I solved my Head Gasket issue with a $10 bottle of Chemi-Weld (StopLeak)...BUT!? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

GRANDE,GRANDE!! · 01-24-2010, 06:25 AM

Initially, i was getting a rough start up for a few seconds, but then it would even out. Day after day the startups were getting worse. This is because a small amount of coolant was entering the back middle cylinder and causing the spark to lose its effect, after the car would run for a bit, the water would evaporate, and thus, run perfectly.

Anyway...

I poured a bottle of that stop leak stuff in there and it seemed to solve my problem (1 month and going strong). I had used normal tap water in my car wen i added the chemiweld product as i knew it needed to be drained anyway. I kept putting draining it off for a while, and last week i noticed my hydraulic fan was coming on more often then before i did this.

I dont know about your camry's but with mine, my fan would only flare up when the weather outside got VERY hot OR when i'd run the AC. Since i poured the bottle in and have been running it with normal tap water, the fan would come on at times where it wouldnt have in the past, days where it wasnt even that hot.

The temp gauge isnt moving...YET. I'm worried that by the fans coming on at more often times, its leaning towords overheating...

So i would like to know whether or not by running normal tap water, it could be causing my car to run hotter then normal?

Thus explaining the fans coming on at normal temperature days.

I took of the radiator drain plug and flushed the car out with a garden hose at high pressure. But the strange thing was i only got to add about 2.5 litres of coolant in there before it was overflowing. I read my manual and it said my car was capable of holding 8.9 LITERES!?

So why cant i fill it up any further?

I'm no expert at draining coolant. It's my first time more or less. I did it when the car was off? Is this of any significance?

Thanks for your help!

haux · 01-24-2010, 07:13 AM

The entire cooling system holds far more fluid than just what the radiator is capable of containing. Just draining the radiator, for instance, only removes a portion of the fluid in the system. When I was switching over from yellow coolant to red, I did a drain and refilled with water numerous times before the old coolant was gone. And you have to run the motor each time so the coolant can circulate. So I did this once a day for a while.

I think I remember reading in some thread that water works better as a coolant than antifreeze. And that the antifreeze actually hinders its capabilities. This might explain why it's recommended to have a 50/50 ratio. Unsure if it's true though.

By the way... when I drain my radiator, it usually takes about 1 gallon (or 3.7 liters) to fill it back up. Maybe a bit less. Not sure what year your car is. Mine is a 2000. Maybe the radiator size is different?

frenum49 · 01-24-2010, 07:31 AM

Your stop leak cure for a failing head gasket is only a temporary fix. This gasket will eventually need to be replaced. I assume we are talking about a 2.2 liter 4-cyl? On the V-6 lower intake gasket failure can let coolant run into the intake and will exhibit symptoms similar to head gasket failure. In either case when you drain the coolant from the radiator via the petcock valve the radiator may empty but there will still be a considerable amount of coolant still in the engine, heater-core etc. As far as the cooling fan situation is concerned, the fans will kick in whenever the compressor is running including when you are using defrost. The fans will not kick in otherwise until the engine temp rises closer to 225 degrees fahrenheit. A loose connection at the coolant temp sensor will cause the fan to come on as well. If the fan is cycling when the engine is at or below running temp, suspect a failing temp sensor or a bad connection at that sensor. Stop-leak can gum up and accumulate around the sensor but should not cause it to read a temperature higher than actual coolant temp. If the engine is running hotter than normal after the stop-leak it is possible that the thermostat operation is being affected by it and opening late. Generally stop-leak can cause a lot of issues and is not a permanent fix by any means. You can run straight tap water in your cooling system but if the car is exposed to cold winters below freezing you need to have a proper coolant water mixture or the water will freeze and cause all sorts of damage. Otherwise in warmer climates a proper coolant mixture will prevent excessive rust and or scale build-up in the cooling system.

SexieWASD · 01-24-2010, 08:01 AM

So you emptied the radiator and filled it with stop leak and water? you know that's not how that stuff is supposed to be used. You are supposed to flush the whole cooling system (engine too) then run the stopleak + water through it for a while, then drain the system (engine too) and let it dry over night, then flush it out again, then refill it with a proper coolant mix.

And yea strait water is much better at removing heat than antifreeze and water mixed.

Bright · 01-24-2010, 07:47 PM

Not having anti-freeze is a bad thing. Anti-freeze does several important jobs:

The first two deals with thermodynamics, more specifically latent heat.
latent heat

1) It lowers the freezing point. That is, it takes a much lower temperature to freeze a mixture of antifreeze/water than it would water alone. If you live in the North, you'll appreciate this. As you change from a liquid to a solid (water into ice) you cannot get any colder than the freezing point of that liquid (32F/0C). Water is also unique as it is one of the few liquids that expands as it freezes. That means it will push out and crack and warp expensive engine parts.

2) It raises the boiling point. Water boils at 100C/212F. Cars are designed to carry away heat optimally at a temperature higher than the boiling point. There is a good reason for this.

As you change phases (water to a gas) the temperature of the liquid cannot increase above its boiling point. So in order to remove more heat faster you simply raise the boiling point by adding antifreeze and raising the pressure inside of a radiator.

3) Antifreeze is a lubricant. Let your imagination run free here.

4) Antifreeze also has additives that prevent corrosion.

So...running just water decreases the amount of heat you car can expell. It also endanger your expensive ride in the cold. It shortens the life of water pumps. And it also hastens the build up of corrosion in your car.

No comment on the stop leak. Never used it.

You choice.
bright

GRANDE,GRANDE!! · 01-25-2010, 02:04 AM

It's actually a V6? You have me a bit puzzled now... could it not be the gasket after all? If so, why did the problem go away when I used the stop leak??

GRANDE,GRANDE!! · 01-25-2010, 02:07 AM

Thanks all for your answers. Some very knowledgeable people here on this forum.

frenum49 · 01-25-2010, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRANDE,GRANDE!!

It's actually a V6? You have me a bit puzzled now... could it not be the gasket after all? If so, why did the problem go away when I used the stop leak??

V-6 heads have coolant passages that match up to the lower intake. This is a pretty common problem on GM 3.1, 3.4 liter engines. The lower intake gasket goes bad and lets coolant into the intake which will cause white smoke out the tailpipe and end up in the engine oil making it look opaque. This can be mistaken for head gasket failure. If you used stop leak in the coolant system it will slow this leak. Of course if you tear down an engine far enough to fix the lower intake leak you might as well spend a couple more hours and do both head gaskets anyway.