Alumaseal.............

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Put some in today. Been losing about a 1/2 inch in the tank each month.

I will post results in a month or so.

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Doesn't seem to have lost any coolant after one week.
May be to soon to tell, will check it again next weekend.

 

[steppjohn]

Don't overdo it with stuff like that.
The stuff that is not used to stop leaks does collect somewhere in the system and helps to clog it.

The big question is do you know where the coolant is going?

I was loosing coolant thru the engine due to a bad intake plenum.
Not a good thing!!!

The plenum is a known problem area..

John

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Hopefully the only thing it clogs is the spot where the coolant is leaking.
I'm not sure exactly where it is leaking from.

They claim on the package that it will not clog cooling systems.
I probably should have just put half the tube in to test it out.
Oh well, I will just hope for the best for now.
I did hear a few good reviews on the Alumaseal though.

 

[DonP]

The old saw is that "bars-leak" really means "bars heat" thanks to clogging heater core passages on at least some cars.

Hope you have a good experience with it.

 

[Ice Blue 06]

your thermostat will not like that..

 

[gnhbodyguy]

I replaced the lim gasket twice on my Chevy venture. Something started to leak again after a couple years and I got rid of it. I replaced the intake plenum on my 98 Olds about seven years ago. Something started leaking again and I used Alumaseal. Been perfect ever since. Heater works fine. Original water pump. Original thermostat. My buddy, who worked in plastics quality at GM/Delphi, recommended it to me.

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

No problems so far and its been 11 days. I would think if it was gonna clog things up it would have done so by now. Haven't lost any coolant yet either and it was going down about a half inch a month. Will keep an eye on it.

Car only gets driven about 10 miles a day.

89,000 miles.

 

[Enslow]

For interest's sake, you may wish to look at the pictures I took of my LIM gaskets. Keep in mind I was not yet losing coolant. This may be what your alumaseal is plugging up.

http://www.3800pro.com/forum/intake/37915-anatomy-nylon-lim-gasket.html

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Thanks for the pictures.
I just had the gaskets and UIM replaced 3 years ago.
I hope a leak is the only thing the Alumaseal plugs up. 😉

 

[gnhbodyguy]

I gave it a try on my 2003's leaking heater bypass tubes and it didn't work. So, I'm batting .500 on Alumaseal. It turns out the new tubes were an inexpensive repair. Everything else in the cooling and heater system is still working fine.

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Well its been 25 days since I put the Alumaseal in and the car is still losing coolant. I'm down almost a 1/2 inch in the tank, so it looks like I'm still losing it at the same pace as before I put it in. And on top of that I now have drops of coolant appearing on the driveway and it wasn't dripping at all before the Alumaseal. The front of the motor on the drivers side is all wet with coolant that ends up steaming up and exiting out around the headlight once and a while.
Still running great with no issues and the wife only drives it a few miles a day locally. So for now I'm just gonna keep an eye on it and if the coolant issue gets worse I'm gonna have the upper and lower intakes and gaskets done again. 🙁

 

[IMSITINGINYOURCHAIR]

Check the neck on the radiator whee the hose meets it on the drivers side. Had mine crack there and it was only visible under pressure. also. radiator cap..they are a $5 way to potentially save a motor. be warned though after replacing those two items the lim and uim gaskets failed in mine. or at least it became apparent that they were bad.

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

I'm sure its not coming from the radiator. Thanks for the info though. 😉

 

[gnhbodyguy]

I was losing coolant on my 03 but not getting puddling until it the weather started to turn cold. Found out that was because the cooler engine and o-rings on the bypass tubes contracted more when it got cold (especially at night) and allowed more coolant to visibly leak out. Otherwise it just leaked a bit when the engine was running and it burned off.

I would make sure it's not your bypass tubes. I just stuck my finger under the tube and could feel and see the coolant. It was an inexpensive repair.

It's a very common 3800 problem on the years when the plastic elbows were used. I'm on my third set.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QldgVWRJQJY[/ame]

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Thanks for that info. It sounds exactly whats happening as we just started getting temps in the 20's at nite around the same time it started leaking. Although, those elbows are on the passenger side aren't they? Looks like my leak is on the drivers side.

 

[gnhbodyguy]

Now I see you have a 98. You may not have the plastic elbows. My 1998 3800 does not have plastic elbows. Have you rules out the water pump?...
I've had water pumps go bad with puddling and without...

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Looks like my leak is on the drivers side.

 

[joshuafromct]

Check the throttle body gasket.

 

[98 TWILIGHT BLUE METALLIC]

Check the throttle body gasket.

I will do that. Thanks 😉