LexSurfing

Hey all,

So today I got a second opinion on what was going on with my engine overheating issues, and long story short, it's more than likely a head gasket failure.

I don't have the $$$ to get the permanent fix done, but I'm willing to give a sealant a crack at it. I had a mechanic recommend Blue Devil as a potential fix, and I'm aware of other products out there. For the Blue devil, it's necessary to remove the thermostat from the system, so I was wondering how I would do that?? I searched for previous threads, but didn't find any. Does anyone know how I can go about doing this??

RA40

iTrader: (6)

The car will not likely operate at optimal temps without a thermostat. In which case, your fuel mixture may be inappropriate and the prolonged running may foul the sensors over time. Given your car's position, there are minimal choices to take.

Remove the thermostat from the housing and apply a sealant. The factory gasket won't seal properly since it relies on the thermostat to fit around. Or you could core out a thermostat but that is more work than necessary.

What have you been quoted for a proper fix?

randal

You can remove the T/S with this tutorial -> http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/cooling/thermostat.html

Since the Blue Devil requires about 2 hours (or so) to do its magic, you could remove the T/S and perhaps fit the round gasket back into the housing by itself. Without the thermostat, it wont fit the best and may leak a bit but you will be putting a thermostat right back in after the "burn in" period for the sealant. If the original gasket refuses to cooperate w/o the T/S, use a small amount of RTV. Its very temporary(running w/o a T/S) in any case.

deanshark

I don't beleive in any "stop leak" products b/c of future potential problems. But, if you need to pull the t-stat to use the Blue Devil stuff and you're going to use sealant on the t-stat housing, just remember the sealant takes time to cure before running coolant through it. Don't use too much sealant, it's been known to come loose and clog other passages. I saw this stuff http://www.steelseal.com/ I don't see anywhere that it says to remove the t-stat. Check out this one and other products to see what's easiest and best for you. I don't endorse this or any other type of "stop leak" stuff but hey, if you're on an extremely tight budget, what the hell. Good luck with it.

LexSurfing

Believe it or not, that Blue Devil stuff worked miracles! My car is running smoother than ever (almost). Of course, I am wary that the sealant was just a temporary fix, but I couldn't be more impressed. No more coolant leak, no more overheating, and my heat is back!

deanshark

Glad it worked out for ya. (For now) I've never tried any of the head gasket sealer stuff, and don't know if I ever will. I've just had bad experiences with other "stop leak" products in the past. I would rather change the HG instead of using any sealer for it. But, if I didn't have the time or money to do it, ya never know. Well, hope it works out for you in the long run.