I'm almost positive there is a crack in the head gasket in my 00 OBW. I've been leaking antifreeze for about 3 weeks now. I put in some Bars Stop Leak, and it seems to slow it down pretty signficantly. However, it still does leak and I keep a very close eye on the antifreeze level. I was wondering if anybody has tried the stop leak stuff specially designed to fix cracked head gaskets. Do they work? I really don't have the extra $1000 or so to replace the head gasket. Any suggestions?

i tried the stop leak in my car and it dint work for me,the car had 240,000 miles on it when i tried it so they where pretty far gone.

I've never had any success with any of the stop leak stuff except with very small radiator holes( pin holes).Won't waste the money again. Have successfully soldered pin holes in older radiators with a torch gun but I understand the need or want to fix your car as cheaply as possible but sometimes you've got to spring the bill and get the job done right and adding thickening agents(for want of a better word) to your antifreeze may fix your immediate problem but could create additional problems like plugging your radiator or already partially blocked passages..

John

I have used a product called K&W Nanotechnology Permanent Head Gasket &Block Repair. It was on 89 BMW 525. It seems to be working well no problems so far. That was last August. You have to follow the directions too the T. It's only 20.00$

"almost positive" isn't enough to determine head gasket issuse and be adding bottle after bottle of stop leak, destroy your engine type stuff. you should verify the headgaskets are to blame and rule out other items - thermostat, radiator cap, water pump, leaks....

 

subaru supplies and adds a coolant conditioner to 2.5's with the external head gasket leak. yours may be beyond what additives can be used for, they are a band-aid at best really.

 

be advised, if you plan on keeping the motor, adding more and more stuff to the coolant takes you further and further down the road of not having a useable engine at all in the future. consider a 2.2 swap if money is an issue. with some effort they can be done very inexpensively.

also if you are gonna use stop leak its a good idea to bypass the heater core,after using it in my trans am my heater wouldnt work that good.