can radiator stop-leak clog heater core?

Brad Poindexter

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Jan 15, 2001, 9:17:42 AM1/15/01

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I would like to hear people's experiences with radiator stop leak addatives. I
had a leaking freeze plug in my wife's minivan and put in a bottle of liquid
Barrs Leak coolant system leak stopper. This was last summer. The leak was
stopped, but this winter, her heating system is the pitts. It does not work as
well. I have not done an autopsy of the system yet. Could be a faulty heater
control valve, a faulty control unit not porting vacuum to the valve, or heater
core plugged with the stop leak.

Any success stories or horror stories about this topic out there and any
advice?

Kirk Smith

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Jan 15, 2001, 11:34:58 AM1/15/01

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Rad stop leak as one purpose, to block small holes in rads and other
cooling areas. Your rad probably will never become blocked by these
products bacause of its size, However your heater core does have small
veins which the fluid passes through. it is possible that te stop leak
could block some of the heater core. If you are having trouble getting
eat into the cab, I would start at the basics. Is the rad overflow
tank 1/2 way full? is the rad full of fluid? what condition is the
fluid in, in terms of strength. if you have a temp gage as part of your
instrument cluster, does it climb as your driving time increases?
Check these "simple" things out before performing some of the more hard
to perform diagnostics
Kirk

Some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant. What kind of
day are you having??

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BACKNCARDR

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Jan 15, 2001, 11:44:42 AM1/15/01

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>Any success stories or horror stories about this topic out there and any
>advice?

Its been my experience most of these stop leaks recommend that once the leak is
stopped-you drain the cooling system and refill the system. What you are
experiencing is a usual side effect of not doing so. The local rad shop tells
me even if it says ik to leave it in-one needs to get it out and he showed me a
rad he had just dropped the lower tank on-which was loaded with sealer that had
dropped out of solution.

Respectifully submitted,

Loren Knighton
Woodland, CA.
IATN, TRNI

Upula Sumith Wijeweera

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Jan 15, 2001, 1:41:36 PM1/15/01

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Brad Poindexter <bpoin...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010115091742...@ng-fm1.aol.com...

yes it could. Remove the heater hoses and check for blockage. Iwould put a
water hose to the heater intake or outlet and check for blocage and flush it
out. This worked for me. Good luck ! Sumith.

THP

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Jan 15, 2001, 7:42:13 PM1/15/01

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more than likely you have a corrosion problem!!!

you say that last summer you had a leak at a freeze plug?!!!
the most probable cause of a freeze plug leak is corrosion within the
system!

my recommendation would be to R/R ALL the freeze plugs and do a complete
radiator/system flush,
to correct the problem.

--
There is no sound,
there is no word that
can be heard unless
someone listens...

"Brad Poindexter" <bpoin...@aol.com> wrote in message
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Ron Dickens

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Jan 16, 2001, 1:17:14 PM1/16/01

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I had a similar problem, which went away after I flushed the system. I think the key, though, was connecting a garden hose to the return hose of the heater core and running high pressure water through the core in reverse. Now the car actually gets uncomfortably hot in the winter.

BTW, I had to use hose clamps when attaching the garden hose to the system - very high water pressure at my house.

Good luck,

Ron