daeron Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 okay, im about to go buy a can of sea-foam and a couple quarts of oil. Ive got a head gasket thats going bad, and i am bubbling cylinder compression into my radiator.. should i add some seafoam and run it a day or two, then drain it and replace it? should i change it, and just add seafoam in the fresh oil? or would it be best to do both? (yeah, I know, I am trying to limp along for a couple more weeks though... the longer i procrastinate the more i can do when i finally do fix her.) I have never used it as oil additive before, only by sucking it into the intake via vacuum line. Im curious to hear what my best course of action is. I did a quick search, but this is kind of an impulsive thing getting checked off my list today, so I don't have oodles of time. yah, and im a little lazy. sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 it won't help your head gasket problem, so at this point its probably not worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 i am _much_ more concerned about the longevity of the bottom end once i DO replace the headgaskets. I am worried about coolant contamination in the oil, and want to take steps.... thats all. not seeking any repair for the headgasket issue, per se.. just trying to avoid it snowballing due to my delay in repairing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 Yknow what? After I saw this thread, i have been thinking about doing my Deisil Oil Trick and thinking the same thing myself ... Which comes 1st, the chicken or the egg? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 bump? i guess ill pour some in now, and go do a couple more errands, then drain the oil and add a reasonable amount with the new oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 I think all motors should be equipped with a sight-glass so we anal-retentive folks can see inside, so we're not always obsessing about whether or not the motor is clean enough, hehe! Hey Daeron - which vacuum tube do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 the brake booster vacuum supply line is handy... its kind of a two person job, as one man can start the vehicle while the other holds a thumb on the vacuum line, then keep foot on the pedal to make sure the engine doesnt stall while sucking up the juice, and to cut it off after 20 seconds or so. once its sucked in, reconnect your vacuum line, wait 5-10 minutes, fire her up, and get ready for smoke. dont rev too high right away (never a good idea on an OHC engine, always wait at LEAST 15-30 seconds for some oil to hit your top end) but rev her up, or even drive around.. use some spirit with the accelerator, and burn that crap off!!!!! its good stuff, and repels mosquitos to boot Yes, down here in sunny south Florida, mosquitos are still an issue, and my legs and arms are still bare to their wrath. double edged sword, huh? no off-freezing of the butt, but i scratch my arm even as i write this post.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 Have a read about "additives" to your oil. Not worth the potential damages I say. Seafoam in the gas or into the intake is one thing, but I wouldn't put anything in my crankcase but oil. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/lucas/lucas.htm GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 yes pour the seafoam in the oil. but seafoam in the oil won't help at all. if coolant is not mixing with your oil then the block is fine and seafoam isn't needed. the heat will damage and warp your heads which seafoam won't protect, but if there's no mixing then your bearings in the block are fine. since you're concerned about the oil, i'm assuming that means you know the oil and coolant are mixing. the coolant in the oil will quickly destroy your bearings regardless of it being mixed with oil or seafoam. i've seen two results of running a vehicle with bad headgaskets. first is the rod bearings do not last very long after you fix it. i tried it once eventhough i heard all the horror stories about how bad coolant is for your bearings. i forget how long, but it lasted a few months before...you guessed it, i proved all the horror stories correct, the rod bearing gave out. the second result of running a bad headgasket too long is the point where the leakage is occurring will wear down significantly the metal in that area. somewhere on here or xt6.net i posted a picture of this engine that was run with a blown headgasket for awhile. the coolant jacket that was leaking was no longer a round hole in the block and head, but was oval and the aluminum had been eaten away in the direction of the leak from the hole. there was only a very small mating surface left for the gasket to even seal on with all that metal gone. i can only guess that some kind of local heating in the area of that leak caused that much metal to be "warn away" so to speak. i decided to install new heads, but kept the block in there. the gasket held fine with no leakage and then the rod bearing blew up so i couldn't tell if it would have lasted or not. if coolant is mixing in the oil and has been for some time i'd start looking for another engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 well see, thats the peculiar thing.... there is no coolant in the oil, that i could tell. that is three oil changes so far, with nothing in the oil but oil.. no rainbow patina on the top of it, no milkshake looking sluurry, just used motor oil. Black, but thats normal.... I havent seen any oil in the coolant, for that matter, but its NOT leaking, it IS dissappearing, its bubbling pressure out of my reservoir, and the water constantly looks gunky, so I don't believe i am simply in need of (another) new radiator cap... but I havent run a compression check yet, because I gathered that a minimal HG leak such as this, might well not even show a significant difference in compression. i have experienced no tendency towards overheating as long as I had plenty of water in the car, no power issues associated with headgasket problems, NO serious symptoms beyond a bubbling into the overflow every time i cut the car off.. and while running, although i certainly cannot claim CONSTANTLY on that, it certainly seems so. mild burbling, and its just the bubbling out thats being lost... Am I torpedoing my block, if there are no signs of coolant in the oil?? i know what to look for, and it aint there to be sure. Haven't drained the water out lately, no time to let it cool down in the day :-\ thanks for the comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 27, 2006 Author Share Posted October 27, 2006 well, i just sucked some up into the intake, shes idling, burning it off right now, and im off to work. nothin like confusing the afternoon rush hour with a cloud of smoke coming from a dilapidated looking old subaru.. but i'll be the only one on the road with nothing to worry about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 subaru's can definitely leak without mixing coolant and water. actually the long story i mentioned earlier was a coolant leak into the combustion chamber. no coolant was mixing through oil/coolant passages in the gasket or heads. i can only guess that somehow water getting into the combustion chamber also got into the block...through the rings? actually the only blown head gasket subaru i've gotten that had oil/coolant mixing was a blown turbo and that thing was blown to bits. you're using the words "coolant" and "water" interchangeably. water won't show up nearly as much in the oil since it evaporates and burns off easier than coolant. if you have milkshake under your oil cap then you have mixing. if not then maybe not so much. lots of fluid coming out the tail pipe at start up is another sign, that's before it gets so hot it burns up right away. but that's not definitive either way. either way, don't worry about the seafoam. keep changing the oil on time (if it's black, it's not on time!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffast Posted October 27, 2006 Share Posted October 27, 2006 (if it's black, it's not on time!). i have never had oil come out of a car any other color Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 well it was a nice, rich, dark brown color... how about, black coffee colored? not black in a thin layer by ANY means, but in a pan full of it, black is the best description... Oh, btw i was using coolant and water interchangeably.. because i wasnt running antifreeze, stopped that when i started this leak... BUT my gallon water jug went missing at one point, reached into the trunk and found half a gallon of antifreeze!! so i poured that in there within the last 300 miles or so... still a bit of a tinge to the water, but again nothing in the oil. No milkshake appearance WHATsoever to the oil, only to the water in the radiator. I will have to check for water coming out the exhaust..... hadn't thought of that yet. Hopefully I wake up in time to drain the water out of the radiator, too. Had I not gotten canned from my delivery job all of this would have been dealt with by now :-\ it really sucks going from making 500-600 a week to making 250-300.....ive got "work" but i wouldn't call it a "job" thanks for the feedback there, gary.. that pretty well set me to rest. I am not trying to go the winter without doing the gaskets.. just trying to make it to my 3rd or 4th paycheck, maybe pay the telephone bill and maintain things like that before jumping on to repairing the vehicle. the way I see it, there IS a loyale over on the west coast (of florida) for 500 bucks that just needs a CV axle. WORST case scenario, i blow my engine...... time for a GL-10 transplant into a new chassis! I'll miss the sunroof, a little, but whadevah.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davalos Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 How did it go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted October 28, 2006 Author Share Posted October 28, 2006 no problems, 15 minutes idling with some revving, lots of whitish to grey smoke when i punched it. it was fun pulling out in front of people and having to bury the throttle with smoke pouring out the rear but it tapered off after about 5 minutes of actual driving. i dont believe the seat of my pants, but if i did id say it made her a bit more responsive.. im interested solely in longevity and efficiency, tho. standard seafoam experience :- ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now