Is Bars Leak still a good temp fix

McMimmcs

McMimmcs

Well-known member
I have a couple pin holes in top of rad. Is Bars Leak still a good temporary fix or do they even make it anymore? Wayne
 
I was dissuaded from using it after a couple guys told stories about it gumming up the works. They definitely still make it; you can find the tabs in auto supply stores.
 
I have used it successfully in the past. I believed I have seen it on the shelves of
Wal mart and Advance Auto Parts.
 
alexiskai said:
I was dissuaded from using it after a couple guys told stories about it gumming up the works. They definitely still make it; you can find the tabs in auto supply stores.
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We have a product by the same name but obviously very different. Ours is pellets suspended in a soluble oil. When water gets at the pellets, they break up and the fragments swell. Yes, I've used it and it works well enough but I don't rely on it for a long term fix.
 
Are the pin holes accessible? Like on your tank? Black cotton t-shirt type material saturated with black silicone caulk and placed over the hole(s) will be a long lasting temporary fix.
 
Synchro909 said:
We have a product by the same name but obviously very different. Ours is pellets suspended in a soluble oil. When water gets at the pellets, they break up and the fragments swell. Yes, I've used it and it works well enough but I don't rely on it for a long term fix.
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This sounds the same as ours in the US
 
it works well, as long as the leaks are minor.


yes on Walmart. they have several types. some I think are even copper?
 
In lieu of antifreeze, I have been running a mixture of Bar's Pelletized Stop Leak and water as coolant for many years without any negative effects. Besides stopping pin hole leaks and coolant weeps, Bar's has a water pump lubricant in it, and it has not once frozen during Long Island winters (temps below 32F).
 
Bob Bidonde said:
In lieu of antifreeze, I have been running a mixture of Bar's Pelletized Stop Leak and water as coolant for many years without any negative effects. Besides stopping pin hole leaks and coolant weeps, Bar's has a water pump lubricant in it, and it has not once frozen during Long Island winters (temps below 32F).
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I've found that the oil in Barsleaks causes the hoses to swell and go soft, even mushy. I use it as little as I can get away with.
 
I'm going to be a contrarian based upon my experience. I have a radiator in my pickup that the previous owner had added Bars Leak to stop what appears to be a head gasket leak. It gummed up the radiator tubes so badly that I had to have the radiator rodded out. Bars Leak is pressed into pinholes by the pressure in the cooling system, and since Model A cooling system is not pressurized, I would think its utility is limited. I personally won't use it (or its many clones) but to each his/her own.

My $0.02 worth.

JayJay
 
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I put Alumaseal in a Model A radiator some 30 years ago and the radiator still works fine today. Back then it just looked like shiny aluminum powder, these days I have no idea….
 
Picture this, it is 1953. We are coming home from Bonneville after a successful week. (we did not blow up)
We are half way between Wendover and Wells, Nevada, middle of a barren desert, hottest part of the day, we are in the 41 panel truck in my avatar. We have absolutely NO money left but we have a barrel of gas in the back of the truck, some free oil that was donated to the race car and 10 gallons of water.. The very worn out 221 decides to throw a fan blade into the radiator, I see the blade disappear off into the desert. (no hood). It is REALLY bad. All water was on the ground instantly.
We pinched as many tubes as we could get at with a pair of long nose pliers and smashed a few with a screw driver we couldn't reach otherwise. We always carried plenty of Bars Leak and what was called Silverseal in those days. (similar to Alumaseal)
We put water, all of Silver seal and Bars leak we had in and watched the remaining leaks gradually stop. We proceeded with great haste for home.
We made it ok and 2 years later that old truck was still running with the same engine and radiator, although it ran hot most of the time.
 
Maybe I am just jinxed but I do not recall any stop leak product of any kind (Cooling system, oil, transmission etc,) to ever work for me in 45 plus years of dealing with old cars. I have tried Barr's leak a few times and it never did any good. Just my experience though. I always ended up having to fix leaks properly.
 
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