Hello: I haven't been on here for a few years because I had trouble figuring out how to sign on....Now I have a new password....I would like to know if I can shut of the ad windows or not, but I really would like to know if anyone has used Bar's to seal a leaking head gasket in the early stages and whether my 2001 XK8 has a history of the temp gauge staying at normal heat when car is losing water through head gasket....A few weeks ago low coolant went on and I refilled expansion tank...Last week I refilled it and after a 15 minute drive it was empty again. The car was pinging when started but after awhile ran okay..The other day I lost a whole bunch of coolant in two 15 minute highway trips and the telltale burnt anti-freeze started puffing out. I know its a head gasket but Bar's sealant is available and is supposed to work if the engine will still run smooth for 15-20 minutes....Mine has been doing that after initially pinging for 30 seconds or less...no water or antifreeze in oil yet. Has anyone tried this stuff?

 

Welcome back to the forum John,

There are two schools of thought on Bar's Leaks - those who swear by it and those who swear at it. I'm firmly in the second group. If it is a failed head gasket then there is absolutely no chance that Bar's Leaks will fix it.

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Graham

 

Welcome back aboard John.

 

Welcome.

I am with Graham, and swear AT the Sealup type products.

OK, if you are in our OZ Outback, and really MUST drive it home a few thousand kms, maybe they will get you there, but the after clean up is terrible, and costly.

 

welcome back to the forum

 

Welcome back to Jaguar Forums John,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

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Welcome back.

 

Hello, John,
About your Bars Leaks question, we used it on the farm when I was a kid, but ONLY for the short term; "keep-it-running-until-end-of-season-when-it-will-be-fixed-properly." And Never for head gaskets.

Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Barrs Leaks is okay as an emergency get-you-home fix for when you are really stuck - but not the best way to repair a head gasket. You really need to be sorting that out properly, and that doesn't just mean taking the head off and swapping the old gasket for a new one either. The joint faces on both the head and block need to be perfectly clean, flat and level or you'll just have to do the job again. This is the most important joint in the engine, and a Jag engine needs to be treated correctly, so definitely NOT the place to skimp on a proper job.
Do also consider WHY the head gasket has gone in the first place as, when correctly fitted, they are supposed to last the full time between overhauls. Did the engine overheat and warp the joint faces ? Has the engine had some poorly-executed work done on it in the past ? This is not something you want to be fixing on a regular basis, so you really need to nail down the cause and get it sorted out properly.