"mm" wrote in message

Yeah, I did try BarsLeak and it seemed to work great. But that was a
week or two ago. A couple days after I added it, the level was just
as high as when I put it in (which is funny because even when there is
no leak I seem to lose some in the overflow bottle.) Tonight, I
noticed that even though the engine was a lot hotter than normal, one
or one half index mark from the top of the scale, there was no heat
coming from the heater. No heat is a pretty clear sign I have less
water than I should (Maybe half as much as I should is my guess).

This is a case of trying to save a buck may cost you dearly in the end.
That Bars Leak may have plugged the radiator core. Yes, it happens often.
The real solution is a proper radiator repair. Now you may need a new
radiator core also. A competent radiator shop would have had you going in a
short and cost effective time compared to what you may face now.

As a teenager, I tried all sorts of additives in some old clunkers I drove.
It taught me a valuable lesson; get the car fixed properly. There is no
substitute for soldering a hole or replacing a bearing, or whatever the real
problem is.

I hope I'm wrong but find out before more damage is done from overheating. .