Okay, I am in a situation where I do not have the time or the space for a while to repair a bad head gasket in my 1988 Honda Civic DX.

It still runs for now, but there is some oil in my cooling fluid and some times the engine misses a lot until the car gets hot.

Anyway, I would love to hear your experiences with head gasket sealers.
Do any of them work, which ones are best or do you think they are mostly a waste of money?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

Im just gonna say it..

Save yourself from disaster,do not use that ****.
ive used it when i was a younger noob,and that **** just causes idle and coolant issues down the road,just when you think everything is fine.even after a gasket swap.it just gunks up in EVERYTHING!


a head gasket swap could be done in an hour or two if youre familiar with it..

 

Don't use it, Get a new headgasket and take what, maybe 4 hours? to change it. They aren't that hard. I did one once and i didn't know a frackin thing about hondas and it took me less than 4 hours.

 

X3, it's a quick fix that does not work well and will only end up costing you more money and time later. 94

 

I agree with everybody else.

That being said, when you do a coolant flush on Subaru they give you some magic chit to add to the coolant. Subaru are known for head gaskets the magic stuff is for the head gaskets.

Subaru OEM Coolant System Conditioner - Genuine Subaru SOA635071
http://www.fcpimport.com/products/su...FYl7QgodTF8ASg

 

I agree with everyone, from personnal experience. I used it back when I was 17 or 18 and it worked for a very short time. Gasket ended up blowing out worse then before and being undrivable (solid white smoke screen). Save yourself the time and just change the gasket now. Also like previously mentioned it does gum up other areas in the coolant system and can cause further problems down the road.

 

Blue devil (autozone and advanced auto sells). WONDERFULL stuff works wonders when done 100% correctly

 

just buy a new head gasket... don't bother with that pasty crap

 

any kind if sealer is just that. it seals more than it supposed to

i had one car with the coolant sealer

it clogged all the small coolant lines had deposits in every coolant passage
deposits on the bottom of cylinder passages
clogged FITV and IACV completely
but somehow got lucky and didnt clog the heater core...

 

Don't use it. I have a car where the previous owner dumped that crap in it. After a new radiator, thermostat, and head gasket it's finally good. That stuff clogs everything. Pulled the old head gasket off and a half inch thick paste was stuck on it all the way around. Had to flush out all coolant passages and clean the cylinder passages.

 

NEVER USE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks for all your replies. I took your advice, made the time and fixed it right!
Works great now. Here is a picture of the blown gasket, note huge missing sections near the coolant holes.

For now the car runs great again. I am at 265K, do ya think I will make 300K before I blow a ring or something else that requires an engine rebuild?

 

did you resurface the head and use leakproof honda metal headgasket?

 

I have personally used myself Blue Devil in over 7 vehicles. Its done AMAZING work. I even used it on my 1999 BMW. This stuff does wonders and is 100% GURANTEED to NOT do any engine damage. I even made a bet with a buddy on his 88 Ef sedan that it would fix it or i would change the HG for free. Till the day i still havent heard the words HG come out his mouth lol

 

Yes. However, I decided not to go with the OEM Head Gasket from Honda. Even the Honda parts guy told me I could do better then the stock 1988 part.
I forget the name but it is a Multi-Layer Steel head gasket. Higher end, $140.00
bucks. Now there is a topic for a new thread. High end Multi-Layer Steel head gaskets, well worth the money or OEM good enough.

 

Definently a no no!! I have problems in the past also using that crap

 

I used it once on a toyota truck, there are multiple steps to using it. mix with warm water, drain system, add in sealer, rev to 1500 rpm or somethiing like that for 10 minutes. then drain, flush cooling system. and you have to wait 24 hours before filling it up. basically the stuff only goes in to seal and then its flushed out. Then you fill with coolant. i did it and it went for over 5 years with no issues. it prob depends on how bad your HG is. and how well you know how to do the job.

I had good luck on the Toyota truck, but on Honda's its so easy i just change the gasket and resurface the head.

 

used it once and never again!

 

Yes, head gasket sealers work as a permanent repair. Yet, since nothing is permanent we’d rather term it as “long-term” repair. The repair typically lasts at least 6 months (depending upon car condition). It’s a convenient solution and a quick DIY fix that’s better than a burdensome (expensive & tedious) part replacement. In case the leak Is major, the sealer may not be a permanent or suggested solution. In such a case, a complete replacement of the head gasket might be the only viable solution.
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