which come to mind. 

 

Asinine.  

 

There are no head gasket replacement options in this area less than $1000, and that is a shop about an hour north of here.  And with the many requirements to do the job right yourself, with possible cracks in one or more heads, head gaskets would not resolve that.

 

Blue Devil doesn't have clogging material in it like Bars Leaks and the low grade products.  It is more for minor leaks, but results will never convince people one way or another because there have not been comprehensive scientific studies.

[ccrinc]

That was a joke, son.

 

Actually, a couple of the Amazon reviews mentioned that the stuff had clogged their systems.  That's where I got it. 

 

If you think the stuff might work, you don't seem to have a lot to lose by trying it.  At this point, your engine will only get worse by driving it.  If you are convinced it's a good product, do it.  If it helps, it's helps.  If it doesn't, don't get mad that some of us who have worked on Subaru engines for decades tried to warn you. 

 

Like I said before, I know where you're coming from, and ya gotta go what ya gotta do to keep moving.  What ever you choose, I wish you the best of luck with it.  Truly.

[lstevens76]

I've never had Blue Devil clog a vehicle unless used incorrectly.  When I say incorrectly people fail to open the heater and turn it up (especially when they are doing it in summer) so it blocks off the heater core or they don't idle for 50 minutes.  If you don't idle the required time it's like putting a big blob of glue on a piece of paper with the intention of smearing it all around to glue two pieces together, but waiting until it's 70% dry before trying to do it.

 

If you can read and follow instructions correctly Blue Devil doesn't tend to clog things up, but it isn't a guaranteed fix (regardless of what they may advertise) and it's not a permanent fix (again regardless of what they may advertise).  

 

It is simply a product to "buy time".  Sometimes that's 3 months, other times that can be years (I know people who have gone years on it).

 

And I know being hard pressed and people who are hard pressed so understand it's uses.

 

Now bar's leaks, god I don't ever want to see the inside of an engine/radiator that's had that stuff in it again.

[Fairtax4me]

Now bar's leaks, god I don't ever want to see the inside of an engine/radiator that's had that stuff in it again.

Ever seen the bottom of a radiator cap covered in that stuff? It's like that, but all over through the entire system.

Just makes a sticky, sludgy layer of weird orangey brown goo on everything.

[ThosL]

Blue Devil is clear, I don't know what is in it; but the guy at Advance Auto said you have to also show radiator flush on the receipt or they won't refund.  It looks like I will have a Fiber Lock double refund coming as well as the Blue Devil as I am still getting bubbles in the system (steam).

 

Edited July 2, 2015 by ThosL