blown h.gasket - suggestions?

[paul]

After overheating from lack of coolant last night, coolant is a little rusty/brown in color, but not significantly thicker, car is using a little oil as well. No white/smokey exhaust however.

Refilled the coolant this morning, and it's running at or below normal temps...


Any life expectancy remaining for the engine/water pump? :(
I don't have the $ to get it properly repaired.

Any OTC 'stop leak' products that might help the situation such as:
http://www.barsproducts.com/PLT11.htm

[88Accord-DX]

K&W block & gasket sealer is probably the best on the market IMO. You can get it at NAPA parts dealer or maybe some of you local auto parts store. IT's a 3 step process, make sure you read the directions.

http://www.allbatterysalesandservice.com/browse.cfm/4,3949.html

[paul]

Ok, thanks for the input!

[w261w261]

Just to play devil's advocate a little...perhaps your coolant was already the rust color. If you didn't notice it was getting low, maybe you didn't notice the color either? It will eventually get that way if it isn't flushed and changed periodically, particularly if you use well water that has minerals, etc.

Why not monitor it closely over a couple of days? I don't know about the particular block repair that you were referenced to, but if it's the kind that says you have to completely flush the system because it won't work with anti-freeze, be sure to do a thorough job of that flushing.

Now might be a good time to find out why you were running low on coolant in the first place. Maybe you have a hose leak or something. Just throwing in a can of Barrs when you really have hoses starting to go is not a good solution. You need a better diagnosis of the problem. For example, the little bleeder valve that is so essential to keeping air out of the cooling system...Barrs sees that valve as the enemy...a leak that should be plugged. So don't use it gratuitously.

[88Accord-DX]

The coolant system should be pressure tested to see where it leaking. K&W sealant should not be used on a simple leak, it's for some of the major coolant leaks.... Anyhow, if you coolant is a rusty color, it should be flushed & filled with 50/50 of coolant & distilled water. Who knows, the car probably just got hot from broken down coolant.

[Oldblueaccord]

I would just run it. I overheated mine last month pretty bad not once but twice. Just a bad T-stat I replaced. Prolly a little luck involved.


wp

[paul]

Just as an update, I've put a few 100 miles on the car since, and everything is normal now.

So in the 2 months since I checked the coolant, it leaked/consumed almost 1 gallon, but doesn't use any coolant anymore. The coolant's also regular color now, no more deep brown color, and the car's no longer consuming oil (never consumed oil before the overheating).

:nuts:!!