OK, my head gasket blew.

I need the truck back asap for some commitments I have, but repairing a blown head gasket will take more than the coupla days they'd have to do it...

The shop says they can just patch up the gasket w/o doing a permanent repair, so it stops leaking anti-freeze (Which is now pissing out of the driver's side through a bolt for the exahust manifold) - Man was I hoping for a bad freeze plug instead of the gasket...

Anyway - Anyone have luck with this type of repair? I haven't done a patch, and I don't have the time to do the head gasket myself now anyway.

Rusty?

:D

(I just need it to last a coupla weeks, as I can use my kid's car instead of renting, when he goes off to school.)

?

I hope you don't have any of the same problems that I went through with my X. I just posted an update on mine.

Good Luck.

I cant see a "patch" working. What do they use for the patch?

How do you patch something thats sandwiched in between the head & the block?

I've heard of this, but never had it done myself. I don't know anything about the durability of it.

Check this out tho http://www.steelseal.com/eng/home.html

Thanks Ant - That's what I was referring to.

Same deal, no experience with it, but it looks promisiing.

What I was wondering was if any one DID have experience with it....good or bad.

Having owned many Ford Escorts, and running a blower on the 302 in my Mustang, head gaskets are my specialty. I've never heard of the above mentioned product, I have to wonder if it works or not. Nothing beats a set of Felpro Graphite supercharger rated head gaskets, and a set of ARP head bolts. I'd change them yourself. Keep in mind that head gaskets slowly degrade as the vehicle ages, so do both sides.

Found theses tablets that Cadillac ships with its new cars...they use them as part of the engine set up to seal head gasket leaks before shipping to dealers, and they are required if a mechanic is to have warrenty coverage.

Tossed a few in, ran the engine as per instructions, yadda yadda yadda, and my Head Gasket Leak was cured.

:D

I just need it to last about a week until my kid's done with his Subaru for two years while he's out of country...so I can borrow it while the real repairs are done.

:D

I used to do this sort of thing in the driveway...but I just don't have the time anymore. :(

I actually read about those tablets on the cadillac forums a while back, but did not think to mention them to you when this problem came up. From what I remember, they were not effective for blown headgaskets.

Well, they worked on this blown head gasket.

:D

I hope for at least a week.

On the plus side, the blow out is to the outside...so the oil was OK, etc.

Excellent! Way to ignore the haters and skeptics!

Well, it was $20 and getting the truck back same day vs > $20, and getting the truck back next week.

:D

I'm over due for the timing belt, water pump type service (Normally at 100K) anyway...so this seems like as good a downtime as any coming up to just be done with it in one swell foop.

:D

Well, it was $20 and getting the truck back same day vs > $20, and getting the truck back next week.

:D

I'm over due for the timing belt, water pump type service (Normally at 100K) anyway...so this seems like as good a downtime as any coming up to just be done with it in one swell foop.

:D

Water pump service? What do they do to the water pump?

When you do the timing belt, most people just replace the water pump too as long as its open.