This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

"Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney" wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the
engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases
rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to
normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked
out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant
pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant
and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell
antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

The exaust should do nothing. Might need radiator and system cleaned. ?

Greg

On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

A lot of cars run hot at low RPM. One guy had to shift into park at
red lights and "race the engine" to cool it down. Didn't overheat on
the highway. Probable clogged radiator or bad water pump. .

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

"Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney" wrote in
message ...
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the
engine runs rough(ly) all the time. When driving it runs cool. When idling
the temp increases rapidly. If he puts (it) in neutral and revs the engine,
he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water
pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant
pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant
and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze,
probably blowing out the overflow.
______________________________


Kenny? Here's a feller what needs some car work done.
Can you helps him, little feller?

wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

+1

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 8:39:46 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter..

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

+1

I can't explain the behavior of why it runs hot at idle in
terms of the leaking headgasket. I'd suspect that there might
be another problem, like blocked radiator, that's the real
problem, even though OP says that has been ruled out. If there
is a separate cooling system problem, that could have allowed
the car to overheat, warp the head, and that's why the head
gasket is leaking. Symptom of partially blocked radiator
can be overheating at idle. With the car not moving, less air
moves through radiator, so it needs more radiator performance
that when it's moving.

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 08:56:16 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

I can't explain the behavior of why it runs hot at idle in
terms of the leaking headgasket. I'd suspect that there might
be another problem, like blocked radiator, that's the real
problem, even though OP says that has been ruled out. If there
is a separate cooling system problem, that could have allowed
the car to overheat, warp the head, and that's why the head
gasket is leaking. Symptom of partially blocked radiator
can be overheating at idle. With the car not moving, less air
moves through radiator, so it needs more radiator performance
that when it's moving.

[wrench in the cog]

....maybe the T-stat is frozen shut and not working - remove or replace
it. Use the correct temp rated T-stat.

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed

Clarity note. The gasket may leak at one cylinder. That cylinder
will rust up _if_ repairs are not done yesterday

trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 8:39:46 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

+1

I can't explain the behavior of why it runs hot at idle in
terms of the leaking headgasket. I'd suspect that there might
be another problem, like blocked radiator, that's the real
problem, even though OP says that has been ruled out. If there
is a separate cooling system problem, that could have allowed
the car to overheat, warp the head, and that's why the head
gasket is leaking. Symptom of partially blocked radiator
can be overheating at idle. With the car not moving, less air
moves through radiator, so it needs more radiator performance
that when it's moving.

Hi,
Today's new cars rad. fan is thermostat controlled electric motor
driven. So Air passing thru the rad. is not like old cars. If suspected
we can do the rad pressure test with dye which will tell what's going
on. If it is a leaking gasket problem the sooner the repair is done the
better. Or bigger problems will happen.

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 08:39:26 -0400, wrote:

First question - what year and model???

Next. Are the heads aluminum on a cast iron block ...

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 2:34:30 PM UTC-4, Tony Hwang wrote:
trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 8:39:46 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

+1

I can't explain the behavior of why it runs hot at idle in
terms of the leaking headgasket. I'd suspect that there might
be another problem, like blocked radiator, that's the real
problem, even though OP says that has been ruled out. If there
is a separate cooling system problem, that could have allowed
the car to overheat, warp the head, and that's why the head
gasket is leaking. Symptom of partially blocked radiator
can be overheating at idle. With the car not moving, less air
moves through radiator, so it needs more radiator performance
that when it's moving.

Hi,
Today's new cars rad. fan is thermostat controlled electric motor
driven. So Air passing thru the rad. is not like old cars. If suspected
we can do the rad pressure test with dye which will tell what's going
on. If it is a leaking gasket problem the sooner the repair is done the
better. Or bigger problems will happen.

all garage needs to do to check for exhaust leak into coolant.

removed radiator cap run engine with cap off, check for carbon monoxide at caps location.

also try pressurizing cooling system with pressure tester.

if pressure goes down their is a leak somewhere.

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 13:17:50 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 08:39:26 -0400, wrote:

First question - what year and model???

Next. Are the heads aluminum on a cast iron block ...
Answer to the first question will answer the second one.

On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 10:43:12 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

bob haller wrote:
On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 10:43:12 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

it clogged my heater core, the dashboard had to be taken apart to replace the heater core. it was a dodge caravan.

i learned a costly lesson........

Hmm,
Same happened to me on Ford PU truck in winter time. It can go both
ways. Solve the problem at least for the time being or else.

wrote in message ...
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.

On 4/19/2015 3:19 AM, Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney wrote:

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.


Takes only a few minutes to a half hour. Plugging the heater core can
take an hour or so.

Best way to handle it is to warm the engine, add the block seal, teh let
it run while you look at the ads for new cars because yours may be junk
with a bad head gasket and plugged heater core. No way I'd trust that
crap. But... it is your car so do as you please.

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 12:43:52 PM UTC-4, Oren wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 08:56:16 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
wrote:

I can't explain the behavior of why it runs hot at idle in
terms of the leaking headgasket. I'd suspect that there might
be another problem, like blocked radiator, that's the real
problem, even though OP says that has been ruled out. If there
is a separate cooling system problem, that could have allowed
the car to overheat, warp the head, and that's why the head
gasket is leaking. Symptom of partially blocked radiator
can be overheating at idle. With the car not moving, less air
moves through radiator, so it needs more radiator performance
that when it's moving.

[wrench in the cog]

...maybe the T-stat is frozen shut and not working - remove or replace
it. Use the correct temp rated T-stat.

If the thermostat was frozen shut it would be overheating worse
while being driven, instead of only overheating when stopped.

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 2:34:30 PM UTC-4, Tony Hwang wrote:
trader_4 wrote:
On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 8:39:46 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

+1

I can't explain the behavior of why it runs hot at idle in
terms of the leaking headgasket. I'd suspect that there might
be another problem, like blocked radiator, that's the real
problem, even though OP says that has been ruled out. If there
is a separate cooling system problem, that could have allowed
the car to overheat, warp the head, and that's why the head
gasket is leaking. Symptom of partially blocked radiator
can be overheating at idle. With the car not moving, less air
moves through radiator, so it needs more radiator performance
that when it's moving.

Hi,
Today's new cars rad. fan is thermostat controlled electric motor
driven. So Air passing thru the rad. is not like old cars. If suspected
we can do the rad pressure test with dye which will tell what's going
on. If it is a leaking gasket problem the sooner the repair is done the
better. Or bigger problems will happen.

That's a good point. If it's a car made in the last couple of
decades, it probably has an electric radiator fan. If that isn't
running when the car needs it, ie when the temp is going up, that
would cause overheating. Even many older cars had auxiliary electric
fans to supplement the mechanical, belt drive one.

"bob haller" wrote in message ...
On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

- most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.
-
- if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed

Milky coolant from engine, but no water in oil.

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message ...
On 4/19/2015 3:19 AM, Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney wrote:

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.


Takes only a few minutes to a half hour. Plugging the heater core can
take an hour or so.

Best way to handle it is to warm the engine, add the block seal, teh let
it run while you look at the ads for new cars because yours may be junk
with a bad head gasket and plugged heater core. No way I'd trust that
crap. But... it is your car so do as you please.

Any other risks you folks know of? Clare's idea of bypassing the heater & valve would take that out of the loop. Will pass that on to the neighbor and let him decide. Pretty mild weather here - won't need a car heater for at least 6 months.

How does block seal work? If it doesn't seal and then he gets the head done, would the seal residue be a problem?

Any recommended brands? Searching I see K&W, Bar, CRC.

On Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 1:51:55 PM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message ...
On 4/19/2015 3:19 AM, Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney wrote:

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.


Takes only a few minutes to a half hour. Plugging the heater core can
take an hour or so.

Best way to handle it is to warm the engine, add the block seal, teh let
it run while you look at the ads for new cars because yours may be junk
with a bad head gasket and plugged heater core. No way I'd trust that
crap. But... it is your car so do as you please.

Any other risks you folks know of? Clare's idea of bypassing the heater & valve would take that out of the loop. Will pass that on to the neighbor and let him decide. Pretty mild weather here - won't need a car heater for at least 6 months.

How does block seal work? If it doesn't seal and then he gets the head done, would the seal residue be a problem?

Any recommended brands? Searching I see K&W, Bar, CRC.

the sealer is little globes of something akin to tar that becomes a permanent part of the coolant.

my foggy memory says I ended up getting the heater core replaced, had to tear apart dash. later the radiator failed, had it flushed. the mechanic asked did you use bards leak? yep.......

you need a new radiator, the coolant was clogging the rad.

so do what you want, but i would get the cooling system pressure tested

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 21:14:03 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 10:43:12 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

it clogged my heater core, the dashboard had to be taken apart to replace the heater core. it was a dodge caravan.

i learned a costly lesson........
Used according to manufacturer's directions, most engine sealers /
stop-leaks can be used safely without plugging heater cores. Been
using them for over 40 years. The lesson I learned, was "follow
manufacturer's instructions"

On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 00:19:07 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

wrote in message ...
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.
Generally it works in less than half an hour or it doesn't work.
Still hjave not told us what year/model/engine. Cast iron heads and
block pretty much means it is an old technology engine?? You might
have a cracked head instead of a bad gasket, but the engine sealer can
address that too in most cases.

On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 10:56:10 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message ...
On 4/19/2015 3:19 AM, Snuffy "Hub Cap" McKinney wrote:

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.


Takes only a few minutes to a half hour. Plugging the heater core can
take an hour or so.

Best way to handle it is to warm the engine, add the block seal, teh let
it run while you look at the ads for new cars because yours may be junk
with a bad head gasket and plugged heater core. No way I'd trust that
crap. But... it is your car so do as you please.

Any other risks you folks know of? Clare's idea of bypassing the heater & valve would take that out of the loop. Will pass that on to the neighbor and let him decide. Pretty mild weather here - won't need a car heater for at least 6 months.

How does block seal work? If it doesn't seal and then he gets the head done, would the seal residue be a problem?

Any recommended brands? Searching I see K&W, Bar, CRC.
Normal engine sealer won't be a problem down the line. boiler
sealer could!!.
Can'temember the brand of "boiler seal" we used to use on old
machinery - but the stuff really worked. We only used it on stuff that
we didn't plan on taking apart to fix properly later, and I don't even
remember ever plugging a rad or heater core with it. The old Brs Leaks
rad sealer pelets wouuld do a job on a heater if you didn't follow the
instructions - One that I used a LOT of over the decades was Knights
AlumaSeal. (also sold as Gold Eagle and several other brands).

Sodium Silicate (aka "waterglass" is also an effective crack sealer
that won't plug heater cores and is the "active ingredient" in
BarsLeaks "Liquid Copper" rad sealer. (used to be in a lot of others
too - not sure if it still is)

On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 00:19:07 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

wrote in message ...
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........
I wouldn't say it WILL clog the heater. There is a chance it will
plug the heater. For the uber-cautious, it's generally not hard to
bypass the heater core and even the heater valve untill the leak is
sealed.

Thanks guys. How long would you expect it to take to know if block seal works?

Engine & heads are cast iron.


I forget the exact instructions and sequence but when I used the
stuff I could tell in the first 10 minutes of 'put it in and run the
engine". Within that short time it had already plugged up the leak
that was making one cylinder fail. A friend of mine tired it on his
old jeep flathead with a wide crack in the block you could see on the
outside. It almost worked on that but the crack was just too big.

Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 17:22:01 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

And we still don't know if it's a '47 straight eight, a nailhead, or a
430 wildcat, or - - - -
They all have different problems, and all have fast iron blocks and
heads .

On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 16:08:24 -0700, Ashton Crusher
wrote:

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

There is a good video on Youtube about a heater core being
back-flushed to clean all the dirty gunk out. Using compressed air, a
catch gunk jug and a top secret cleaner not to be mentioned by name -
CLR!

If he bypasses the heater it would be a good time to back-flush the
core.

On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 20:29:31 -0400, wrote:

And we still don't know if it's a '47 straight eight, a nailhead, or a
430 wildcat, or - - - -

.... maybe a Skylark

posted for all of us...



On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 04:39:42 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 1:45:46 AM UTC-4, Snuffy Hub Cap McKinney wrote:
This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

most head gasket leaks crate white exhaust.

if coolant leaks into oil engine will soon be siezed
First question - what year and model???

If it has a leaking headgasket, nothing else matters. It NEEDS to be
fixed (or thecar scrapped)

+1

--
Tekkie *Please post a follow-up*

wrote in message ...
On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 17:22:01 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

And we still don't know if it's a '47 straight eight, a nailhead, or a
430 wildcat, or - - - -
They all have different problems, and all have fast iron blocks and
heads .

I guess I misunderstood the neighbor. He has a Buick and a 98 Ford Ranger. It's the Ranger with the problem.

On Tue, 21 Apr 2015 23:37:12 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

wrote in message ...
On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 17:22:01 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

And we still don't know if it's a '47 straight eight, a nailhead, or a
430 wildcat, or - - - -
They all have different problems, and all have fast iron blocks and
heads .

I guess I misunderstood the neighbor. He has a Buick and a 98 Ford Ranger. It's the Ranger with the problem.
4 cyl, 3 liter or 4 liter. If it's a 4, he has a cracked head - 99%
if he overheated it.

wrote in message ...
On Tue, 21 Apr 2015 23:37:12 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

wrote in message ...
On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 17:22:01 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

And we still don't know if it's a '47 straight eight, a nailhead, or a
430 wildcat, or - - - -
They all have different problems, and all have fast iron blocks and
heads .

I guess I misunderstood the neighbor. He has a Buick and a 98 Ford Ranger. It's the Ranger with the problem.
4 cyl, 3 liter or 4 liter. If it's a 4, he has a cracked head - 99%
if he overheated it.

3 liter

On Thu, 23 Apr 2015 01:53:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

wrote in message ...
On Tue, 21 Apr 2015 23:37:12 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

wrote in message ...
On Sun, 19 Apr 2015 17:22:01 -0600, Tony Hwang
wrote:

Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Sat, 18 Apr 2015 18:40:29 -0700 (PDT), bob haller
wrote:

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 9:03:19 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:50:00 -0700, "Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney"
wrote:

This is more of a Sherlock Holmes type mystery than a practical matter.

Neighbor has a leaking head gasket in his Buick bad enough so that the engine runs rough all the time. Watch does with it is not my concern.

When driving it runs cool. When sitting idling the temp increases rapidly. If he puts in neutral and revs the engine, he says it drops to normal quickly. Radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, water pump all checked out and working normally.

I'm wondering .... when the engine is turning slowly, if the the coolant pressure drops, which could be letting more exhaust leak into the coolant and raise the temp? Says when the temp goes high, he can smell antifreeze, probably blowing out the overflow.

What he should do is go buy some "block seal" in a can and follow the
instructions exactly. That stuff sometimes actually works. The worst
that can happen is you are out the $30 for the stuff. At this point
he has nothing to lose but the $30.

but it will clog the heater.........

No it won't. Not if you follow the instructions But if someone is
really worried about that they can bypass the heater for the duration
of the installation of the gunk.

And we still don't know if it's a '47 straight eight, a nailhead, or a
430 wildcat, or - - - -
They all have different problems, and all have fast iron blocks and
heads .

I guess I misunderstood the neighbor. He has a Buick and a 98 Ford Ranger. It's the Ranger with the problem.
4 cyl, 3 liter or 4 liter. If it's a 4, he has a cracked head - 99%
if he overheated it.

3 liter
I've had a few 3.0 vulcans in Aerostars - the only problem I ever had
temperature-wize was a stuck thermostat (240,000km+ on both)

Go to:
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/for...-head-gasket-1
for all you need to know and more.