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Head gasket oil leak...stop leak products?

31K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  Fusion.C280 
#1 ·
Greetings, I have a 97 c280 w/100M miles that has a head gasket oil leak. Estimates are app. $1500 to repair and I hate to spend that when no other problems are involved. I heard there is a defect in that years seal and it is not uncommon. My question is...would using a product such as Bar's Leak have any effect or benefit on this problem. I called there tech department and they said it should have no negative effects.

Any thoughts, comments....thank!
Lisa M. Stewart
 
#2 ·
Most of the cost on the head gasket is usually labor related. I have been told there is no way you can really fix the head gasket but I could be wrong. If you plan on keeping your car for a long time I suggest you just change it how it should be done because if you dont that is going to cause it to happen again.
 
#3 ·
The first question is whether you plan on keeping your car. If not, then do whatever you like to it.

If you do, however, then you are going to have to change the head gasket sooner or later. If you wait and try a temporary fix additive, there is also the chance it will get worse and you'll do serious damage to the engine. Call around to a few different indy shops, times are tough and there are some that have reduced their rates to try and bring in some business.

And I have to say I'm puzzled. You hate to spend that when there are no other problems? What would you do if you had nine items that needed fixing for a total of 3 grand, go ahead and do them all? Really, the only issues that can ever be safely ignored are cosmetic ones. Moreover, properly taken care of these cars can go well over 250,000 miles and more, you're sitting at less than half that, so I'm curious about the hesitation. If it was a Ford Taurus at that mileage I'd say sure, just dump in some bar's leaks and when it dies, have it towed away, but that's a disposable car.

Take care and enjoy the ride,
Greg
 
#4 ·
Hi Lisa,

While it's always a big bummer to have a problem like this, I highly recommend that you spend the $1500 for the following reasons:

Bar's Leaks (and similar products) have the tendency to find their into spaces in radiators, water pumps, and other parts of the engine that can then become dislodged at a later date, and then cause even more serious damage to the engine.

To get rid of your current car, only to go spend $10,000 (or whatever price) on a new car makes absolutely no financial sense. Why would you spend $10,000 in order to save $1500?

It's important that you do it very soon, because as more oil gets into the cooling system, it can break down the rubber hoses and cause more leaks, and also the coolant won't be able to keep the engine as cool as it needs to be.

You might be wondering if this is just the first of many costly repairs that the car will need. While I don't know the car's maintenance history and therefore can't tell you for sure, I would say that based on my personal experience with several C-Classes, this is a one-time repair, and the likelihood of it needing any future repairs of this caliber is slim.
 
#6 ·
If the rest of the car is in good shape you will be much better repairing the car properly than using an additive. Shop around and you should find an independent mechanic to do the job for less. While the head is off make sure that the valves and seals are good otherwise you may have problems sooner than later.
 
#8 ·
Did someone just see oil on the block, or are you seeing puddles of oil on the ground? Are you using lots of oil?

My C280 is wetting the block, and I sometimes see an oil spot on the ground. My suggestion to you is to just leave it alone. As long as there is the proper amount of oil in the engine your not really hurting anything
 
#9 ·
I agree with marvin. I think I also have the gasket leak, but since it's a few drops a week, I don't plan on doing the whole replacement job, just check the oil level every once in a while.
Though this is a problem known on the I6 engines, original post is a V6 according to year so I would have some other shop check if it's really the gasket that's leaking. And I think 100k is a bit early for this to appear, but I could be wrong on that.
 
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