Head Gasket -- Inexpensive, Easy Fix

In my humble experience a gasket in a bottle is a temporary "fix" that has caused trouble for me. I now avoid such products even though it seems the easy way out.

I put some "stuff" into the radiator of a 10 year old 510 Datsun I had in the early 1980s and that "stuff" clogged up the heater core and never really fixed the other leak. I cannot remember the name of the "stuff".

With that experience in mind I replaced head gaskets on my 1983 Voyager's 2.2 L engines when they had a head gasket leak (or other problem - like the need for a rebuild due to compression/oil consumption problems). The last time I replaced a 2.2 l. head gasket I decided to splurge and spent extra $ to make sure the head was "planed flat". Then I spent the extra $$ for a Mopar performance head gasket that is thicker than any other of the Mopar/Victor/ Fel-Pro head gaskets I have used in the past. So far - so good.

Ken, Canada

I've had success with rad "solder" for one very small hole at a time, but when my 1970 Datsun 510 rad went after only 3 yrs it was better to just plug two tubes. The 510 performed very well, but it's light weight was the clue to very thin metal.

Fortunately rads just don't seem to leak like they used to, even after

Maybe all "stuff" isn't created equal. It has been ~25 years since you used a similar product. Technology is constantly moving forward.

I'm not saying this is THE way to go. I'm just saying it's an option. Especially when you have an older, higher mileage vehicle and not a lot of cash in the wallet. It worked for me and continues to do so. Since my heater core was leaking anyway, it didn't matter that it clogged.

-- Christian