[johnta1]

The tabs and pepper require that the engine to be running?
Or I guess an electric water pump to be running, but usually requires some heat in engine to be useful.

[Sirrotica]

Pepper is an old, old, remedy for leaking cooling systems, and yes it will work temporarily. I have used it to stop a heater core leak and it lasted for about 2 weeks in a daily driver, at least it got me by until I could get to the job, and change it.

If you want to stop the leak without plugging the cooling system, Bars Leaks has probably the best selection of anti leak choices for cooling systems. They make the pellets that GM sells, and more options, depending upon what problem you have with your system.

I've seen cracked combustion chamber cutaway cylinder heads that had over 50,000 miles since the treatment, that functioned until the car was scrapped. It was sealed, and done, never a problem after the treatment. This was the pelletized formula. I have used the pelletized formula in my own cars and customer cars and it has worked flawlessly for external leaks as well as head gaskets, unless the head gasket was just too bad to effect a seal, and repair.

Having worked in many different GM dealerships, as Mike alluded to, GM puts the pellets in all their cars to minimize warranty repairs for minor leaks, exactly what you're chasing with your own situation currently. Either the pellets, or the pelletized formula will most definitely work to seal a minor leak that you're experiencing.

Myself, I'd never go through all the work involved to hunt out a minor leak and do all the labor to think you have it fixed, only to find you have a porous casting, and didn't fix it by mechanical means anyway. Working at GM dealerships I've seen a few new porous castings. When GM sold the car new, it had pellets in the cooling system, using them at this point is doing the same thing GM does to effect a permanent repair without any cooling system detrimental problems.

If it were my car, I'd but a Bars Leaks product in it, and forget it...............

When I had my own garage I was friends with a guy that owned his own raditor shop, when they did a radiator repair the tossed a couple spoonfuls of flax seed into the radiator before they returned it to the customer. This did the same thing any of the stop leak products did by giving a little extra insurance to minimize comebacks, for what it cost to put a little flax seed in there it was real cheap insurance. Radiator shops buy the flax seed in containers, just for this insurance aspect.

[Joe's Garage]

Whether it was to change the water pump, replace a gasket, a new radiator - whatever reason. We've always dropped a tube or two in as we were refilling. It's cheap insurance.

With brand new rebuilds, it's normally been the GM tablets mentioned. If we couldn't get them, then one of the other powdered products.

Our current preferred sealer is sold by Walmart and just about everyone else:
Alumaseal Radiator Stop Leak. A tube is around $3 or so.

We even used it in a Chevy Suburban with a split plastic radiator tank. That one took about five tubes but we made it back from our vacation (400+ miles from home) with no further issues - maybe a drip but not a huge leak.

Good luck!

[mrennie]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

If it were my car, I'd put a Bars Leaks product in it, and forget it...............

True story about Bars Leaks pellets...

At a place I used to work at, we had a steam boiler to heat the building. It ran around 5-7 PSI, and developed a really bad leak from a crack in the castings of the section where the water was turned to steam.

Brought in the local heating contractor who said the boiler was finished and we needed to replace it, but would take 3 weeks to get the new one delivered. The crack was so bad that water would piss all over the pilot lights and put them out, so we had no heat. This was middle of winter and we had no other form of heat.

Later that day the boiler tech comes back with a case of 12 large bottles of Bars Leaks...I looked at him and asked if he was serious...he said it was worth a try, so he opened an inspection plug and dumped all the bottles of pellets into the boiler and fired it up.

An hour later it stopped leaking water and did not leak a drop until it was replaced 3 weeks later.

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there!

[ITSBACK]

I think when I’m ready to fire it up, I’m gonna put the tabs in it. I don’t feel like doing this anymore, want to put it together and get to the body. I appreciate all the input!!!
Thank you all!

[NeighborsComplaint]

Originally Posted by ITSBACK

A while back I posted that I had antifreez in the bell housing on my unfired 428. Must be from a freeze plug as there’s nothing on top of the motor anywhere. So I just pulled the tranny and everything down to the block plate. Still trying to fathom how antifreeze can seep past the block plate and end up in the bell housing. I guess if it worked it’s way over the crank. Anyway, which one of these freeze plugs would be the culprit? No sign of anything anywhere other than the large center plug seemed it’s possibly wet where it meets the block. Any ideas?
Thank you guys!!

The real other culprit is one of the freeze plugs in the side of the block leaking onto the oil pan flange and migrating to the bellhousing as John TA suggested.

If the motor is unfired (never started), how could there be any antifreeze anywhere but in the radiator, the water pump and the equalizing height (low) within the block? Antifreeze could back up to the crossover, leak from the intake crossover O ring, drip on the valley pan rails, run to the back of the valley pan due to the inclination of the motor, overflow the rear valley pan rail and drip down the back of the block into the bellhousing. a pretty tortuous path and would surely leave coolant residue even if given time to dry up..

[Tom Vaught]

ITSBACK, pm to you.
Tom V.

[AG]

When i first fired my IAII race motor had a leak in one of the rear screw in block plugs. Used ARP thread sealer on them and thought they were tight. Put some Bars Liquid Copper stop leak and the leak stopped.

[ITSBACK]

Well I filled the radiator with new thermostat housing gasket and water pump gasket. Put the pressure gauge on and put at 10 lbs to start and the water pump gasket leaked in 10 minutes. This timing cover must be no good. When I used the one I had on the motor when I fired it up with the Tripower which I swapped out to a dual quad I had no issues at all with the motor running. After pulling the motor apart for a rear main leak I put it together with a different timing cover. I’m swapping the timing cover out now.

[Formulas]

I've found that our water pumps and timing covers can use at least 1 re'torque on every single bolt after build
Especially with dark paper gaskets blue felpro is better

[ITSBACK]

I only use Felpro gaskets.

[PontiacJim1959]

"Well I know for sure it was not from the front of the motor."

Hmmmm. I may be mistaken, but isn't the water pump at the front of the motor?

So did the anti-freeze run down the front of the block, along the pan rail, and seep into the bell?

The timing covers, in my experience, can oxidize and the sealing surface will become irregular or pitted. If it is not too bad, you can salvage/fix it. Thoroughly clean the surface/pits and then fill with JB Weld. Let it dry good and hard, then use a fine flat file to go over the JB Weld and bring it even/level with the timing cover surface - without removing a lot of material from the timing cover.

The second thing I experienced is that some gaskets can slip out under pressure. Did this on the water pump on a 360CI I rebuilt. My engine builder said this can happen as the gaskets of today are not as good as what we used to get. He said he uses the 3M Yellow gasket adhesive on one side of the gasket to secure it so it will not slip out. I did this and have not had a problem with it since.

[ITSBACK]

How would antifreeze running along the oil pan rail get past the block plate? I used ultra grey on both sides of the gasket and don’t believe it moved. Very confusing.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Originally Posted by ITSBACK

I agree, a big leak isn’t easy. 24hrs at 15psi and nothing in the back. Just caused two leaks up front

Still had 15psi after 24 hours?

How did you determine it was antifreeze and not green hydraulic fluid?

If it does have a leak... Have you checked the oil level? Maybe loosen the oil drain plug and just let a cup full ease out.

What did the green smell/taste like? Green antifreeze is sweet. Green dot 3 is bitter.

What color lube and fluid was the new slave cylinder assembled and tested with?

Just asking
Clay

[ITSBACK]

My first thought was tranny fluid. Slave has not been filled. The thought of tasting it never crossed my mind. 24 hrs later I honestly don’t remember, it was sleeping so little at the pump and thermo housing it probably was still close. It’s a tremec so I don’t think the oil is green, not 100% but don’t remember.