Club 80-90 Forums

Subject line modded from a recent one as =
Bugger!!! Water pouring out from O/S cylinder head.

This is more of a blog post than a question or answer, but the info it generates might be useful to readers.

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So my replacement DG engine, bought second hand, (it has been re-conned by VW and fairly recently judging by it's external and internal condition), has passed it's 2000 (+) mile confidence test. It runs sweet and uses no oil or water and since I reset the (hydraulic) tappets and gave it another oil & filter change, it is even sweeter.

So, I decide the next thing to do is to put the required amount (£25 worth ) of G12 anti-freeze / corrosion inhibitor in it.

Then what happens...

As so often happens, it starts to leak from the rad
Not only that, it also starts dripping from 2 places on the o/s head to jacket seal

I though "oh god no, not again", taking the engine out again , break studs, disturb the liner base seals , having to buy £100 worth of gaskets plus Oil and filters, do I take the liners off and mess with circlips etc or force the seals over the liners etc etc.

Then re-assemble, re-fit engine and hope it is all done correctly.

No I just couldn't face all that after all the times I did it over late winter / spring this year, with 3 different engines, before getting this very nice engine off Billy. (btw, the rubber seals look like new from the outside).

So, I read up on other similar posts and on the wiki, and discovered many folk have had success with using the later generation of Wynnes Stop Leak (which works differently to the earlier types such as Radweld etc).

Further research led me to K-Seal, which works the same way as Wynnes, and has lots of satisfied customers on other marque forums.

So in it goes and so far so good, all leaks stopped.

Apparently this stuff does not block the fine rad tubes, though others may wish to add to that comment.
I will post back with any relevant findings from my personal experience.

Needless to say, fingers tightly crossed here !!

.

A couple of 50 mile runs and a total of around 300 miles since I added the "K-Seal" and all OK so far (touches wood !!)

Ghost,

really interesting reading this post, and I am sooooooo tempted to try it on my slightly weeping radiator.

A couple of questions if you don't mind...

1) is it a fluid that you add?
2) as I know my leak is in my radiator, can I add it to the rad via the breather screw hole? Be fun and fiddly, but have got a funnel that would do the trick.

And honest opinions here, WHICH WILL BE RECOGNISED AS OPINIONS would you put it in an engine with 12 months warrenty remaining??

Em
x

For that very reason I wouldnt bother with costly G12... Read on another forum about using the "newer type" antifreeze's and its been suggested they can dissolve some deposits (because they have a different chemical makeup) and "find leaks"....

Its a 20 + year old system and a leak will occur every now and then...

Aidan used K seal and seems to be holding up... not sure I would risk the wynns stuff though...

Yeh, it was only when I put the G12 in it started leaking from both rad and head to case seal !!

@ Em -

1) - Yes it (K-Seal) is a liquid.
2) - It does not matter where you pour it in, it will get all around the cooling system as soon as the engine gets to it's normal running temperature. Plus, if you drain the header tank by taking off the lower hose, then put the K-Seal in, then top up with water / coolant, you should not need to bleed the whole system (though doing so might be advisable).

3) - Re Warranty on engine. I would ask them by letter or email. Explain that you do not have any problem with the engine, just the radiator. Keep their reply (if they say OK) in case of future issues. I cannot see it doing any harm to the engine however. Note we are talking K-Seal here, NOT the older types like Radweld etc, they are a different animal and cannot be recommended at all (imho)

Personally, if it was just a leak in the radiator I had, I would have got the credit card out and bought a new one off Si at Brickwerks. Easy enough to fit too. I don't like "sealers" but in my case it was "do or die" because of the major issues arising from the head developing a leak !

Ghost - thanks for the answer.

ok...maybe its time to be naughty and splash out on Si's one.....


Em
x

Had exactly same leak on my old 2.1 from head seal. Used wynms stop leak and run it for 2 years with no problem at all. Stop leak stargiht away amd never came back. Engine is still in use in another van and going well. The wynms stuff worked for me.

big red bus wrote:Had exactly same leak on my old 2.1 from head seal. Used wynms stop leak and run it for 2 years with no problem at all. Stop leak straight away and never came back. Engine is still in use in another van and going well. The wynms stuff worked for me.

That is reassuring

(The "K-Seal" is apparently pretty much the same as Wynnes Stop Leak).