What do you think about coolant leak stop products? Safe? Not safe? Which ones would you use on a Subaru? I have good luck with the brown tablets, but never used them on a Subaru before. Have used them on Saturns and a Chevy 1500 van...work, no problems.

My personal opinion is that stop leak is more like stop-up. They are good for plugging the radiator and (especially) the heater core. They are a stop gap for any cooling system leak, as the leak is usually caused by corrosion or material deterioration, and "a finger in the dike" will not halt the progression of either.

 

Remember, though... my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it.

It's a get you home from the middle of nowhere solution.

 

If you decide to go ahead anyway, make sure you use as little as possible.

What do you think about coolant leak stop products? Safe? Not safe? Which ones would you use on a Subaru? I have good luck with the brown tablets, but never used them on a Subaru before. Have used them on Saturns and a Chevy 1500 van...work, no problems.

 

Yes, they are a stop gap solution for getting home or nursing a beater into it's grave. If it's a long term driver, you'll be best served by fixing the problem correctly.

 

BTW - I've used them for years on one car, because I thought it was going to die, but just kept going, and going, and going. The was Barr's leak pellets and this is not an endorsement. I don't like using additives.

 

Jack

What do you think about coolant leak stop products? Safe? Not safe? Which ones would you use on a Subaru? I have good luck with the brown tablets, but never used them on a Subaru before. Have used them on Saturns and a Chevy 1500 van...work, no problems.

I'm surprised no one mentioned it.

 

If you are wanting to use a stop leak product, why not buy the one that Subaru was forcing upon the early 2.5L Phase II engine owners?

 

It's probably no different than anything else, but just an idea.

 

Commuter

go to your logal parts store and ask if they have metallic seal. i have use it before to stop coolant leaks. it can also be use to fix crack block and heads. it is suppost to be a perment fix but only time will tel that. i just put it in my sumie a couple weeks ago and it stop the leak with in a couple minutes. and i haven't had a leak since. Jerrod

What do you think about coolant leak stop products? Safe? Not safe? Which ones would you use on a Subaru? I have good luck with the brown tablets, but never used them on a Subaru before. Have used them on Saturns and a Chevy 1500 van...work, no problems.

 

 

Get the one that Subaru uses. They act in the presence of temperature and air. The ones for the last 20 years dont really clog anyhting up, and if the do, they are just speding up the inevitable. Heater cores have large flow pipes. The radiator is mych more lkely to clog if anything was going to clog.

GM also has this as a "treatment" for corvettes (forget which years). ive used it and has had it been a perm fix for leaking heater cores. Radiators i fix.

 

nipper

I personally don't like them, because I buy older cars and fix them, and I end up replacing radiators that don't flow because of stop-leak.

 

I've never used the Subaru product. If Subaru will stand by it, I'd say go ahead.

I don't usually use stop leak either, and for the same reason. I have the Subaru stuff in my phase 2 now along with the post 03 head gaskets though.