Is bars leaks a good or terrible option?

[OffRoadMedic]

Hey everyone, I have a small leak coming from my aluminum radiator, the fan has been blowing it everywhere so it’s been hard to locate. I just drained my radiator and replaced my lower house because I thought that’s what the issue was. (It was not) I hosed everything off and crawled underneath and can only see it pooling and dripping from the the very bottom of the radiator. It is not hissing, bubbling, spraying, nothing. And it only leaked when it wants too after turning on the engine. Sometimes it’s bone dry, sometimes it’s forming a puddle. I’m looking to get the CSF2709 radiator in the next week but until then, it is my daily driver. Should I try bars leaks liquid aluminum until then or just keep a bucket underneath and top it off when needed everywhere I go?

 

[jpoole]

Top it off and use a bucket, don't add stop leak of any type.

Perhaps in an emergency situation to get you back to civilization or when you don't have money for any real repairs a stop leak in the cooling system may be the best/only option but you really don't want that crud in the system and all of the work it takes to get it back out once the new rad is in or leaks are fixed.

There are a few situations where I would use or recommend a stop leak and in those I'd use K-Seal and not Bars. A specific case where I'd use K-Seal is in older, high-mileage Subaru or VW boxer engines with the outer head gasket/o-ring leak. In some cases it may not be worth the time/$$ to pull the engine and heads to deal with that particular leak/seep though I've seen K-Seal fix a few Subaru motors for many years after it was added.

 

[dogfishlake]

I agree with @jpoole . Try to get by. Hopefully you have an OBD2 reader for temperature (?). The factory guage is lazy by design on US trucks so be very careful about overheating- the only thing that can kill a 1FZ.
You probably know all that but just to be sure...

 

[OffRoadMedic]

Thank you very much, I have a 91 so I only have an OBD1 port so I only know how to check the engine light code. Luckily my temperature gauge works and hasn’t moved since the leak. I’ll keep topping it off until the new one arrives.

 

[60 toy ota]

Maybe a little late for this, but your first step in finding the leak would be to rent a coolant system pressure tester from your auto parts store. That makes it nice and easy to find the source of your leak. If you still have a hard time, the UV die/flashlight is very helpful too.
Either way, glad you asked about the stop leak before trying it out, as has been said the only thing it's good for is an emergency situation where not even getting towed is a possibility.

 

[dogfishlake]

Thank you very much, I have a 91 so I only have an OBD1 port so I only know how to check the engine light code. Luckily my temperature gauge works and hasn’t moved since the leak. I’ll keep topping it off until the new one arrives.

Well, as much as I love the 1FZ, I will say the 3fe is probably a lot tougher with higher temps. What that engine lacks in power, it makes up for in toughness and longevity. I'm not sure if possibly the early J80 got a reliable temp guage, vs the "dumbed down" version the later 80 series got. Hope so!

 

[COS80]

I bought a truck with that garbage in the cooling system, once, and it took 5 separate flushes plus a couple replaced hoses to finally clean it out.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Should I try bars leaks liquid aluminum until then or just keep a bucket underneath and top it off when needed everywhere I go?

Remove the radiator cap, drive it without the radiator cap fitted, if you have to drive it, and top it up every time you drive it. Keep a jerry of water in the back.

With the radiator cap off, the system won't be pressurised, you'll lose a lot less coolant if the system's not pressurised

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

I agree; don't put it in unless it is a last resort!

 

[jhnyct]

Coming from experience, I would only use Bars as a trail fix if you are far away from civilization. It is the gift that keeps on giving. It works but you will play hell getting it flushed out of your cooling system.

 

[Kernal]

Ditto: I've run one of my 80's that had a sorta repaired (epoxy/fiberglass patch) crack in the top tank for an extended period with the radiator cap on just enough (maybe half or less turned/tightened) so it wouldn't fall off, no issues. The leak didn't stop entirely but as mentioned above it was much less without the system being fully pressurized.

Agree all above, not worth the damage (blockages of heater cores, small ports, etc) done to the system by adding a stop-leak.