Oil stop-leak additives

[Born2bwild1191]

OK, I know there are a bazillion opinions on this, but in order to avoid replacing my pan gasket that has a leak on the one side, I want to try this first. What brand is safe to use on our cars? I'm willing to try something that may not fix the leak even if theres a 2% chance it will as long as it won't hurt anything. Thanks!

[Brozoar]

I'm a Michigander, so I like supporting Michigan business - so I tried a brand called Bar's Leaks "2-part Engine Repair" oil additive or something like that, with some level of success. I definitely noticed an increase in compression almost right away (somehow??) But I don't know whether that would help any in your case; that said, for $8 or $9 a bottle, it's worth a shot, and it won't detonate your motor. =) And it has a lot of positive reviews on the internets.

My opinion has always been "don't expect a miracle, but it's probably not gonna hurt".

[AA_Ezra]

How about clean the area up good were you think its leaking and use some permatex "right stuff" and apply to the area that is leaking? plus that stuff has many other uses if it doesen't work

[mikepellegrini]

The only stuff I've seen that really works is for cork gaskets - it makes the cork swell.

With rubber gaskets, you're kinda SOL.

[Vicious]

be very cautious when using any of the oil stop leaks as 90% of the time the contain a chemical nearly identical to brake fluid which causes ALL rubber gaskets to swell. and they do not stop swelling even if you are to change the oil, so once you use the product your on a deadline to change out all rubber gaskets before they decide to "pop"

[Guest765]

Originally Posted by Vicious

be very cautious when using any of the oil stop leaks as 90% of the time the contain a chemical nearly identical to brake fluid which causes ALL rubber gaskets to swell. and they do not stop swelling even if you are to change the oil, so once you use the product your on a deadline to change out all rubber gaskets before they decide to "pop"

+1

trying any stop leak compound is risking losing ALL OF YOUR SEALS.

with that said, the opinion in this thread is going to boil down to DON'T USE STOP LEAK

the poster who recommended the permatex "the right stuff" is correct.

[Born2bwild1191]

Thanks for the replies guys....After talking to my local 944/968 mechanic and engine builder he told me the lucas stuff wouldn't hurt anything, so I put that in and tried the permatex. The permatex didn't work, and if the lucas is supposed to be instant (a few miles on it) then it did not either. Time for a gasket!

[Guest765]

Originally Posted by Born2bwild1191

Thanks for the replies guys....After talking to my local 944/968 mechanic and engine builder he told me the lucas stuff wouldn't hurt anything, so I put that in and tried the permatex. The permatex didn't work, and if the lucas is supposed to be instant (a few miles on it) then it did not either. Time for a gasket!

we told you not to use the stop leak compounds. lucas gets a good rep from mechanics because they don't know what they're talking about and take their info from the performance of the oil additive. if you used the oil stabilizer then fine, that won't hurt and if anything could help by thickening the oil a bit.

HOWEVER if you used the stop leak compound, at this point i hope your main seals blow on you cause we tried to tell you so!!!

all stop leaks use the same philosophy to stop the leak - they swell the gaskets! your mechanic telling you different does not change this fact!

[Aufgeladen944]

They're all bad news. I'd rather have a small oil leak then deal with the repercussions of the oil stop leak stuff.

The Lucas oil stabilizer stuff kinda sucks, too. Read about what it does on bobistheoilguy.com and you'll see. If you go to Advance, you can do the demonstration yourself and see the air pockets that form from spinning the gear. Air=no lubrication. No lubrication=problems.

Avoid pretty much all that crap with a few exceptions-some of the radiator repair stuff can work, but even that's iffy. Only use the cheap stuff that seals your radiator itself. The block seal and all that is always bad news.

[Born2bwild1191]

Woah, calm down there you don't need to yell at me. I didnt put it in your car. And no offense, but who do you think I'm going to listen to first, a Porsche mechanic that works on ONLY Porsches, 90% of his work is 944's/968/951and builds motors for race cars for the last 20 years, or someone I've never met on the internet. I have respect for your opinions, i did ask for them, but you really don't need to get jacked at me for not listening to you.

With that being said, I did come here for help, and I realize the additives aren't good for the motor, but this was no small leak that I could deal with. It leaked a quart in 100 miles. This was sort of a last ditch effort to try anything...I'm a college kid with basically no money or time - I want to replace the gasket as a last resort.

Thanks for the opinions.

[Brozoar]

Originally Posted by fwayfarer

HOWEVER if you used the stop leak compound, at this point i hope your main seals blow on you cause we tried to tell you so!!!

If his seals blow, I hope your car catches fire. :P

I was reading labels earlier (because I happened to be in the automotive section at Walmart) - there was one brand which said right on the label it expands your gaskets to stop leaks. But I'm not going to believe that every seal/gasket repair additive works that way without investigating each product individually. Bar's Leaks, for instance, just says it "reconditions seals" and contains "viscosity modifiers" or something to that extent, which doesn't equal "expands ur ****".

[Guest765]

Originally Posted by Aufgeladen944

They're all bad news. I'd rather have a small oil leak then deal with the repercussions of the oil stop leak stuff.

The Lucas oil stabilizer stuff kinda sucks, too. Read about what it does on bobistheoilguy.com and you'll see. If you go to Advance, you can do the demonstration yourself and see the air pockets that form from spinning the gear. Air=no lubrication. No lubrication=problems.

Avoid pretty much all that crap with a few exceptions-some of the radiator repair stuff can work, but even that's iffy. Only use the cheap stuff that seals your radiator itself. The block seal and all that is always bad news.

+1

With that being said, I did come here for help, and I realize the additives aren't good for the motor, but this was no small leak that I could deal with. It leaked a quart in 100 miles. This was sort of a last ditch effort to try anything...I'm a college kid with basically no money or time - I want to replace the gasket as a last resort.

you were told the sealer stuff is trash. unfortunately if you had told us of the magnitude of the leak earlier, we would have told you the stop leak did not have a chance to stop a quart per 100 mile leak.

If his seals blow, I hope your car catches fire. :P

I was reading labels earlier (because I happened to be in the automotive section at Walmart) - there was one brand which said right on the label it expands your gaskets to stop leaks. But I'm not going to believe that every seal/gasket repair additive works that way without investigating each product individually. Bar's Leaks, for instance, just says it "reconditions seals" and contains "viscosity modifiers" or something to that extent, which doesn't equal "expands ur ****".

ok the comment was out of line, but his train of reasoning was this;

OP: "HEY GUYS i'm stuck at the bottom of this hole, what should i do? keep digging?"

thread: "no, you should probably try to climb out."

OP: "OK guys i'll keep digging!"

then, the op mentions the severity of the leak, which really isn't going to be stopped with a stop leak compound.

to answer you comments on the stop leak compounds, "reconditions seals" is marketing speak for "contains additives which cause your old, cracked seals to swell".

[Brozoar]

Originally Posted by fwayfarer

to answer you comments on the stop leak compounds, "reconditions seals" is marketing speak for "contains additives which cause your old, cracked seals to swell".

Very well could be, I'll certainly re-post if I run into any issues with my additive.

I feel for you though, thread starter; I'm also a college kid trying to take care of a 944 on a budget. It's a rough life there, sport!

[vdubr928]

Stop leak is lame....... sorry. I had to get that out.

Whoever mentioned the coolant stop leak I wanted yo chime in my two cents. Tried once when I was a teen on an old mercedes with a real small heater core leak. Two hours later I was ordering a waterpump and a heater core. Pretty good way to trash seals. Leaks can only be repaired and people who create stop leak products should be treated as snake oil salesman.

[mayPOR944]

My mechanic told me that someone put stop leak in his 944 oil and his engine was done! thats why porsche reconmends no oil additives!! just replace the gasket. something about tiny oil passages easy to clog, and thats why it takes so long for oil to travel back down to the oil pan.

[Aufgeladen944]

That was me about the radiator stop leak

And it depends what you're needing to repair. If it's the actual radiator itself, and you need to do a temporary fix, the stuff seems to work. The key is to stay away from the expensive stuff and just buy the four dollar radiator repair. The block seal and all that stuff is complete garbage and clogs everything in sight.

I don't use any oil additives. The only exception might be ZDDP stuff if there wasn't any oil for our cars around. But even that's kinda dumb-just get good oil and you're set.

[Brozoar]

Originally Posted by mayPOR944

My mechanic told me that someone put stop leak in his 944 oil and his engine was done! thats why porsche reconmends no oil additives!! just replace the gasket. something about tiny oil passages easy to clog, and thats why it takes so long for oil to travel back down to the oil pan.

Not that I doubt that you're telling the truth, but I must repeat; so far no issues with "Bar's Leaks". [*knock on wood*]

So I'm guessing Sea Foam would go in a completely separate, "totally okay to use" category of oil-additives?

[vdubr928]

So I'm guessing Sea Foam would go in a completely separate, "totally okay to use" category of oil-additives?[/QUOTE]


Lol. Undecided on my part.

[Guest765]

Originally Posted by Brozoar

Not that I doubt that you're telling the truth, but I must repeat; so far no issues with "Bar's Leaks". [*knock on wood*]

So I'm guessing Sea Foam would go in a completely separate, "totally okay to use" category of oil-additives?

negative on the "ok to use" comment. also, you're pretty smug about the whole bar's leaks thing. i honestly hope nothing happens to your engine, but it wouldn't be surprising to me if you sprung a bad leak or clogged a small passage in the engine within 1000 miles. would surprise me even less than the sun rising tomorrow morning.

seafoam is a mix of naptha, light mineral oil, and choice detergents. while this is personal opinion (shared by many, however) i refuse to put anything such as seafoam in my oil. oil stabilizer, oil weight thickeners, and zddp additives are a-okay. engines of our age are likely holding old seals together with dirt and oil sludge. as far as running seafoam through your intake with the car running, you can get the same benefit with less harsh chemicals going into your combustion chamber by using plain distilled water instead. all those chemicals designed to "dissolve deposits" are also dissolving the oil film protecting your pistons and bores.


edit; i've realized i might sound rude or harsh again, but there is a reason the old adage states; "you get what you pay for". unfortunately i am also a college student trying to keep up my car, it is not easy, but that doesn't excuse anyone for not fixing something the correct way (read: not five minutes and five dollars pouring some snake oil into your car). a penny saved now is an engine rebuild later.

[Aufgeladen944]

I did use seafoam one time on my car, last year. I'm a time interval with my oil changes, not mileage, and I followed the instructions about putting it in 50 miles before you change the oil. The oil was a light brown color before the seafoam, and a dark BLACK after 50 miles.

Still haven't decided if that's good or bad, but I do know that right now my car is in the shop with a buttload of oil, vacuum, and coolant leaks.

I think I'm gonna skip that from now on. Oh, and I think I'm gonna skip fuel additives as well, since when I took out my plugs they were all red from that stuff. The only exception is stabil when the car goes away