1985-1998 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Every so often someone relates a warning from an "expert" that Bar's Leaks will cause a cooling system to explode, implode, or perhaps disintegrate before one's eyes. I'd like to hear about or preferably see the evidence this person can provide for us that impugns the effectiveness of BL.
I have used BL religiously for years and have never had a cooling system problem of any kind--including radiator, heater core, thermostat, and water pump. My last car (a '91 9KT) went 124k on BL, likely with the same Garrett turbo unit you have in your '94. My newer '95 has had it installed since I purchased the car in early '99, also with no surprises.
It's been in my '66 Corvette for the past 19 years, as these cars are poorly sealed and really need it as much as a 9K with its legendary heater-core maladies.
I agree with "ls" that keeping the coolant fresh is important regardless of whether BL is used or not. This specification is to change every two years if green or perhaps longer if orange (extended-life)--as in my experience with BL the cooling system was maintained according to spec. As to whether BL will cause problems if the system isn't maintained, I can't say--but that isn't a scenario that my cars get subjected to anyway.
Keep in mind that the Big Three put BL in every car they manufacture, as do Jaguar and a large number of Japanese and domestic OEM's, and is the only such additive recommended by them. Jaguar even recommends in the owner's manual to use BL, and I've seen Suzuki motorcycle manuals state that Bar's Leaks *must* be used whenever the coolant is changed.
I suspect that the isolated warning of impending doom is similar to those seen for synthetic oil. One person here quoted a learned mechanic in his area that using synthetic oil would cause premature engine damage. Period, "no if's and's or but's." You must ask yourself where these people are getting their information. Did they hear about someone using a BL competitor that caused some failure.
Questions for the mechanic: If a failure occurred, was it really the BL that caused it, or did someone just decide that since he installed it two months prior the time of the failure that it must have been the cause? Maybe someone installed oatmeal and it gummed up his system, and by the time it was passed down a few generations decomposed to a completely different product or story. Let's see some evidence, not just some "Joe said that Pete said..." story. One never knows where the rumors originate, but BL has been on the market for decades and is the only stop-leak product that passes through a 24-mesh screen, which by my calculation is about .02", certainly within the 4mm (.16") suggested by someone on this thread as the size of the water passage in the turbo unit. Besides, if BL was improper for installation in a 9KT, Saab would've warned against it by now.
You guys believe whatever rumors you wish to believe, but for me BL already has a very favorable track record, and it goes in every water-cooled vehicle I own.
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