Thoughts on using BarsLeak?

[cpschevy]

Well I have to disagree with the people who say that Barsleak wont work we used it in a n14 cummins when the head was leaking and it sealed rite up.Now the other brands like alumaseal dont work that i can agree with. Go to barsleaks website and it will explain how it works,pretty intresting. also make sure you check the quanity needed cause these buses have a bunch of antifreeze, which in turn means alot of barsleak to fix a little leak.Also just remember all these stopleaks dont last forever, so when you have time get the leak fixed rite.

[Dreamscape]

I used Barsleak on my 8v71 over two years ago for a small leak. I have not had any further problems at all. I was skeptical at first, but glad I tried it.

Good Luck,

Paul

[Busted Knuckle]

I've had great success with Bars Leak! Get the tablets if able, if not get the pellets! BUT DO NOT USE THE POWERED STUFF IT WILL RUIN A RADIATOR IN NO TIME! I have used the tablets & the pellets more than once and had great results! I had an 8V92 that would leak coolant into the airboxes when the weather would change, used Bars Leak in it and it was still doing FINE 2yrs later when I sold it a yr ago & the current owner has had ZERO problems! FWIW   BK 

By the way this was back when I was a poor boy try'n to get by, and was along way from home and had 2 choices Bars Leak or tow truck! (and I didn't have $ to pay a tow truck!)

YA know come to think of it I'm sorta still a poor boy! I started with nothing & still have most of it left!

[belfert]

Whatever radiator stop leak was used in my engine did stop the pinhole leaks in the radiator.

I wasn't aware of any leaks in my radiator when I took the radiator in for cleaning.  They rodded it out and found evidence of stop leak being used.  When it was pressure tested there were a number of pinhole leaks that the stop leak had been plugging.  I ended up buying a new core and no more leaks.

[Busted Knuckle]

One other note on this! Even if you do use the "good stuff" DON"T USE TOO MUCH OF IT! Too much of ANY of them will plug the radiator sooner or later and probably at the worst time possible! FWIW
  BK 

[DrivingMissLazy]

Over the past 50 years I have used Barrs Leak and other remedies and I have never been disappointed in any of them as a temporary radiator/block sealant. Everything from a Model A right up to modern vehicles. I have never heard of any of them causing a blockage of the radiator itself. I suspect it would take a significant overdose to cause a problem like that.
Richard

[Hartley]

I Use Barrs  "Block Sealer" . It saved me on several different engines.

Remember the engine must be up to operating temps and you have to run it for
a while to circulate the sealer. It actually starts working after you shut down and the
engine starts to cool.

I had a continental 6 cylinder flat head that had a physical crack across the head
that you could see... Barrs leak block sealer and the crack sealed up. I ran that engine for 4 more years and it never leaked again.

Worst case, Get one of those big shaker packages of Black Pepper and keep it handy. It will temporarily stop a readiator or minor hose leak and can be flushed out later with little residue.

Dave....

[JohnEd]

Dr. Dave,

The black pepper move sounds down right culinary.  The first leak sealer I ever heard about was "oatmeal".  I never did that but the old timers said it worked like a charm.  Who gnu?

John

[RTS/Daytona]

IIRC -- Wynn's Radiator Stop leak is a special kind of ground OATMEAL

[Hartley]

The problem I had with the oatmeal mixture is that it swells and cooks into globs
in the radiator core and engine galleries. It requires acid boiling to get it out of the system later.

The Black Pepper is a short term fix that does not clump up and make a mess of everything. Only a good water flush is needed to remove the residue.

A buddy of mine had a 49 Dodge woods buggy and the radiator tended to leak. He got carried away with the pepper one day and as we are running down a back road at about 40 mph the radiator finally exploded.... Uh... No windshield, firewall or dashboard to deflect the steam and pepperred water spray....Right back into the drivers and passengers faces...( I was shocked, laughing and crying all at the same time. )

I had warned him earlier about using it as a long term fix.....

I have used in in my MC9 a while back when a radiator popped a core 110 miles from home. It slowed the leak enough that I got home in only a couple of extra stops.

I ended up recoring both radiators after that just because I hated those surprises while on the road. Salt damage on the NJT MC9's is worst on the drivers side radiators lower sections. It's also where the air intake is located.

Dave....

[RTS/Daytona]

Dave

The Wynns stuff is truely UNIQUE - It doesn't clog radiators -  just stops leaks - I've NEVER had it cause me a problem

Like I said -- A SPECIAL ground oatmeal mixture  --

Pete

[lyndon]

Having always lived in the "Great White North," I heard many warnings that heater cores were the first thing to plug up from using leak stop products. Considering the sizes of bus cores, I'm not sure it would be much of a problem in this case. But if you're worried, you might want to close the gate valves until the stop leak does its thing.

The amount you would need to add might be a lot less, too.

Don

[Sojourner]

Back in late 40's....we had a factory rep from Bar Leak that was in our 4-H farm tractor club. He told us about "How radiator stop leak work?"
They use (back then) ground-up balsa wood into fine particle so it expand wherever it expose to open dry air. You can read the FAQ about it...http://www.barsproducts.com/bars_faq.htm

Only ones that has clogging problem, during as a mechanic in my life time is they either too low coolant to allow air being circulate or over heated.

FWIW

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

[bassfid]

I have used Bars Leak for many years in different vehicles with very good results.  There are some auto manufacturers who install BL at the factory. (Jaguar is one I remember)  There is an interesting story about BL and a nuclear submarine:  http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=3739

Fred