Head swap vs remanufacturing head on current car

[erikv11]

If you're going to try gasket sealer then I'd keep the other engine intact don't pul the head, and do an engine swap if/when the gasket sealer adventurer fails in some way.

I completely agree with the mechanic that an engine swap is far less likely to cause problems long term than head work. Engine swap takes as long but is far less technical. Take one out, put the other one in. Engnie swap won't solve the valve stem seal problem that all of these engines have by now (and it sounds like your V70 one had), so you would have to live with the burning oil.

[abscate]

Two engine pulls and three cylinder head jobs have convinced me of the wisdom of Professor Potato

[yanga001]

Well I got the sealer and am planning on trying it tomorrow. Okay I will pull the plugs and fuel injectors and let it idle for an hour. Will put in 50% of new prestone coolant in and leave it for a little while. One thing it stated is to add it directly to the radiator and not the reservoir. I’ll use the radiator overflow tube to put the liquid into the circulating system.

First thing to do is to flush the coolant system with a coolant flush with a cleaner and go from there.

Seems like the plan of action according to these fine lads should be to ride out the head gasket fix and talk to my mechanic about finding an engine to swap in

[scot850]

You can also add it through the top radiator hose by removing it at the thermostat.

Neil.

[yanga001]

Well i am doing the deed today.

Came across the patent for using sodium silicate as a means of sealing coolant systems.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US7749560B2/en

It seems the process of using a head gasket sealer will 100% require a flushed coolant system & the use of distilled water.

as per the patent
"Atmospheric oxygen, coupled with the heat transferred through the suspended copper, causes solidification of the sodium silicate in the crack to a hard crystalline material resembling glass; hence, the aqueous solution is often referred to as “liquid glass.”"

Furthermore, to address clogging issues

"Today, however, most coolant systems are glycol based, principally mixtures of ethylene glycol and/or propylene glycol and water. Unfortunately, when an aqueous solution of sodium silicate, containing sufficient sodium silicate to function effectively as a sealant, is poured into a cooling system comprised of significant concentrations of ethylene and/or propylene glycol, the sodium silicate frequently forms an insoluble precipitate. Such precipitates typically plug small orifices in cooling systems, thereby resulting in restricted coolant flow and engine overheating."


Its operating principal
"When the coolant mixture seeps through a crack, the sodium silicate particulates and/or optional inert bulking agent serve to bridge the crack at the narrowest point, slowing the flow through the crack. The oxygen in the air on the outside of the hole or crack and the transferred heat causes the sodium silicate in the bridge to solidify or cure."


This was good to know as some mechanics recommended doing the jobs with the plugs out and the injectors disconnected for best results. This would be supported by the stipulation within the patent as it utilizes atmospheric oxygen and heat. Allowing the cylinder to run open may be more supported of this as the mechanical action of the cylinder going up and down would suck air into the cylinder and may aid the curing process.

This is not my long term solution at the moment, the goal is to get 2 years out of the car and assess. My hope is this will buy me the time until summer and i will assess the two other 98 na engines i have in parts cars to see if either are good for an engine swap. Ill speak to my mechanic as well.

Will take some photos and update the thread later.

[yanga001]

Update:

Applied the radiator flush first as per the instructions then did the head gasket treatment with blue devil.

Note: Blue devil activates at approximately 55C from what i read on their FAQ's, a warm engine will cause it to prematurely activate and may hamper the installation. I flushed it fully with radiator flush, then water, and then let the engine cool. once cool i poured about half a bottle directly into the radiator via disconnecting the top radiator hose. I also removed the thermostat as instructed. You must fill it with distilled water preferably or tap water.

I attempted to run the engine with the plugs in the problem cylinder out however the engine consistently stalled out. I reinstalled the plugs and ran the solution with all cylinders firing.

I let the car idle and monitored temperatures using an OBD2. Although it stated 50 minutes of idling, i didnt start my timer until the temperature was approximately 82C. On a 2C day this took about 40 minutes to reach that point. From there i let it idle the prescribed time and then drove it to test out the seal.

After driving it a bit i drained out enough water to add a bottle of coolant 1gal and have been driving it since. I will drain more liquid this weekend and add another gal when i am closer to my tools.

After approx 200km the following was noted:
-the engine does not misfire at all after a cold start or hot start
-the engine seems to run a bit smoother
-the liquid glass was noted seeping out around the thermostat as i didnt have a gasket for it. It had effectively resealed the thermostat housing
-no air bubbles noted in the reservoir
-exhaust smells less terrible

Actions i want to take:
-i may change my spark plugs incase they were fouled by the liquid
-drain the coolant
-put a proper writeup on this post.
-will check if the heater core is still leaking

Fingers crossed but the fix has worked perfectly thus far. We will see how long it lasts although i had a minor leak to start. You mileage may vary but following the instructions was the most important thing. Engine cold means engine cold, it does not mean engine is 50C, it means the engine is ambient or below 20C.

Flush your radiator and heater core properly, get all the coolant out
USE WITH WATER, the chemistry supports this.

Will report again on this post in a month, 3 month, 6 month, and then yearly

[erikv11]

Excellent detail thanks.

...
Will report again on this post in a month, 3 month, 6 month, and then yearly

And thanks in advance for followups!