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Thread: Head Gasket fix - Steel Seal

  1. #1
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Head Gasket fix - Steel Seal

    Has anyone used this?

    http://www.steelseal.co.uk/

    I have an S Type Jag with the V6 Ford engine which has started to pressurise the cooling system and use a bit of water. It's not overheating yet but I suppose it's only a matter of time.

    It's a cheap ish car and TBH a pull the engine and fix the head gasket(s) job just isn't economically viable. I guess for £30-£40 plus some coolant I don't have a lot to lose here; but I'd like to know if anyone has used this stuff with any degree of success?

    Cheers

    arry

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    I haven't tried it on an engine with internal leak but it definitely doesn't work on external leaks. Like you say, it's worth trying as it's cheap and you can leave it in.

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    Guest speedingmofa's Avatar
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    I've actually fixed a bmw e46 316 like this.. It was overheating, blowing into the coolant. And i poured this stuff into it, kept the heaters blowing and it fixed it. The heaters even continued to work, most stop working after a liquid fix.

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    Had trouble with this, if there is any oil in coolant it forms a brown goo that floats out to the header tank. I had to drain (just what comes out of rad) and double filter the coolant 5 times to get it out.

    Prefer K-seal, cheaper, works.

  5. #5
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Hmm, interesting Peter. Works with some aggro I can definitely live with.

    I think I'll give it a go and see how we get on

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    k seal didn't work on my SR when I blew the headgasket between the combustion chamber and the cooling system.but it was firing coolant out at an alarming rate. id still try it and see what happens. Kseal is a manky sludge and is pretty obvious when its in there, steel seal seems to be some special liquid, im not sure if it makes the coolant go weird.

  7. #7
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Enough evidence to suggest it's at least worth a punt.

    I'll give it a go and if it doesn't work I'll just throw good money after bad, I guess.

    It's a shame to scrap it because it's actually a nice car.

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    Guest R3K1355's Avatar
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    Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Worth a shot on an older car though.

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    Guest arry's Avatar
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    That's what I thought.

    I have the gear just no physical ability to get under the ****ing car

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    When I'm physically in Essex, I'm available mate.

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    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Well it's taken me a while but a few weekends ago I drained the rad, flushed everything through numerous times, dropped the Steel Seal into the bottom of the radiator and then refilled with fresh coolant and.......

    Well my ghast has been flabbered. Just completed 100 hard driven miles (averaged 16 mpg lol) and no coolant loss, no warning lights, no overheating.

    By the power of Greyskull, I think it's actually worked

  12. #12
    Guest Rochester's Avatar
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    I used it in the S13 when the head gasket showed similar symptoms and I couldn't afford to be car-less for the next few weeks, so despite the reports of some problems with such additives I gave it a go.

    It worked for about three months (which was all the time I needed to fix the other car) and then the head gasket went regardless. So a fix for a while but not long term if there is a real underlying problem that causes the failure in the first place. Warped head in my case after a split pipe emptied all the water on to the road. Refilled but damage done.

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    Guest arry's Avatar
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    I suppose time will tell. If it does fail again I've already sort of written it off as a financial loss so any miles I get are a bonus.

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    if it goes again you just add more steel seal.

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    I think I'll add more gasoline and a box of matches lol

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    Had a similar problem in the Mrs car this summer as well.

    3 or 4 months later now and it mostly seems alrite, not sure I'd trust it on a long journey but it's doing fine just pottering around.

  17. #17
    Guest arry's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by R3K1355 View Post
    Had a similar problem in the Mrs car this summer as well.

    3 or 4 months later now and it mostly seems alrite, not sure I'd trust it on a long journey but it's doing fine just pottering around.
    Wifey is using it to get to work and back this week so we'll see.

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    3 days back and forward to work on M25 and fast A roads and..... it's behaving!

    I'm ****ing blown away by that.

  19. #19
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    Update

    Yeah, no longer behaving

    However, there's still no signs whatsoever of a blown HG other than coolant being forced out the top.

    I'm reckoning on the coolant expansion chamber having a crack in it (common issue) which isn't in itself enough to get coolant flowing out, but since it's not pressurising properly it's throwing a bit out of the top of the cap. Sound plausible?

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    fix it with araldite or something like that.

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