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So, I posted here and ultimately decided the mechanic was lying to me. It turns out I was wrong.

Overheating at idle - mechanic says head gasket

The immediate overheating issue WAS due to the broken fan, but they uncovered a legitimate, tiny head gasket leak.

I've got coolant gases in my exhaust and a slight amount of wet exhaust from coolant getting in there. There is no current overheating problem, just a bit of coolant loss.

I have an independent mechanic who has done good work for me before who told me that my options were either to seal it up (he recommended K Seal), or to replace my head gasket. He said he'd charge about $600 labor (he works at about $25/hr out of his own garage).

Are there massive negatives with any type of head gasket sealer? The car is older, but I am going to keep it for many years, repairing it as I go (it's a sports car I intend to keep in running condition).

If I'm severely putting my car at risk, I'll just pay him. The only reason I'm considering this fix is the leak seems very, very small.

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Andrew Alexander
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2 Answers2

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If this is a car you are planning on keeping, I'd highly suggest just paying the money to get it fixed. A stop leak may work for a period of time, but it's only temporary.

A couple of things to consider with a stop leak is, it usually works great for keeping the coolant from flowing places it shouldn't, but it doesn't work too good at keeping the exhaust gasses out of the coolant. If the exhaust gasses are leaking into the coolant, you must consider it is getting injected into the coolant during the combustion process. Combustion pressures are pretty high, so having a stop leak on the coolant side of the equation won't do a whole lot to stop it. It may slow it down a little bit, but really, it won't be long until it's back at it again.

As stated, your best bet is to just get the work done, get it done right, and not worry about it again.

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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Could be a good opportunity to get all the head valves, seals etc done at the same time - could be money well spent. However, I would regard any leak fix as a temporary solution - may last months or a couple of years... What is the car / engine as some engines are more temperamental especially sports car engines...

Solar Mike
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