AT-205 - Really?! (2 Viewers)

[AussieMick80]

Hi All

I have just bought myself another 80 and in Australia I need to get a 'Roadworthy' completed to complete the transfer of sale. As part of that roadworthy I have been told I need to fix a leak from the Power-steering pump, Steering Box and Front Crank Seal. None of these are major leaks.

This is going to cost me a fair amount of money and today I have been reading about 'Stop Leak' products. The most impressive one, on paper, seems to be AT-205. It would appear that this product could potentially resolve the issues above and save me hundreds of dollars or at least stop the leaks long enough for me to pass the roadworthy tests.

I would be interested to know your thoughts on this product and if there are any potential issues using it, especially in the engine? Using the product in the engine does concern me. Aren't you just watering down the oil?

TIA

Mick

 

[CharlieS]

Snake oil, do the repairs properly.

 

[CruiserDave]

Stopped my PS leak at the rear seal. I'm still going to replace the pump but this has bought me time until the weather warms. At $25 I figured I'd give it a shot and it worked wonderfully.

 

[AussieMick80]

Snake oil, do the repairs properly.

I would prefer to do it properly obviously, but cost is a big factor at the moment and a lot of people have stated that it works. If I get a few months out of this fix, it would certainly help.

 

[AussieMick80]

Stopped my PS leak at the rear seal. I'm still going to replace the pump but this has bought me time until the weather warms. At $25 I figured I'd give it a shot and it worked wonderfully.

Good to know it worked!! This is exactly what I am thinking. If it can buy me a little time and allow me to get it on the road. Especially if it doesn't cause any further issues using it.

 

[GTV]

I tried AT-205 two different times to try and fix very light leaking on the power steering hoses. Both times the pump immediately blew up and started spewing fluid everywhere.

 

[AussieMick80]

I tried AT-205 two different times to try and fix very light leaking on the power steering hoses. Both times the pump immediately blew up and started spewing fluid everywhere.

Thats a concern..... How would this happen? An immediate reaction like that seems very strange.

 

[GORDA91]

Used in transmission, transfer case, and oil. Appears to have stopped leaks from the first two. Has been more than a month and no drops. Didn’t work for oil leak but I think my leak was the oil pan gasket versus the rear main, which is what I originally thought. Don’t believe the at-205 designed to work on oil pan type gasket. Replaced the pan gasket last week and no oil drops either for the past week.

 

[AussieMick80]

Used in transmission, transfer case, and oil. Appears to have stopped leaks from the first two. Has been more than a month and no drops. Didn’t work for oil leak but I think my leak was the oil pan gasket versus the rear main, which is what I originally thought. Don’t believe the at-205 designed to work on oil pan type gasket. Replaced the pan gasket last week and no oil drops either for the past week.

Thank you. That's great to know.

 

[OLD DAWG]

Thats a concern..... How would this happen? An immediate reaction like that seems very strange.

Thats a concern..... How would this happen? An immediate reaction like that seems very strange.

I’ve never used the AT205. I used Blue devil instead because it was mid-winter and snow everywhere. I bought everything to fix the leak but… that was 3+ years ago and no problems.

 

[AussieMick80]

I’ve never used the AT205. I used Blue devil instead because it was mid-winter and snow everywhere. I bought everything to fix the leak but… that was 3+ years ago and no problems.

I have seen some great reviews on BD too. What did you use it on? I like the look of AT-205 because you can use it for multiple applications, from one bottle.

 

[CruiserDave]

It's a liquid polymer that restores rubber elasticity. It will not fix a seal that is damaged/cracked with missing pieces. If the seal is hardened and has shrinkage it should soften it back up enough to seal. Hoses that are leaking are probably too damaged for this to work and should be replaced.

Like I said it work for me. I went from a puddle under the vehicle overnight to nothing. From adding atf fluid to ps every few days to NO loss. Worked for me may not work for you but for the low cost try it and see. You're going to have to replace the parts anyway if you want it to stop leaking so try it and see. Or don't lol

 

[AussieMick80]

It's a liquid polymer that restores rubber elasticity. It will not fix a seal that is damaged/cracked with missing pieces. If the seal is hardened and has shrinkage it should soften it back up enough to seal. Hoses that are leaking are probably too damaged for this to work and should be replaced.

Like I said it work for me. I went from a puddle under the vehicle overnight to nothing. From adding atf fluid to ps every few days to NO loss. Worked for me may not work for you but for the low cost try it and see. You're going to have to replace the parts anyway if you want it to stop leaking so try it and see. Or don't lol

That makes perfect sense to me! thanks

 

[ranma21]

AT-205 works to certain extend if the seal is not physically damaged, have had good luck on it as well. It is not the typical stop leak product. Give it a shot.

 

[AussieMick80]

AT-205 works to certain extend if the seal is not physically damaged, have had good luck on it as well. It is not the typical stop leak product. Give it a shot.

Thank you. I have some arriving from Amazon today

I will give the 80 a clean and give it a go.

 

[SpenserAK]

As mentioned, it won't work on damaged seals, gaskets, hoses or otherwise… but when its function/approach is something that applies to your leak, it has potential to do what it intends. Intact but old, hardened small rubber seals/o-rings have potential.

Another common one is Lucas, which largely seems to try to stop leaks by thickening viscosity.

Others try to plug leaks with gunk. I'm not a fan of those, even though I've seen them work in certain cases.

My PS pump was leaking from the big o-ring on the back. I would lose maybe 6-8oz while at work. Fully prepared to rebuild or replace the pump, I decided to give it a try, as it couldn't hurt. Tried Lucas first, because it was available locally. No difference whatsoever, over a couple weeks. Fluid changed itself from the Lucas mixture (by continuing to leak) by the time AT205 arrived. Put in a splash (1oz maybe), ran the engine for about an hour between getting my boat ready and driving to the harbor, and then it sat for about 24 hours. Not a single drip in the catch pan when I came back. Leak never came back, pump continued to function flawlessly, so I never got around to buying replacement parts. I'm not saying it will be permanent, or that's the best way to approach it. I prefer to do things right. But in certain cases like these, they can work. Someone I was talking to with the same issue had luck with Lucas, but not AT205, which means the reason for our leaks were different. Feedback on products like these is heavily influenced by the unknown underlying issue. Seems like a lot of people just expect it to work no matter what, and when it doesn't (because their issue is unrelated or too big), they call it junk. And there is sure a lot of junk and snake oil out there, but I generally agree that for what it is, AT205 has a place at times.

 

[bj70bc]

i have successfully re-sealed 2 different power steering leaks and almost completely stopped a rear main seal leak with that stuff

 

[AussieMick80]

As mentioned, it won't work on damaged seals, gaskets, hoses or otherwise… but when its function/approach is something that applies to your leak, it has potential to do what it intends. Intact but old, hardened small rubber seals/o-rings have potential.

Another common one is Lucas, which largely seems to try to stop leaks by thickening viscosity.

Others try to plug leaks with gunk. I'm not a fan of those, even though I've seen them work in certain cases.

My PS pump was leaking from the big o-ring on the back. I would lose maybe 6-8oz while at work. Fully prepared to rebuild or replace the pump, I decided to give it a try, as it couldn't hurt. Tried Lucas first, because it was available locally. No difference whatsoever, over a couple weeks. Fluid changed itself from the Lucas mixture (by continuing to leak) by the time AT205 arrived. Put in a splash (1oz maybe), ran the engine for about an hour between getting my boat ready and driving to the harbor, and then it sat for about 24 hours. Not a single drip in the catch pan when I came back. Leak never came back, pump continued to function flawlessly, so I never got around to buying replacement parts. I'm not saying it will be permanent, or that's the best way to approach it. I prefer to do things right. But in certain cases like these, they can work. Someone I was talking to with the same issue had luck with Lucas, but not AT205, which means the reason for our leaks were different. Feedback on products like these is heavily influenced by the unknown underlying issue. Seems like a lot of people just expect it to work no matter what, and when it doesn't (because their issue is unrelated or too big), they call it junk. And there is sure a lot of junk and snake oil out there, but I generally agree that for what it is, AT205 has a place at times.

Wow!! Thanks for such a detailed response. It certainly sounds like a good option. It arrived today and I will be giving it a go in the next couple of days once I have pinpointed the leaks a bit better and can accurately see if it works. Thanks again

 

[AussieMick80]

i have successfully re-sealed 2 different power steering leaks and almost completely stopped a rear main seal leak with that stuff

Very impressive that it fixed a rear main too. Thanks mate.