Does radiator stop leak cause longer term issues? (1 Viewer)

[coax]

Hi All,
So I just recently picked up an 1997 80 after selling my 55 last year. At 170,000 I had planned on doing the new radiator/hoses/etc PM sometime in the near future, but last weekend found a small hole on the top seam of the radiator. Not a huge leak, but enough to make me not want to drive it out into the desert.

Also was hoping not to have to spend more cash right away (that initial purchase hurt the checkbook a bit :| ) and was wondering if its worth trying to put some radiator stop leak in for the short term.

Question is, would using some sort of stop-leak now give me issues when I go to replace the radiator and flush the cooling system later? Seems like dumping mysterious goo into the cooling system is just asking for clogs/etc in the cooling jacket and heater core. Or would a flush stand a good chance of getting most of this out if done within a 3-4 months?

Found a couple old threads but they were a mix of home remedies as well as votes for and against stop leak products.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[superjuice]

Not a question I would want to ask, sorry bro, but I would like to hear about the implications of using stop leak in the cooling system. Personally I could never do that to my beloved cruiser butt....I wonder how it affects the rest of the cooling system.

 

[80t0ylc]

I would not use any stop leak formula at any price, knowing the implications and the susceptibility of the 1FZ engine with head gasket problems. Save your money, take shorter trips for now and fix or replace radiator when you can afford it. You also need to search on HG theads, they talk about this plus you'll find out the stock temp gauge is not real helpful in monitoring your cooling system. So keep your coolant as clean & pure as possible. My .02
and BTW welcome to MUD!

 

[EricE]

I did put some stop leak(not that brand specifically) in my engine. It didn’t stop the leak fully nor did it cause any major problems. At some point (maybe a month after I had added the stop leak) I pulled the radiator and had it pressure tested for leaks by a shop. They didn’t find any leaks but they did manage to pull out a couple of gobs of goo a little smaller than ones fist. The goo was the consistency of soft wax. As I said, it didn’t cause any problems but it may have down the road. The biggest deciding factor for me is that it didn’t stop the leak though.

 

[Squash]

Use it, use two if you have need, our coooling system is huge.

Bars works great and will get you home if and when your HG or rad fail. This product also allows the luxury of doing a job on your schedule not on the side of the road or via tow truck.

Almost every auto maker has some sort of "majic" they add to their coolant namely as silicates which heat up glaze and help maintain the HG bond.

Start with one drive it let it cool off, check, and if required add the second container.

 

[retrofive]

Use it, use two if you have need, our coooling system is huge.

Bars works great and will get you home if and when your HG or rad fail. This product also allows the luxury of doing a job on your schedule not on the side of the road or via tow truck.

Almost every auto maker has some sort of "majic" they add to their coolant namely as silicates which heat up glaze and help maintain the HG bond.

Start with one drive it let it cool off, check, and if required add the second container.

Which Bars product, they're quite a few for the radiator leak?

http://www.barsproducts.com/barsleaks_products.htm

I personally would not use one, however like you said on the trail or what not maybe worth throwing in the truck in case?? yes/no?

 

[jvazquez53]

I used it on my 60 and ended up taking the truck to a radiator shop to clean the mess I made, and to have the radiator fixed, in short, cost me more.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Might as well go MacGyver and use egg whites

 

[PurpleFJ62]

only OEM parts to a cruiser, the jeep gets the autozone bull****.
do you have a plastic end tanks, if its metal you might be able to patch with a tig welder??
you say you found the hole?, you can see it?
good luck with your 80!!

 

[coax]

Thanks for the reponses everyone. I did find what I believe to be is the hole...I'll take a picture tonight and post it. I guess I'll have to see how much I need to drive the cruiser short term; sounds like the best option would be to just overhaul the cooling system in the near future. It's not my dd, so it can sit in the garage for a few weeks while I save up some cash for the parts.

 

[LandCrusher'70]

If the hole is in an accessible spot, try a little dab of JB Weld.