Did I Do Something Completely Stupid?

jtupper · November 10, 2009

My wife has a 2003 Tahoe and over the course of the last 6-8 months it has been losing coolant. It's losing about 2 quarts every couple of months. I couldn't find the leak for the life of me and I can't find any trace of water in the oil. Anyway, I came across some threads on here dealing with the Castech heads problem and this one falls in that year range. I was planning to sell it before the end of this year long before the coolant issue came up. Long story short, today I added some Bar's Leaks Head Gasket Fix to the cooling system. This is the one that goes in with the coolant. Bar's has been around for as long as I can remember and is supposed to be a reputable company. I added it per the instruction and I have driven it approximately 10 miles since then with the heater on full blast.

Now I am having buyer's remorse. I'm thinking I shouldn't have done it. I have never been a big fan of magic remedies or mechanic in a can type of products, but I guess part of me was just hoping it would hold it over for a while then it will be someone elses problem. I know it's not a permanent fix. Anyone have any experience with this product, good or bad?

I'm thinking about just not driving it until this weekend and flushing the coolant system. Maybe it's too late. I'm torn here.

HawkScot · November 10, 2009

I've used it on several vehicles, including my 98 Yukon that needed intake gaskets. Never had a problem with it.

txab · November 10, 2009

Why question your actions now? What's done is done.

frdfandc · November 10, 2009

Bars leak is just a band aide on a gunshot wound. Its not a fix. Never will be. I've avoided any type of "leak fix" like the plague. Always seems to amplify issues more.

Pressure test your cooling system to find the leak. You will probably find the water pump gaskets leaking unless you are burning it, then it will show as white smoke out the exhaust. Water pump gaskets are a common issue. My 03 Silverado 5.3 leaked from them.

jtupper · November 10, 2009

Why question your actions now? What's done is done.

Second guessing myself I guess. I suppose part of me is looking for someone to say the stuff really works and part of me is hoping that if I just flush the cooling system I can get it out before it causes any other issues.

Ape0r · November 10, 2009

Why question your actions now? What's done is done.

Second guessing myself I guess. I suppose part of me is looking for someone to say the stuff really works and part of me is hoping that if I just flush the cooling system I can get it out before it causes any other issues.

I had the same issue. Slow coolant loss. Took it 2.5 months to go from full to overheating. Was the water pump gaskets, which had eroded and failed. Couldn't find any sign of a leak, though there was a little dex-cool residue on the engine block directly below the gaskets, which could be picked up by wiping with a paper towel.

Keep in mind that you'll need some sandpaper when you go to change them. The block was somewhat corroded where the gaskets had gone, some light sanding took care of it.

jtupper · November 10, 2009

I'm fairly certain it's not the WP gasket leaking. I can't find any sign of coolant leaking there, but I will have to try the paper towel trick.

I have noticed lately that on really cool mornings or when it sits for a few days that it has a tapping sound for a minute or so. My assumption is that it is from bleed down due to a cracked head.

csheatz · November 10, 2009

You might be looking at the wrong end of the truck! If its not leaking and your lossing coolant it could be burning. If I remember correct you will have white exhaust if you are burning coolant.

music · November 10, 2009

I never use "quick fix" additives. It's just another unknown variable that you have to work around when trying to find the real issue.

I don't do this for a living or anything, but if it's a cracked head or block, then pressurizing the oil or combustion side should flow air into the water side and "boil" in the radiator.

Spurshot · November 10, 2009

I have the same issue with the 99 6.0L. It has 215,000 miles on it. It looses about a quart a month. I changed the water pump last yr. No change to the water loss. I'm convinced it's the head gaskets. I'm collecting the parts to do one of several options: (1) I am buying new L76/L92 heads and the intake manifold to replace the LQ4 heads/manifold, and would simply change heads/manifold or (2) I could change the heads/manifold to the L76/L92 and install a mild cam, new lifters, new timing chain while I have it apart or (3) Find a new shortblock, build an engine equivalent to a L76 on the stand and install.

Each time I look at it, I'm drawn toward further steps. The #3 option gives me the most peace of mind for long hunting trips. Otherwise, I would take my new truck on the longer hunt trips. I have to make up my mind whether or not I'm going to keep the ole 99 first I suppose.

PhilB · November 10, 2009

My wife had a 2001 Tahoe that developed a leak on the pass side head gasket. I could smell coolant whenever she pulled into the garage but I couldn't find a leak anywhere. No drips under the vehicle, no wet spots in the engine bay. After several days, I finally found the leak by checking in the engine bay after the vehicle sat overnight in the garage. What was happening was the head gasket was leaking very slowly onto the exhaust manifold and evaporating. But with the engine cool, the leak was wet still. I took some pics and then took the Tahoe to the dealership with the pics so that they could see/fix the leak.

You may have a similar situation if you determine that you are not burning the coolant in the engine.

Good Luck!

jtupper · November 10, 2009

Okay, I crawled up nder the truck early this am a wiped around between the crank pulley and water pump with a paper towel. All I could see is dirt and grime for the most part, but it was a little "gummy" which may indicate some moisture in that area. There was also morning dew all over everything. It's really hard to tell and it's a PITA to see anything up in there. I really can't get a look at the weep hole. I did find the reservoir slightly lower than it was yesterday.

I'm still not convinced I don't have a head issue, but I sure would rather this be the WP leaking. A leaking WP also would not explain the tapping on startup after extended periods of non-use. I started it up this morning and there was no smoke whatsoever and no water from the tailpipe.

I am not going to drive it again until I can flush the cooling system in an effort to mitigate the effects of the Bar's Leaks. Maybe it's too late. My biggest concern is clogging up the heter cores or water pump. I really wish I would have thought this through a little more before I did it.

pistonslap · November 10, 2009

I have used Bar leaks product for a small rad leak.I then kept the vehicle for three years after with no problems! Heater still works fine. The only thing I was worried about was the block heater. But all is well there too. Don't let the sounds of your wheels drive you crazy. Lol. Especially if your trading it off.

jtupper · November 11, 2009

Update- I came home from work today and flushed the cooling system. I'm glad I did. When I first pulled the drain plug, nothing came out...no water...NOTHING. As I sat there for about 10 seconds thing WTF!!!, a big glop of the Bar's Leaks finally oozed out and water started trickling behind it. I then took the cap off the fill reservoir and it came out a little steadier. I began to add some water to the fill reservoir but the stream still wasn't what it should have been.

I finally decided to start it up and let it run for a minute. That's when everything started to really pour out into the bucket. I drained, filled and flushed a total of six times and for the first four I continued to get some of that stuff out of it. I don't know if it will actually cause any problems down the road, but I have to say, I am relieved to have it out of there. That was a bad decision on my part and I regreted doing it almost instantly. I guess I just wanted to believe that I could put a band-aid on the problem and make it go away...I know better.

On a side note, I am more and more convinced that my problem amy actually be the water pump after all. I tried every way I could to get a look at the weep hole (including using a mirror), but I just can't see it. This weekend I am going to pull the fan shroud off and get a good look at it.

Ape0r · November 11, 2009

Update- I came home from work today and flushed the cooling system. I'm glad I did. When I first pulled the drain plug, nothing came out...no water...NOTHING. As I sat there for about 10 seconds thing WTF!!!, a big glop of the Bar's Leaks finally oozed out and water started trickling behind it. I then took the cap off the fill reservoir and it came out a little steadier. I began to add some water to the fill reservoir but the stream still wasn't what it should have been.

I finally decided to start it up and let it run for a minute. That's when everything started to really pour out into the bucket. I drained, filled and flushed a total of six times and for the first four I continued to get some of that stuff out of it. I don't know if it will actually cause any problems down the road, but I have to say, I am relieved to have it out of there. That was a bad decision on my part and I regreted doing it almost instantly. I guess I just wanted to believe that I could put a band-aid on the problem and make it go away...I know better.

On a side note, I am more and more convinced that my problem amy actually be the water pump after all. I tried every way I could to get a look at the weep hole (including using a mirror), but I just can't see it. This weekend I am going to pull the fan shroud off and get a good look at it.

The weep hole will not be visible, even with a mirror. It is just below the pulley spindle, literally up inside of the pulley and facing towards the radiator. The only way to check it is to feel with your finger, but I still vote for the gaskets rather than the shaft seal. I would imagine it would leak a hell of a lot faster if it were the seal. On mine the gaskets had sort of shifted out of position and the block had corroded. Gaskets will only run you ~$20 and about four hours, I'd bet you've spent at least that agonizing over it thus far! Of course, if you're going to end up taking off the pump, you may want to change it anyway. I went ahead and put on a new one when I swapped my gaskets.