Advice on using K-Seal to attempt head gasket repair
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From: Wilmington, DE
Advice on using K-Seal to attempt head gasket repair
2002 Ford Ranger. Has a confirmed coolant leak in the head gasket. At this point not mixing with oil or causing any white smoke but you can see it leaking out the side of the engine where the block and head meet. Loosing about a 1/2 pint of coolant a week
I am going to give K-Seal a try. I also want to flush the heater core, and change the thermostat. Radiator is brand new (replaced that when I thought that was the source of the cooling issue) and the system was flushed about a month ago when that job was done.
My thought was doing things in this order:
1 - Flush heater core first. They doesn't disturb the rest of the system. Just want to make sure any of the previous radiator sludge isn't stuck in there, the heat is not working great.
2 - Run K-Seal. I would mix it with distilled water first (50/50), make sure the radiator is empty enough to hold that much liquid, then put it in the radiator.
3 - Run the car for 30 min
4 - Let car cool down then if needed with fresh coolant.
Is that the best way to go about this? Should I flush the system anyway? The radiator was full of nasty sludge before I replaced it so I am worried other hoses and tubes may be clogged, but the coolant coming out the leak is clean and green so it seems fresh coolant is at least getting to that point. Also worth noting that the overflow tank doesn't seem to be working, none of that coolant ever goes anywhere it just sits in the tank. No idea why. I was going to blow out the tube connecting the tank to the radiator with a hose in case there is a clog in there.
Should I remove the old thermostat completely before doing the KSeal so the coolant with K Seal in it will will have maximum flow? The K-Seal support line said the K-Seal could take a week to work, is it OK to drive around with no thermostat for a week? Truck does VERY light driving duty, maybe 1-2 miles a day if that
I am going to give K-Seal a try. I also want to flush the heater core, and change the thermostat. Radiator is brand new (replaced that when I thought that was the source of the cooling issue) and the system was flushed about a month ago when that job was done.
My thought was doing things in this order:
1 - Flush heater core first. They doesn't disturb the rest of the system. Just want to make sure any of the previous radiator sludge isn't stuck in there, the heat is not working great.
2 - Run K-Seal. I would mix it with distilled water first (50/50), make sure the radiator is empty enough to hold that much liquid, then put it in the radiator.
3 - Run the car for 30 min
4 - Let car cool down then if needed with fresh coolant.
Is that the best way to go about this? Should I flush the system anyway? The radiator was full of nasty sludge before I replaced it so I am worried other hoses and tubes may be clogged, but the coolant coming out the leak is clean and green so it seems fresh coolant is at least getting to that point. Also worth noting that the overflow tank doesn't seem to be working, none of that coolant ever goes anywhere it just sits in the tank. No idea why. I was going to blow out the tube connecting the tank to the radiator with a hose in case there is a clog in there.
Should I remove the old thermostat completely before doing the KSeal so the coolant with K Seal in it will will have maximum flow? The K-Seal support line said the K-Seal could take a week to work, is it OK to drive around with no thermostat for a week? Truck does VERY light driving duty, maybe 1-2 miles a day if that
Last edited by sluggerbaloney; Aug 30, 2024 at 09:57 AM.
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