Radiator leak in vehicle?

Question

My mother recently bought us a mini-van from a used car lot. (very generous of her, I know)  She parked it in the driveway and called us from her cell phone and told us to drive it to the dealer and sign the papers.  It has some slight leakage from the plugs in the sides of the radiator.  We suspect the dealer put Stop Leak in it... because when we called to question them about the leak that is what they suggested we do about it.  (Which we didn't because we have heard it is bad.)  Does anyone know what kind of problems using Stop Leak can cause?  What we should look for to catch problems fast?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Stop leak is a bandage and not a fix. It is supposed to be used to get you home and not as a repair. Even then in a nice car I would tow it home before using it. 

I would return the car or roll up your sleeves to fix it. There are several reasons this is bad. If the car overheated the engine can be damaged. You can run a compression test which might show damage. The heads could be warped from the heat and you may get a head gasket leaking. 

You should pull the radiator and take it to a radiator shop for inspection, pressure test and repair or replacement.

Before that get a compression test. if it does not hold compression get a new engine.

itsthewill · Answer

I've used stop leak several times and never had problems. I always use the kind thats in a clear bottle with like little soft pellets. I think it is called Bars Stop Leak

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Radiator leak in vehicle?

2 Answers