Topic

This will split opinions so before I begin

K-Seal and Steel Seal are products which you can add to the coolant system in an attempt to cure a small head gasket failure.

K-Seal state;

When there is a small crack or hole (less than 0.75mm diameter) in the cooling system, this generates a low pressure area.
  * K-Seal® finds the low pressure area and deposits the special ceramic micro-fibre and copper formulation as it flows through the damaged area.
  * Within seconds the crack or hole is completely filled with the ceramic micro-fibres and copper and the repair has been made. This seal is further enhanced by heat to form a repair that will last the life of the engine.

Here is a mechanic who has used it many times over the last 20 years who reckons it has it's place.



His method of use is interesting and not the advice given by K-Seal but again he has had success using it this way.

I have used k-Seal previously on a small coolant loss suspected head gasket on a Vauxhall and it worked to cure the problem. The evidence on the web is split pretty even between the it works and it's rubbish. Since most people generally don't come on forums to say yes it's ok but do when things don't go as expected then I think the people who have had success with it probably outnumber them.

Please don't shoot the messenger just passing through

My brother is a freelander/landrover specialist and is a supplier and and end user of K-seal
he has used it well in excess of 30 times with only 1 failure, cured with a second application and a little time.
He tells me as long as you have the time it always works assuming there's no major problems.

I know about K seal.it was designed as a get you home product.cars are very complex machines that we all take for granted.A quick fix can also be a quick undo.K seal plugs a hole,the rest of the k seal is then going around you rad,heater matric and the blades of your water pump.Its a bodge,a clever bodge but still a bodge.A free lander is a slow 4 wheel drive so high revs and hot engine bays arnt an issue.
But a mg is a sports car,not a very well though out one ,but its a sports car,over taking ,wizzing around with a hot engine bay and engine on high revs.
So you have you k seal in and your driving around,one day you decide to put your foot down and race the engine.A engine understress like any other componant always gives at the weakest point.All of a sudden the k seal gives way.the water pours out and you risk blowing an engine.
If your car is your pride and joy then when it goes wrong fix it and fix it properly the correct way.I have seen loads of cars come to me with k seal.same story.I just bought the car and the head has gone.in other words the previous owner put it in and sold it.I have to remove it from the jiggle valve,matrix and good knows what.
A free lander came from a land rover that came from a tractor.A mg was always built to be a sports car.

I carry a bottle of K-Seal in my boot. Like the man said, it's a 'get you home' fix and if it gets me home (came close to using it in Luxembourg) then it's ok by me.

I would never dispute what Daz is saying. He's the mechanic not me. Then again, if HGF occurs or was appearing to start, then I would use the K Seal. I mean 'what the heck!' you're already stuffed aren't you? Of course, I wouldn't have to clean up the mess it creates and I wouldn't 'race' the car after using it. But yes, I'd use it before fixing it beyond this temporary measure.

Bottom line in my opinion is that it seems to work but obviously not to a high pressure and performance level thereafter.

Anybody else have any other thoughts on this?

Doesn't it make you limp?

I totally agree with you daz its not a permenant fix just a get you buy jobbie silly me thought that was understood

I`m like you Leigh i carry a bottle around with me but have never been in a situation to use it, and touch wood wont need to. However i have seen it used twice and one of them times was in a Freelander with a k series. Its been in the Freelander over two years now and still working fine with no detrimental effects whatsoever. Despite what others say i wouldnt think twice about using it, but would i leave it in i doubt it, but if its fixed its fixed so i might do.

I used steel seal in my tf 160 for a year and it ran perfect! Never lost water, never mixed with oil. Didn't smoke and when I did get the gasket done the water system was clear and not clogged up!! A********* product!!

Daniel-Cook wrote: wrote:

I used steel seal in my tf 160 for a year and it ran perfect! Never lost water, never mixed with oil. Didn't smoke and when I did get the gasket done the water system was clear and not clogged up!! A********* product!!

How did you use it. Did you pour in and leave it in or did you drain it out once the leak had stopped. Some of these products are sold as a preventative as well as a fix and designed to be left in the system.

What I did was flushed the system! Then did a 50/50 mix with long life anti freeze. Bleed the system. pored in the steal seal and then run the car up till it got up to temperature. Then let is go back to cold. I did this 4 times and worked perfect. And never clogged the system like k-seal or bars leak. I've now used steel seal on 3 cars for people and Its worked every time.

the new Steel -Seal out now is a leave in product unlike the old one

My head gasket failed last weekend. It was the original gasket with 91,000 miles on it.
My coolant alarm went off and I got the car home without overheating. On examination the coolant tank
was empty and I briefly considered using K-Seal. I checked out their web site and read a few threads on some other
forums about the product. In the end I decided to do the job properly and changed the gasket.
As soon as I drained the oil I was glad I followed that course as it was the colour of hot chocolate. I can only imagine the damage
that slop could have caused circulating through the engine with me grinning smugly thinking that the K-Seal had solved the problem.

This engine ran for 3-4 minutes after the coolant alarm sounded

I also question how well the product would work with the typical MGF gasket track failure where the failure isn't just a pinhole
but a detached section of gasket

K-Seal may be a temporary fix, but it could be a very expensive one!