97 Northstar Y motor overheating
 

OK Guys...I got one for ya. I recently heard of a product called "Heal-a-Seal". The CA company even has one application designed specifically for Northstar engines. What I have is a Head Gasket Exhaust Port leak. I assume its between the water and exhaust because its evaporating water while driving until it starts to overheat. I can also see a few tiny bubbles coming up through the water in the reservoir tank when i take the cap off and look in it. Anyway...this product is supposed to be run through your cooling system after bypassing the Heater Core and taking out the Thermostat, running your motor till it gets up to operating temp...(which doesn't take long obviously), then draining the system and let it dry for 12 to 24 hours until it gets "bulletproof" hard. Its supposed to seap into ALL cracks or leaks in the Head, Block, Gaskets, etc. They say they have had 100% good feedback from Caddie owners who have used it "CORRECTLY" and their overheating problem due to gasket failure went away. QUESTION: Does anyone have any opinions on this type of fix or have heard of this product? If I don't have to pay $2,000.00 for a used motor, and I can fix this for $150.00, does it make sense ot at least try it? duke

An old method to "fix" cracked heads, cracked blocks and may work for your head gasket problem is to warm engine up and then pour in a quart of "Water / Liquid Glass".

Water glass was used in the magic crystal garden toys from the 1980s. When waterglass was combined with a selection of different metals in solution, the waterglass would cause the metals to precipitate. Each metal would precipitate separately causing a different color stalagmite.

I'll probably get killed for posting this .. but this has been in use for decades in shops; lets assume that you (the customer) just werent told about it? It is the basic component of all the so called modern age headgasket repairs .. LIQUID GLASS ! Use it with water and not coolant. You heard that? WATER !

It is an old method of "fixing" cracked heads, cracked blocks and head gasket problems. Warm engine up and then pour in a quart of "Water / Liquid Glass". This is actually Sodium Silicate and is a clear odorless liquid, fairly cheap to purchase. It DOES work!

from Wiki ...

Sodium silicate can be used to seal leaks at the head gasket. A common use is when an alloy cylinder head motor is left sitting for extended periods or the coolant is not changed at proper intervals, electrolysis can "eat out" sections of the head causing the gasket to fail.

Rather than pull the head, a jar of "liquid glass" is poured into the radiator and allowed to circulate. The waterglass is injected via the radiator water into the hotspot at the motor. This technique works because at 210–220 °F the sodium silicate loses water molecules to form a very powerful sealant that will not re-melt below 1500 °F.

A sodium silicate repair of a leaking head gasket can hold for up to two years and even longer in some cases. The effect will be almost instant, and steam from the radiator water will stop coming out the exhaust within minutes of application. This repair only works with water-to-cylinder or water-to-air applications and where the sodium silicate reaches the "conversion" temperature of 210–220 °F.

Car engine disablement - CASH FOR CLUNKERS
Sodium silicate solution is used to inexpensively and permanently disable automobile engines. Running an engine with two quarts of the solution in the oil catastrophically damages the engine's bearings and pistons, seizing it within a few minutes. This procedure is required by the American "cash for clunkers" program.

Sodium Silicate is also used in most anti-freeze products to protect against leaks. Anyone remember the old advertisements where nails were stuck into Prestone containers and then removed. The Prestone would be shown leaking out of the container and then suddenly the flow would stop. The product hardens on contact with air.

It was also used to preserve eggs (before refrigeration) by submerging the eggs in the "Water Glass" and covering the liquid with straw to prevent the liquid from hardening.

Another use years ago was in the construction of dioramas in museums and water scenes in Model Railroading. When a "stream, river, lake, etc." was made in the model the water glass was poured in place and it would harden. After hardening it would still appear to be liquid.


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i did not know that about Sodium Silicate i just knew they used it to disable engines for CFC. But something tells me its probly not recomened for the Northstar or atleast im not tryin it.

With a gasket failure, the ONLY thing that is recommended by GM is replacement of headgasket - $2,500 to $4,000. Would anyone expect anything else to be recommended? duhhh !

the chemical "fixes" are meant to extend the life of a failed headgasket for a few more years - period. Dealer not required.

If the low cost "fix" (under $100) doesnt last, you are back where you started, junk the car, replace engine, tear engine down .. If the issue is the headgasket it works, if the issue is the head bolts pulled out, you ARE OUT OF LUCK ! How do you tell what the issue is? hmmm read our FAQ .. test for both.
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SADLY, many of you are buying used cars that have had the "fix" performed and you will never know it. There is no way to track it, not even upon a engine tear down. those engines will pass the exhaust gas in the coolant and the compression tests .. .. its more common that you think, some of you have had your cars done by a shop and you dont even know it .. the "fix" is that successful.

Worst yet, if you think this is a GM problem, hang on .. IT IS NOT!
It is a global problem with modern aluminum engines of every make, including US, Japan, and European engines.

in this site, we simply choose to make it the big issue it is .. for reasons that escape me, most sites fear touching it.



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