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I need a stop leak for a possible slight head gasket leak. I know it is better to replace the gasket, but I do not have the time, the money, or the place to do this work right now, so, I have no choice. It is possible there is no leak at all. But, if there is a leak, it is very mild and just at the beginning of the problem. Unfortunately I cannot do this job at this time. It's a 95, 940, NT. The vehicle has not been driven since I got it. It was in a mild front end collision (mostly cosmetic damage). It is possible that the vehicle overheated right after the collision. We did a bunch of tests, none of which revealed a problem, except a hydrocarbon exhaust sniffer, I suppose there were too many ppm's in the coolant in the radiator, but the vehicle is not smoking or overheating, and many people say those exhaust sniffers are not reliable for testing a cooling system - they call them quick and dirty testers. I cannot say if it is burning coolant because I am not driving the vehicle yet. I was doing the body work first and just got it running since the body work was finished. So, why do I suspect a gasket leak? Well, the first time I ran the engine after the collision, there was "white-smoke" for about 30 seconds to a minute, but then it disappeared, and it was also the wintertime, when all vehicles have condensation, and so that makes it harder to determine for sure. It is not smoking now. At any rate, if it is a slight problem, my thinking is to use as mild a sealer as possible. Bar's has several of them. The mildest or best choice I can figure is the Liquid Aluminum. It appears to be fine particles of aluminum suspended in methanol alcohol. Both of the Radiator Stop Leaks seem to have too much stuff in them, and I'm thinking of avoiding the sodium silicates for now, I think they are for more severe leaks. I called Bar's but forget it. The only thing they will say is, It is up to you, all our products should work fine. I looked up the MSDS data hoping to shed some light on what is in these products. But I was hoping someone here has much more knowledge about these sealers then I do. Based on lost of talking about this subject wth people, I think the Liquid Aluminum is the best choice. It is powdered aluminum flakes suspended in methanol alcohol. Or possibly the Golden Powder which is all dry fine particles in a little tube. But I'm no chemist and and was hoping a chemist might see this post.
Radiator Stop Leak -- MSDS: Deionized Water, Organic Material, Soda Ash, Ethylene Glycol, Potassium Hydroxide, 1-(3-chloroallyl)-3,5,7-Triaza-1-Azoniaadamantane, Chloride Hexamethylenetetramine, 1,3-Dichloropropene Dichloromethane Sodium Bicarbonate
Radiator Heavy Duty Stop Leak -- MSDS: Mineral Oil, Triethanolamine, Sulfonic acid, Sodium salts, Tall oil fatty acids, Hexylene glycol, Noionic surfactant, Turmeric; Soda Ash, Ginger Rhizomes, Almond Shell, Carbowax (Polyethylene Glycol Powder)
Golden Powder Radiator Stop Leak: MSDS: Turmeric; Soda Ash, Almond Nut Shell, Ginger Rhizomes.
Liquid Aluminum Radiator Stop Leak -- MSDS: Methanol Alcohol.
Copper Stop leak -- MSDS: Copper Dust, Mist, and Flake, Sodium Silicate. Cooling system must first be flushed
Head Gasket Repair -- MSDS: Sodium Silicate. Cooling system must first be flushed
thanks,
diyer
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