how can I temporarily fix my na fairlane

"eemgee" wrote: '89 NA Fairlane, LPG-fueled

My car is leaking water regularly, I must top up the bottle every few days and cannot go too far from home at 100 kph without it going nearly dry. I think it's a cracked head/head gasket.

The car is in immaculate condition otherwise so I want to keep it. When I can afford it I will install a reconditioned engine and a new radiator. Can I use something like Seal-Up or Chemweld to get me through for a couple of months?

Also, a parts store clerk said these chemicals must be added to the top-up bottle, not the radiator, otherwise it will clog up the whole system. Is that true? ____________________________________________________

If you can actually see it leaking, it is not a head/head gasket. It is a break in the radiator/water pump/hose/heater core from which you see the water dripping.

If the water is simply vanishing it is probably a head/head gasket.

If you use a temporary chemical sealer, follow the directions on the container. Usually it is to be poured into the radiator (not the top-up bottle) because the radiator pressure helps to force the sealer into the leaking joint. With engine warm and running, pour it in quite slowly to prevent local clogging then reinstall the radiator cap and drive it for another 15 minutes.

Don't drive it far from home, don't drive fast, do keep it topped up, do add the sealer and you may make it last just long enough.

Good luck.

Rodan.

the dashboard warning is the flashing low coolant level indicator, although the temp. gauge seems fine. My foremost enquiry is whether or not I can add something to my radiator. The model of my car does have the radiator??? in front of the fan, but there is no way you can add anything directly to it, the only access you have is via a large hard plastic bottle that is on the driver's side ( my ford manufactured in Australia, driver's side is on the right) situated behind the battery. This plastic bottle has a RADIATOR CAP, under pressure, and according to the owner's manual (which is very basic and pretty useless) it's the coolant supply bottle. There are two rubber hoses that connect this bottle to the radiator itself. I was told that if I add anything, everything will get clogged up, especially the radiator. Im pretty sure there's nothing wrong with the radiator, rather it's a blown head gasket/cracked head, but as I'm a 36 y.o female with no automotive knowledge, I dunno??? What do you think??? I can scan and email a diagram from my owners manual if it will help. .........eemgee

eemgeeATcbl.com.au wrote: '89 NA Fairlane, LPG-fueled

My car is leaking water regularly, I must top up the bottle every few days and cannot go too far from home at 100 kph without it going nearly dry. I think it's a cracked head/head gasket.

The car is in immaculate condition otherwise so I want to keep it. When I can afford it I will install a reconditioned engine and a new radiator. Can I use something like Seal-Up or Chemweld to get me through for a couple of months?

Also, a parts store clerk said these chemicals must be added to the top-up bottle, not the radiator, otherwise it will clog up the whole system. Is that true? ____________________________________________________

If you can actually see it leaking, it is not a head/head gasket. It is a break in the radiator/water pump/hose/heater core from which you see the water dripping.

If the water is simply vanishing it is probably a head/head gasket.

If you use a temporary chemical sealer, follow the directions on the container. Usually it is to be poured into the radiator (not the top-up bottle) because the radiator pressure helps to force the sealer into the leaking joint. With engine warm and running, pour it in quite slowly to prevent local clogging then reinstall the radiator cap and drive it for another 15 minutes.

Don't drive it far from home, don't drive fast, do keep it topped up, do add the sealer and you may make it last just long enough.

Good luck. Rodan. ____________________________________________________

You can't see a leak. The water just vanishes, The dash coolant level indicator is flashing, although the temp gauge reads fine.

My foremost concern is whether I can add some engine sealant without clogging the radiator. The radiator pressure cap is not on the radiator - it is on a hard plastic bottle connected by two rubber hoses to the radiator. eemgee _____________________________________________________

A sealant coats the inside of the radiator (and the engine block) with a thin covering of the chemical. The insulating property of the coating causes only a small loss in radiator cooling efficiency.

The sealant will not clog the radiator unless it is not distributed uniformly. Poor distribution can happen if the sealant is:

__ Added too quickly to give it time to mix and disperse. __ Added to a cold radiator, preventing good mixing __ Added to a non-flowing radiator, allowing precipitation.

Here's how I guess you could treat the cooling system:

__ Follow the directions on the chemical sealant container. __ Drain enough radiator water to make room for the sealant. __ Remove the radiator cap and run the engine until it is warm. __ With the engine running, slowly pour the sealant into the radiator.

== From your note I understand that the radiator is not filled at a == capped port - instead it is filled through a hose from another == (hard plastic) reservoir. If that is the case, disconnect the == hose at the reservoir, pour the sealant in through the hose, == then reattach the hose.

__ Add enough water to fill the system. __ Reinstall the radiator cap and drive it for another 15 minutes.

Good luck.

Rodan.

I don't recall the brand name but go to the autoparts store and look for a product where the instructions say to flush out all the old coolant and antifreeze and to mix the product with some water in a bucket and then put it in the vehicle and run for about 30 minutes and then let sit overnight. There may be more then one brand, probably is. I used this stuff in a tercel that ran like crap from a claimed bad head gasket. It started purring like a kitten during the 30 minute run-in period. Could have been coincidence but it fixed the problem for the remaining time I had it ( couple of months) and it was still ok when I sold it due to the tranny starting to go out. You might get lucky. I've never had a "stopleak" clog anything when the directions were followed.

In general, stop leak products rarely work and can clog radiators and heater cores. The ones that you add to the coolant; Bars Leaks, Aluma Seal, etc. are typical band aid in a can junk. I did once use the type mentioned here on an Oldsmobile 350 with coolant to combustion leaks in the head gaskets. It had been badly overheated, long story. The fellow drove the car ~300 miles home and then drove it around town for about 2 years. I was amazed! IIRC the product was made by Justice Brothers. If you want to try this, you really don't have anything to lose. Look for a product that says to drain and flush the coolant from the system before adding the stop leak. For a head gasket leak, I would run the engine with the cylinder disabled (spark plug out) during the procedure.

Stay away from the cellulose based stop leaks. I used one out of desperation (heater core began leaking the day before vacation!) and it was a nightmare. It didn't stop the leak, but when I got the heater core out it looked like a newspaper had dissolved in it. I don't want to think what the radiator looked like.

Mike

You never want to use ANY stop leak in a viable vehicle, most especially to fix a leak in a radiator or heater core. Those you just replace,

It's worth a try. What have you got to lose? I've used an AL type of leak sPSAamany times on older vehicles and I add it to the radiator.