"Stop Leak" Coolant Additive. Which one?

[Fix4Dirt]

I'm 99% certain the leak is from the oil pan gasket and could be in one other place.

Thanks, if its this one, I was about to try this last year but wasn't able to find a place who sold it. I can buy it on Amazon and have it today.

It's pricey too $54 for two bottles ouch. Would this work on gaskets? Just dont' want to waste my money.

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dang, 27 each! i dont remember paying that, let me check it worked well for me, the stp i used prior didnt work for my rearmain

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Amazon product ASIN B000NVW1LM20 each here

 

[C420sailor]

You need to weigh the pros/cons here.

Sometimes you’re better off simply topping off your fluids daily/weekly/whatever. These ‘mechanic in a bottle’ fixes can cause problems even when used according to recommendations.

Remember, a leak will not destroy your truck as long as you keep it topped. Clogging up your cooling system, however, can.

Me, personally…I’m a fan of either fixing it right immediately, or using these products in moderation until I can do the repair. Some people look at these products as a definitive repair/fix. I look at them as a tourniquet.

 

[bmdubya1198]

Advance Auto sells AT-205. I tried it on my '01 Mountaineer, and it may have slowed the leak, but didn't stop it. That truck had a lot of leaks though from the oil pan gasket and RMS. I just didn't feel like replacing any of it.

 

[CDW6212R]

You need to weigh the pros/cons here.

Sometimes you’re better off simply topping off your fluids daily/weekly/whatever. These ‘mechanic in a bottle’ fixes can cause problems even when used according to recommendations.

Remember, a leak will not destroy your truck as long as you keep it topped. Clogging up your cooling system, however, can.

Me, personally…I’m a fan of either fixing it right immediately, or using these products in moderation until I can do the repair. Some people look at these products as a definitive repair/fix. I look at them as a tourniquet.

Ditto, use the additives as a temporary step, a short term fix. Find the time and have it repaired properly if possible. A main seal leak between the engine and transmission, are the only things which you should accept as a problem to live with.

 

[swshawaii]

AT-205 had NO effect on my rear main seal leak. Very little oil loss, just a smelly and smoky annoyance when dripping on the cat when moving. Decided to use Bar's Leak's/Rislone RMS concentrate for the next oil change. Seemed to reduce the leak by about half. Can't see removing the engine to replace a cheap oil seal. Frustrating part is this vehicle only has 82,000 miles, and the leak is probably caused by parking for extended periods. When the time comes I'll replace timing parts and the RMS while the engine is out.

 

[CDW6212R]

Rear main seal leaks are a huge pain. I still think they are created or made worse by poor oil choices and long intervals, higher engine temps etc. I have owned many Fords with no rear seal leak, and a couple that leaked too much. The care the vehicle seemed to have is directly related to how much the rear seal leaked.

My last two Explorers are 98's, 302's. They both had a slight RMS leak, just a tiny amount left on the ground, but they both use a lot of oil. Having to add a quart every couple of weeks is way too much, and that's maybe 750 miles of hard driving. I think prior owners and their bad oil change habits, ruined the valve stem seals. Too much low quality oil and long intervals, ends up wearing out the valve seals much too fast. So these 302's do not smoke, yet they eat oil. I think the only good solution is to yank the heads and rebuild them, with new seals and possibly new valve guides. But that's a big job also to R&R heads.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Rear main seal leaks are a huge pain. I still think they are created or made worse by poor oil choices and long intervals, higher engine temps etc. I have owned many Fords with no rear seal leak, and a couple that leaked too much. The care the vehicle seemed to have is directly related to how much the rear seal leaked.

My last two Explorers are 98's, 302's. They both had a slight RMS leak, just a tiny amount left on the ground, but they both use a lot of oil. Having to add a quart every couple of weeks is way too much, and that's maybe 750 miles of hard driving. I think prior owners and their bad oil change habits, ruined the valve stem seals. Too much low quality oil and long intervals, ends up wearing out the valve seals much too fast. So these 302's do not smoke, yet they eat oil. I think the only good solution is to yank the heads and rebuild them, with new seals and possibly new valve guides. But that's a big job also to R&R heads.

yeah, that seems probable. mine began about 2 years ago at 310k. guess i cant complain about that one i typically do 3k intervals

 

[98FordLove]

dang, 27 each! i dont remember paying that, let me check it worked well for me, the stp i used prior didnt work for my rearmain

My leak is the oil pan gasket. Surprisingly the rear main is dry and not leaking.

 

[98FordLove]

You need to weigh the pros/cons here.

Sometimes you’re better off simply topping off your fluids daily/weekly/whatever. These ‘mechanic in a bottle’ fixes can cause problems even when used according to recommendations.

Remember, a leak will not destroy your truck as long as you keep it topped. Clogging up your cooling system, however, can.

Me, personally…I’m a fan of either fixing it right immediately, or using these products in moderation until I can do the repair. Some people look at these products as a definitive repair/fix. I look at them as a tourniquet.

I'll likely just keep topping it up. I picked up a bottle of Liquid Moly Oil Saver just now and threw it in the oil. I've used it 3 times previously and I do remember it improving the oil pan leak with less drops on the floor. It never got rid of the drops onto the floor but it did help.

So giving it one more try and if it helps then ill order a 6pk on amazon (much cheaper) and just go this route. Last night I was getting 3-4 good size drops onto the floor just from within the first 30mins of shutting the truck off after a drive. That's bad. This morning I saw a good size puddle about the diameter of 3"

Remember I just shampooed and pressure washed the entire under side of the engine bay before the repair so everything was dry after including the oil pan. It's nowhere near as oily under right now as before but it's enough to drop oil to the floor.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

My leak is the oil pan gasket. Surprisingly the rear main is dry and not leaking.

dang alright. imo the oil pan is an easy change though, probably not even worth the hassle of these bandaids imo. even w 4wd i can change it quickly.

 

[98FordLove]

dang alright. imo the oil pan is an easy change though, probably not even worth the hassle of these bandaids imo. even w 4wd i can change it quickly.

The oil pan is a huge job. I thought the motor has to be lifted? Mech said it does, probably 8 hours? IMO Not worth it, will cost my a fortune

 

[Fix4Dirt]

The oil pan is a huge job. I thought the motor has to be lifted? Mech said it does, probably 8 hours? IMO Not worth it, will cost my a fortune

huh, on my SOHC i never had to lift motor. just unbolt driveshaft (im 4wd) and then remove teh oil pan bolts iirc. for sure didnt take me 8 hours, more like 1-1.5max for install and removal now that ive done it once, probably took me 2 the first time round. if youre 2wd even easier, dont have to deal w driveshaft.

 

[CDW6212R]

The oil pan is a huge job. I thought the motor has to be lifted? Mech said it does, probably 8 hours? IMO Not worth it, will cost my a fortune

If it's the SOHC 4.0, it has two oil pans. The lower one is small and easy to R&R. The upper one is very large, aluminum, and bolted to the transmission also. The upper one can take a long while to R&R, but the engine doesn't have to be moved.

 

[98FordLove]

huh, on my SOHC i never had to lift motor. just unbolt driveshaft (im 4wd) and then remove teh oil pan bolts iirc. for sure didnt take me 8 hours, more like 1-1.5max for install and removal now that ive done it once, probably took me 2 the first time round. if youre 2wd even easier, dont have to deal w driveshaft.

I have the dual head. OHV. If the OHV is the same I'll do the pan and gasket but two mechanics said the motor has to be lifted.

 

[C420sailor]

5.0 needs the engine lifted a LOT, not sure about the OHV. Maybe you can pull the nuts on the motor mounts and lift just enough to sneak it out? Not sure.

Someone will chime in.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

really 5.0 does? huh my sohc was a piece of cake. just remove driveshaft and unbolt pan... thats interesting... and don, yeah i was talkin bout the lower pan

 

[98FordLove]

really 5.0 does? huh my sohc was a piece of cake. just remove driveshaft and unbolt pan... thats interesting... and don, yeah i was talkin bout the lower pan

Wish it was that easy for mine. I have one pan btw.

 

[C420sailor]

Yeah 5.0 pan has two sumps…rear sump, then it goes up and over the front axle or whatever (having a brain fart) and then comes back down. It’s a long engine, so a long pan, and with that sump in the front, it makes it impossible to remove the pan without basically half removing the engine.

To remove the steering rack on a 5.0 you have to unbolt the engine and Jack it a couple inches to wiggle the rack out bc it smacks the pan. Real PITA the first time you do it

That’s why I RTV’d my pan instead of replacing it. If the motor ever comes out, it’ll get a new pan and will be FULLY re-sealed

 

[CDW6212R]

You can do a lot with the Ultra Black RTV, and the other colors, grey, red, blue, and copper which is the high heat(suitable for headers). I have also sealed a leaking oil pan on one 302, and an intake manifold that had blown out the rear cork gasket.

If you can clean the area where the leak is completely, fully, the RTV will seal it if it's not under pressure.

This below shows the SOHC upper oil pan, which is aluminum. The lower pan for that is steel and small, flat, much like a transmission pan. The OHV 4.0 has a large metal pan located exactly where the upper pan is in this picture. The SOHC and OHV use almost the same blocks and cranks etc, the SOHC was a redesign of the OHV engine.