Coolant question.

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mc6796 - 19 Feb 2008 15:37 GMT

I am open to any and all suggestions. My situation is that my car is
leaking coolant very slowly. I have never seen a drop of coolant on the
ground, but every month or two the low collant light will come on and I
have put in maybe 3-4 cups of coolant. The cars temp never changes, I
have notice this leak for the past year and since winter it has
progressed. I'm not willing to put alot of money into the car, and have
been trying to get some info on this K-Seal product. Has anyone used it?
The comments I have found seem to be varied. Most people who have used it
seem to like it. Those who speak out agiants it seem to have been told
its bad for your car so they haven't used. Thanks

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Russg - 19 Feb 2008 16:55 GMT

"mc6796" <> wrote in message news:

> I am open to any and all suggestions. My situation is that my car is
> leaking coolant very slowly. I have never seen a drop of coolant on the
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> --

I haven't used K-Seal, but I have used Bars Leaks,
heavy duty. Bar Leaks works well. I would guess
K-Seal works well also. I think using some sort of
coolant leak sealer is a better way than repacing the
intake manifold gasket.

People who dislike sealers, at least one person commenting in an earlier
similar thread, think the
sealer will narrow passages and impede coolant flow.
I don't believe this is the case. It is a pretty good
$8.00 solution as opposed to an $800.00 one.
Replacing the gasket has been reported the leak
will recur.

I took the upper radiator hose off at the radiator
and poured the Bars Leaks in there after removing
about a quart of coolant. Then I ran the car and
topped off the coolant resevoir. I also don't use
Dexcool, just regular anti-freeze.

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Sharky - 19 Feb 2008 21:03 GMT

I will assume this is a V6 and not the 4 cyl. Ecotech engine. Sounds like
your intake manifold gasket is due for replacing. Shop around before you
get the work done, there is an old retired Chevrolet mechanic who replaced
mine for $100 cash, it only took him about 5-6 hours to do. The biggest
thing you can do to stop this from happening again is to flush all of that
old Dexcool out of the cooling system and replace it with your choice of
antifreeze. The problem with these gaskets going out again and again is
because the older the Dexcool antifreeze gets, the more acidic it becomes,
eating away those old or new gaskets. Personally I would not put Dexcool
back into the system, just for peace of mind.

As for any type of sealant in a bottle, I have no personal opinion, but I
will say this. If your coolant is old enough to be acidic enough to start
eating gaskets away, there is nothing you can pour into the cooling system
that is going to turn it back into a coolant. The problem is with the
coolant in the system and not the gaskets. If it is not flushed out and
replaced, it is going to continue to eat away gaskets until it finally ruins
your engine. Which is a shame, because these 3.1L engines are nearly
bulletproof.

Good luck,
Sharky

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