are "stop leak" products advisable?

[SilverSaloon]

hi

i have a minor(-ish) leak from (i think) my front crankshaft seal on my E300D.

it means i have to put in maybe half a litre of oil every week to keep it topped up to the max level.

i have put off replacing the seal due to many concerns - hard to remove/refit crankshaft bolt, got to remove radiator and aircon units out the way etc and i have just lived with topping it up. i know i should really replace the seal but i'm looking for something that could stop the leak atleast until i get time to do the job properly

i was thinking about giving a product such as this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_154689_langId_-1_categoryId_165750#dtab

a try to see if it either cures it or makes it better. as i'm restoring my SL i really dont have time to sort this properly myself.... and wouldnt like to pay labour on a job i can do myself in time.....

so, before i head to hellfrauds on my way home tonight has anyone got any major concerns of tipping this in my engine?

car is a 1994 E300D (non turbo diesel) with 200k on the clock.

cheers

derek

 

[jpskiller]

there are major write up's about this kind of stuff, as in it will either make the oil thicker to mask the leak or locate the leak and seal around it swelling the seal, both methods have been advised against, as a short gap before repair might be ok, but they are not a permament fix

 

[SilverSaloon]

i tipped some in thismorning. its due an oil change fairly soon so worth a try. apparently it can take up to 200 miles to see any difference (if any). i'll report back on what happens.

 

[Smiley]

You're a braver man than me! Let us know if it fixes it.

 

[SilverSaloon]

You're a braver man than me! Let us know if it fixes it.

 

[lynall]

I tried some years ago in a renaut 19td with leaky rear crank seal, didnt work and on these you have to take engine and gearbox out as space is so tight.



Lynall

 

[Uberwagon]

Would you put sawdust in the engine?

Would you put bathroom sealant in the engine?

If the answer is no to either of those questions, turn back time and don't do it.

Dave!

 

[SilverSaloon]

Would you put sawdust in the engine?

Would you put bathroom sealant in the engine?

If the answer is no to either of those questions, turn back time and don't do it.

Dave!

oh dear anyone got a flux capcitor?

 

[Uberwagon]

I am exaggerating a wee bit, but hate these kinds of products, more so the cooling system ones.

As a desperate emergency repair, not a problem, but as a fix, all they do is chuck gunk in your system.

An engine using oil s no bad thing, everytime you top up you add nutrients to it. It is how our gas engines operate, 30,000 hours and we wouldn't need to do an oil change. Before a full rebuild we pump the oil out into barrels carefully and pump the same stuff back in afterwards.

Dave!

 

[shorty]

I used one of the sealing products last year in the wifes MR2 . The car had a leak in the cooling system on one of the pipes that feed the heater matrix . These pipes run the length of the car , and too change the pipe would involve removing the fuel tank and would of been a very long hard job . As the car was not over heating and only loosing a small amound of water I used some rad-weld stuf , and so far the car has lost no water .

 

[johnsco]

If I was running an old cheese-grater with limited life expectancy, I'd not hesitate to put these questionable products in either my oil or my coolant.
On an up-market car, that I wanted to keep, I wouldn't dream of it.

They fill your engine and cooling system with gunge.
Heaven knows in what small oil-feeds and coolant channels it all ends up ... And with what consequences !

The coolant additives (Rad-Weld, Bars, etc) do work for a time.
The oil additives appear to have a very-limited success rate.

Johnsco

 

[Chattonmill]

Do not put rad weld into a newish car, I did that on my Range Rover, it clogged a cooler and bang went my Gear box!

 

[lynall]

At work leaky headgaskets on certain models of trucks are common and the manufacturer actually does a leak sealer to put into the system as a cure

Dont forget the sealer is meant to seal tiny holes so if it manages to seal a whole pipe or cooler up, a lump must have come out of the bottle.

Pretty certain you are meant to give the bottle a good shake then premix it with some water then add it to the system.



Lynall

 

[SilverSaloon]

after 800 miles - result:

still leaks

oh well, it was worth a try.

 

[jpskiller]

after 800 miles - result:

still leaks

oh well, it was worth a try.

you could always try some more

 

[mattc]

you could always try some more

Add cornflour to thicken it