Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Run away from it as fast as you can

 

No unless you are a dodgy second hand car sales person wanting to move the car on quick..

 

Maybe check threads back to 1998.

 

some have had short term success with Steel Seal. and i can probably find those who have spent a lot more money on head gasket replacements, with the same short term success.. i.e despite paying a garage a lot more money.. the head gasket has failed again in a short time..

?

this post about Steel Seal, is from 2009..

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=279981


what one really needs to know.. is what its component parts are.. and the effect of those on the mgf head gasket and engine..

not examples, unless qualified... , qualification needs input from those who can qualify.. not from those like me, who cant.. but just endorse what other unqualified folks say..

unqualified is just that.. dont matter who you are, how many mgf`s you have, how many mgf owners you know.. it all just circumstantial evidence.. i.e a success is a success.. a failure is a failure.. but the truth? well hey.. £30 or over £700? one year? two years? until it was sold? where is it now? dead or alive?

How many F owners get the head gasket fixed on a "professional" basis, and then sell it before it fails...?

How many F owners get the head gasket fixed on a diy basis using a coolant additive, and then sell it before it fails?

Quality or quantity?

 

It did hurt the three people I can remember on here who used that, or one of the many similar products, and could never flush the stuff back out of the system successfully and ended up either scrapping or selling their cars. That was enough to put me off anyway.

 

You've been drinking it again, haven't you.

 

does that make it work better CJJ?

i only reply, because the OP , wants to know.. and my argument is that the evidence for either a replacement head gasket, at X cost.. against using an additive like Steel Seal.. at X cost.. needs proper qualification.. and i cant find it..


if thats the provocation of truth.. i will drink to that..

 

I only know that the only real engineering solution is to fix the problem.

Would I use RadWeld/Steelseal? Yes, if I was stuck in the Amazon or in a desert and it was the only way my LandRover would make it to civilisation.

Would I use it in a normal car when I could have it repaired properly? Never.

 

and the qualification i think should be given, that i cant see yet, and you ignore this mo CJJ?

choose straws..

The most experienced and professional folks i know, do not always make the right decision.. because like me.. they do not know.. or assume based on incomplete truth.. black is black.. but its just a name i share..

 

"Anything too good to be true.....usually is"

 

The K series engine has much smaller water ways than many engines and adding any such product can cause these to block and, as already said, is impossible to flush after use.

Properly fixed, a head gasket shouldn't go again.

It's much the same as tyre foam, it may get you home but will proberbly scrap the tyre.

 

Exactly. Liquid sealant CANNOT fix a leaky HG.

Fixing suggests that you get whatever is broken back to the standard it was before so physically it will never be "fixed.

As a stop gap possibly but to claim it fixes HGF is simply not possible.

 

I know owners on the 75 / ZT forum have used it and it eventually gums up the heater matrix and causes all sort of problems. As a last resort you'd probably use it but the better bet is to try and mitigate as many leaks as possible, let the engine warm up properly before pushing it and install a low level alarm. The MLS gasket was hailed as they way forward but some specialists now think otherwise - you can't win :irked:

 

As with anything preparation is the best Cure

 

Steel Seal? Or K-Seal?

I suspect there's some confusion here:
'K-Seal' has a bit of a rep for sludging up heaters/sensors etc.
'Steel Seal' is a transparent solution Silicate which only forms a solid when dried out (in combustion chamber etc) when it becomes GLASS crystals which fuse together to form a resilient silica plug.
Anyone decrying it should be aware that companies such as Chrysler add it to their OEM anti freeze to cure such leaks before they become problematic.

Just because most such products have proved to be bodges doesn't mean that it's beyond the realm of science to come up with a solution to this issue one day, does it?

 

I suspect there's some confusion here.....?

I suspect you are not aware of the usual mode of K series head gasket failure

The factory fit SLS/elastomer gasket most often fails because the elastomer bead degrades and becomes unstuck from the stainless steel shim (almost always degraded by excessive heat/overheating, often localised) - this allows it to distort and/or move slightly which then allows coolant or oil under pressure to leak past it.

No product that is designed to seal cracks in solid metal castings, tiny gaps between metal shims and metal engine castings or leaks in radiators is going to seal a flexible seal for very long (especially where it is degraded and able to move under pressure).

Whilst 'Steel Seal' does appear to be vastly superior to other products, and appears to be reasonably successful in steel/cast iron engines with a steel head gasket, it is still unlikely to offer any kind of long term reliable repair to a K series head gasket.

If you want a long term solid repair, there is only one solution - replace the head gasket properly. Anything short of that is a short term bodge.

 

The only cure for HGF is a new HG.

 

i used steel seal on my van 1.5dci as it was mid winter and no garage it did the job for 6 weeks before it went again only problem is it cost nearly as much as a head gasket as far as i could see all waterways evan giggle valve was fine would i use it on a mgf noooooo
just bought the son in law a mgzr 1.4 thermostat was gone laying in the rear steel pipe was that copper stuff no sign any where else and water was clear so must have been a long time ago it was tipped in jiggle valve was clear so just in case its on pure water and 2 dishwasher tablets for a week and see what comes out next week end already after 2 days some gunk has come up to the expansion tank so have a feeling there is more to come
Ron

 

Just dont do it ! Or some poor sod will suffer the consequences of a sealer if its sold on later