CANADIANCADDY Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Hi there I know it sounds far fetched but i just thought I might see if any of you have tried "Thermagasket" or "Heal a Seal" as a cure for a blown head gasket? The whole family is distressed by the idea of putting our beautiful 98 STS to sleep and are searching for a way to keep her alive for a little while yet without it costing us a fortune for a mechanical repair which will not carry a guarantee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 I tried the stuff on my 1987 Toyota Supra. No joy! Wound up getting the head gasket changed. There was a rather lengthy thread on the other forum about Thermagasket if you want to have a read. I don't recall the final verdict. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Repairs in a bottle (aka hope in a bottle) will not work. There is only one way to repair a head gasket. If done properly and Timeserted it will last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Who said it will NOT carry a guarantee? That fix will not work. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 I tried the stuff on my 1987 Toyota Supra. No joy! Wound up getting the head gasket changed. There was a rather lengthy thread on the other forum about Thermagasket if you want to have a read. I don't recall the final verdict. Charles Charles, The thread was very lengthy and was by rfishing. The final verdict was what we told him from the start. It didn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 If you're referring to sealer that’s poured into the radiator, then the answer is that I have successfully repaired a blown head gasket with a product made by Solder Seal called Block Seal. But it's important to follow the instructions to the letter. These sealers must be added to coolant-free water and flushed according to instructions. I have never used this type of sealer in a Northstar, so I can only tell you that it worked for me on a four-cylinder engine many years ago. Some feel the only way to repair a head gasket is by installing a new one. But my philosophy is that these products are specifically made for blown head gaskets so why not give it a shot if you can’t afford the mechanical repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 I tryed the "head gasket in a can" repair on my sons Honda. Didnt work. However before useing it I had talked to two people localy who had success with it. (both were GM V6) Doesnt hurt to give it a try but be sure to follow ALL directions. Good luck and I'll keep my fingers crossed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Read Mike's experience with the Bars Head Gasket Sealer: http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?sho...ic=9234&hl= Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick7997 Posted October 25, 2006 Report Share Posted October 25, 2006 Yeah, rfishing's final result was, it didn't work.... but he did get a full refund from thermagasket, for whatever that's worth..... The directions on those products are pretty involved, too... to have any chance of success, they'd have to be followed to the letter, I'm guessing... stuff like removing the plugs from the cylinders with the leaks, running the engine, all coolant has to be out of it, just water and the sealing product, car driven for xxx miles.... I'm skeptical of those products, to be sure, but when you read the bottles (or the fine print on their websites), I'm also skeptical that any customers could actually successfully follow the directions..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truant Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Hi there I know it sounds far fetched but i just thought I might see if any of you have tried "Thermagasket" or "Heal a Seal" as a cure for a blown head gasket? The whole family is distressed by the idea of putting our beautiful 98 STS to sleep and are searching for a way to keep her alive for a little while yet without it costing us a fortune for a mechanical repair which will not carry a guarantee. Hey, I went through a timesert repair at the best service shop I could find (dealer obviously.. I shopped around a bit) and it still failed after 4kmiles. Now I'm off to do it again lest I eat $10k in this car. If you fix it, sell it. Don't wait. If it's driveable, trade it. Truant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 If it failed after 4K, either they didn't Timesert it or they didn't Timesert it correctly. Sorry to hear about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmarinov Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 If it failed after 4K, either they didn't Timesert it or they didn't Timesert it correctly. Sorry to hear about that. I'm very sorry to hear that, Truant. Concur, Larry - 4K is nothing for properly TimeSerted heads (or any other professional repair, IMO). Mine were done (previous owner; 1994 Eldo) at 85K. It now has 105K+ and going strong, not to mention that I have been beating it to death for the past few months. I'd challenge the dealer on that repair (perhaps even go to GM if a satisfactory resolution is not obtained). The fact(?) that the heads are bad again after such a short timespan is, in my mind, not a reasonable expectation from the repair facility. I mean come on, that's like expecting a pacemaker to last just a few months so someone can enjoy their last holiday season. I worked at a GM/Volvo dealership in a previous life, and (although there are many exceptions), you are NOT necessarily getting Mr. Goodwrench under your hood if you know what I mean. Trust me. OK, back on topic...I have never had good luck with 'mechanic in a bottle' remedies. I had a bad head on an '87 Ford 4 cyl and Block Seal didn't work. That being said, your STS should last many more miles after the repair (if you go for it). I wish you the best of luck. Mark <!--fonto:Arial--><span style="font-family:Arial"><!--/fonto-->2007 DTS Performance - 50K <!--fontc--></span><!--/fontc--> As a matter of fact, I <i>am</i> driving 70 MPH in a phone booth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommysls Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 If she's a beautiful 98 - it must be worth the price of the repair. Where else you going to find a car like that for $3000??? Get it done right and you'll be happy. Good Luck tommysls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefank Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 When I was in college (early eighties...) I had a 1978 Camaro RS. One day I raced another car on the autobahn, going 130+ for quite a while. Arriving home I had a lot of white smoke coming from the exhaust. When I removed the spark plugs water poured out of one cylinder! Had no money back then and used a head gasket sealer out of a can, and to my astonishment it did work and held up as long as I had the car. It is important to follow the instructions as others have said already. So you may give it a try. I was very afraid to clog radiator or heater core but that did not happen in my case. Good luck! PS couldn't resist to add this photo, man was I proud of that car back then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Hi there I know it sounds far fetched but i just thought I might see if any of you have tried "Thermagasket" or "Heal a Seal" as a cure for a blown head gasket? The whole family is distressed by the idea of putting our beautiful 98 STS to sleep and are searching for a way to keep her alive for a little while yet without it costing us a fortune for a mechanical repair which will not carry a guarantee. Hey, I went through a timesert repair at the best service shop I could find (dealer obviously.. I shopped around a bit) and it still failed after 4kmiles. Now I'm off to do it again lest I eat $10k in this car. If you fix it, sell it. Don't wait. If it's driveable, trade it. Truant Please don't distribute "sell it" recommendations based on your bad experience. Your bad experience is in the minority of actual timeserted engines, we have NOT had any timeserted engines fail again and many of those timesert jobs were done by DIYers. Your repair was done so badly, that I would bet that if it was NOT timeserted it would have lasted LONGER! I have NO doubt that your repair was done wrong and that is why it failed. When KHE purchased his car it had been timeserted by a dealer and it was done wrong and it was leaking. The timesert process is a very specific repair and it needs to be done exactly. If the hole is drilled too shallow, the metal filings from drilling are not removed, if the correct loctite is not used, if it is not allowed to cure, the timesert will fail. Your beef is with the dealer who repaired your engine Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 I have successfully Timeserted both of my 93 STS's. .One at 120k miles, currently 197k miles, and still working fine. .One at 82k miles, currently 140k miles, and still working fine. A Timesert job that lasted 4k miles was obviously not done properly, and/or they only did a few holes, and then pulled the threads when torquing the heads back on the engine. I have yet to see a successful "out of a bottle" cure for the Northstar engine. If the car is otherwise in good condition, the Timesert repair makes the engine tougher then it was new. As per the guru; it was just too expensive to do this treatment, as part of the original engine building process. GM found during their testing process that some of the head bolt threads were pulling out after repeated engine tear-downs. Thus the Timesert procedure was developed prior to sales of this engine. As most Northstar engines did not have problems in normal service, not Timeserting at the factory was a considerable cost savings to GM. This repair can be done at home, as I have, or by an experienced shop. It is not that difficult, BUT you must follow the procedures outlined to be assured of a long lasting repair job. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Thanks George that is great info. I didn't know you timeserted two engines. That is impressive! I think we should have a Hall of Fame section for members who timeserted their own engine! Bruce? Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 Thanks George that is great info. I didn't know you timeserted two engines. That is impressive! I think we should have a Hall of Fame section for members who timeserted their own engine! Bruce? I don't know about a Hall of Fame, it was mostly self preservation (and I have never been satisfied with someone else working on my car). As I think most of those on this forum know, the primary cause of head gasket failure is.....not changing the coolant on schedule. For the green that meant every two years, for the orange I think is was every 4 or 5 years. Most people never change their coolant because it still looks nice and clean, problem is that all of the corrosion inhibitor has been used up, and the coolant circulation then starts pulling molecules of metal from wherever it can; usually this manifest itself in a head gasket failure. The coolant had not been changed in either of my used STS's, both well past their service schedules. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 If the work was done at a dealership, doesn't it come with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty? I would be back requesting they fix it again...properly this time! Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted December 8, 2006 Report Share Posted December 8, 2006 George, self preservation or not, that is impressive and I think we should have a place for members that did the time-sert job with links to their threads if they did one during the job.. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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