Is this leak a canidate for Subaru conditioner?

[candyman]

Feeling annoyed. Ive done maybe only a dozen or so head gasket jobs and have always followed bentley exactly. Just finished up a job on my latest van and it has already started leaking from the water jacket where it meets the engine, not the head side. Only put on 60 miles. Bentley makes no indication to use sealant on both sides of water jacket seal. Come to find out searching here, using sealant on both sides is proper. WTF Bentley! Anyways never have in the past and guess I always got lucky until now. Moving forward i will always use sealant on both sides of water jacket seal.

So now the Water jacket drips upon startup while cold outside but stops in a few minutes once engine warms. More annoying than emergency. So i first tried to retorque all the head bolts one at a time with new sealant. That slowed it down but did not stop the drips. So short of pulling the heads and re doing the job, is this a case for the subaru coolant conditioner? Ive never used this stuff before as Ive always been concerned about additives to our cooling systems. But ill try it as now that its cold out, I dont feel much like repeating the job. If yes, how many bottles? If no, is there another additive to try?
Thanks
Jason

[Type17]

You'll be even more annoyed when the your engine overheats due to a clogged radiator. Pull the head off and do it the right way. There are no shortcuts, sorry.
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[candyman]

[crazyvwvanman]

Go for the Subaru additive. I am using it in a couple vans. I had that rubber head gasket drip coolant during cold nights. That was about 10 years ago in one of the vans.

Mark

[levi]

What I've read on here is that because of the large amount of coolant in our system 2 bottles is the amount to use.
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[Terry Kay]

Add 3 bottles.
Be sure to seal that head up well.
Along with the radiator, and both the front & rear heater cores.

3 bottles should be plenty to get it all.

The reason you see the blue goo mentioned often is a reminder of how lazy the vanagon folks are.

Just pour the goo, and run it.

Hope it's not real cold where you're driving.
Might get a little nippy inside of the van.
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T.K.

[bluebus86]

the anti leak stuff might be more appropriate for a well used motor to keep it going, but to fix a leak on a brand new rebuild??? if i was me and I am, id pull the motor apart and figure out why the recent seal install failed.

good luck either way
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[candyman]

[levi]

[Terry Kay]

No, 3 bottles and up are recommended for severe oral orfice foaming.

The guy just got done doing the heads, and he forgot both sides of the seal, and for this, don't do the job right, just pour a perhaps temporary fix in a bottle into the entire cooling system?

I gotta say not only is the guy asking a little off, so are the guys prodding him to pour.

Nuts.
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T.K.

[candyman]

[levi]

I guess Subaru messed up then, considering they now are going to have to pay for all the damage caused to their own cars while under warranty, for following Subaru recommendations.

I'll bet Subaru neglected to do any testing, research, or analysis on their own product beforhand.

Maybe they were going to but t.k. was too busy to head up the research team, hanging out with Luscious Lydia and painting boats instead.
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One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

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[bluebus86]

[levi]

So, what does the product "stop leak" have to do with the subaru blue.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[Terry Kay]

Go for Four.

WTF is wrong with you maniacs?

If it leaks, don't fix it, jam it full of iatmeal.
If it drips, forget even looking for the problem , pour some more blue goo.

If this was all a life or death situation, like being marooned in death valley or some other atmpit, yea-- pour away your troubles.
But nobody is in this kinda situation, so take the heads off & fix it right.

Bums--& real life hobo's, unbelievable.)
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T.K.

[Vanagon Nut]

@ candyman:

is it possible the leak is, in part, caused by unmatched cylinder heights? But then IF they are, the difference would be small and the "Right Stuff", or whatever, would compensate for that?

At very least i think this thread has spawned a new sig line for me.

Neil.
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[candyman]

[levi]

[bluebus86]