My parents have a 96 OBW with a EJ22 engine. I believe there is a hairline crack on the block (cloudy antifreeze, occasional bubbling in OF tank, high rate of oil consumption). I do not think that it is a HG issue.

 

I was wondering if the product from Bar's (radiator additive) is effective in helping to seal the breach in the shortblock.

 

The vehicle otherwise drives fine, only rarely overheats.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Regards,

Damien

If it is cracked it is probably warped. The only option you have is liquid glass and if it ever gets HOT again thats gone too. But I've seen it run 50,000 miles in a Thunderbird with a turbo so i aint gonna knock it. But I'de just yank it out and either rebuild or replace.

I still think you have a HG issue, just not a real bad one. Bubbles in the over flow tank is the dead give away of a bad HG. The Barr's prolly can't hurt that motor, maybe help, but may plug up the heater core, so you don't get much heat out of the heater. If you do add the product, suggest that you clamp off the imput and output hoses to the heater to keep the product out of the heater core for a while as it seals the block.

 

Auto parts stores sell a product called a block sealer. I can't remember the brand name. Maybe the Barr product you are looking at is a block sealer.

 

Regardless, it sounds like you are only going to buy some minimal time for that oil burning motor. It is prolly on its last legs. Suggest looking around for a replacement motor out of a wrecking yard. I did that a few years back. I found a good one that still runs strong.

I believe there is a hairline crack on the block (cloudy antifreeze, occasional bubbling in OF tank, high rate of oil consumption). I do not think that it is a HG issue./quote]

 

I don't think it would help at all. Coolent sealers work for a leak from higher pressure as in the cooling system to lower pressure, the outside world. It can't stop combustion gasses (even higher pressure) from leaking into the coolent. If stuff is getting into the coolent it had to be at a higher pressure, right?

This does not address where the oil is going, but Bars leak wont help that either. The oil must be going somewhere, any signs of a leak?

No oil in coolent? Probably burning it.

Bummer. :-\ If the rest of the car is in good shape I'd start thinking about replacing the engine.

Of course this advice is worth what you payed for it. Good luck

~Mark

You have the classic symptoms of headgasket failure.

There is a HG additive fix kit out there, that no one has tried yet. Personally I dont see how it can work, and it has a really envolved process to use it.

 

You have a bad HG, and only one fix for that. High oil consumption can be a few things, but its prbbly related.

 

 

nipper