Oil Leaking from Valve Cover Gaskets

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DeepPower

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yes it will.
Ah, damn. is it the #4 or #5 plug? Because clearly I'd have to pull that one as well.

BTW I forgot to add, I had used the Blue Devil Oil Stop Leak and it completely fixed my oil pan leak. No more oil on the garage floor!
 

sperold

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Leave the removed plug on the spark plug wire set, and ground it, and let it fire as normal.
I admire your ability to experiment, keep us posted.
 

DeepPower

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I called Blue Devil yesterday (July 4th) and left a message about my situation, Zach called me back early this morning & we discussed my situation again. He was very very helpful, turns out that I didn't need to remove a plug after all.

I was concerned that there might be radiator fluid in the oil so I drained the oil. Actually, I always wanted to try this, I siphoned 4qts of oil out from the dipstick. Know how long it takes to siphon 4qts of oil out of the dipstick? 2 1/2 days! I started Saturday. At least now I know. (With a better siphon I can get that down to hours.)

I weighed the gallon of oil on my bathroom scale. 1 gal motor oil weighs 6.8lbs, 1 gal water weighs 8.34lbs. My bathroom scale told me my gallon is 6.6lbs, close enough with a margin of error, I have no coolant in my oil.

Added 4qts Castrol Edge 10W-40. Added a bottle of Water Wetter to the coolant.

Started the car and idled it for another 50 minutes, this time never touching the throttle, letting the Blue Devil Head Gasket Sealer work properly on my head gasket near the firewall. The dashboard temp gauge stayed just below the L in NORMAL, never rising above it (I have the 180°F thermostat). I just turned the car off 15 minutes ago.

Results:
1. Top radiator hose no longer swells minutes after starting, and after 50min only the smallest amount of water is out of the tailpipes - so my leak to the #1 cylinder is just about fixed!
2. Car idles smooth, does not act like its misfiring anymore,
3. Very small drip of coolant on the garage floor,
4. Still some steam coming from the head gasket.

Now I have to let the car cool overnight and that's supposed to complete the repair as some BD product seeps into the gasket leak, and hardens as the temperature drops as it comes in contact with oxygen (BD with temperature differential in the presence of oxygen).

It's important to note that #1 fixed itself during the cooling down period, AFTER I shut the car down from it's first 50 minute BD run.

So far, it's a definite improvement!
 
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SHOdded

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I have not. I know of people who have, not this specific brand, but another (one that starts with a P, having senior moments here). I made the Harbor Freight one work, but it was a real nuisance. Doesn't hold suction very well at all. Off to the recycling bin.
 

DeepPower

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Thanks. From what I've read, a lot of them leak, even the expensive ones. Let me know if your senior moment passes and you remember the P.
 

DeepPower

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UPDATE:
Spoke to Zach at BD again. It seems that after you run the car for 50 minutes with the product in the radiator, after the car cools down the product is rendered totally inert. My bad for blipping the throttle at the end of the 50 minutes, I ruined the exterior fix.
 

SHOdded

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Aw man, that sux! Who knew the product was so touchy! Hope the gasket group buy happens soon ...
 

DeepPower

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Well, according to BD, since the product inside is now inert it's safe to use another bottle to fix the exterior leak (it worked once before). So the first 16oz bottle fixed my head gasket leak to the cylinders, and the 16oz second bottle sitting next to me will fix the external leak later today. Just waiting for the outside temperature to go down into the 80's as it's 93F right now.

It's not that it's touchy, it's that the product is more likely to render itself inert, rather than risk being active in situations that would not be beneficial to the engine.
 

DeepPower

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It's important to note that, unlike radiator stop leak products that you add to your radiator, head gasket fix products do not transfer heat nearly as well as antifreeze does. The engine runs much hotter, especially during the first run.
 

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