Do 'head gasket repair potions' like ThermaGasket work?

Answer 1

Note: This page has been modifying by Woopsgoops, RxAuto, Jrangel78 since 15 Mar 2008 to today. Some important answers has been deleted. I am restoring it. These guys are probably related with RXAuto, the producer of Thermagasket

I didn't use Thermagasket but I talk with Kirk Malley, the owner of the company, twice. The first time I talked with him, he pushed me to buy the product saying it is money back guarantee (except taxes and shipment cost). I made some tests on my car myself to assess the problem and I have been trying to find out more using some forum on the internet. My car is a 4 cylinders Toyota and it likely has 3 of cylinders that produce immediately exhausted gas in the cooling system. In the second call, Kirk was trying to say that people didn't know what was going on. He has always be nice even if he was selling his product. After I carefully explained him the tests I did and the result he politely told me "I cannot help you I am sorry". This is my story. I am pretty sure that Thermagasket can fix some problems and it is not a scam. If other products, less expensive could also fix the problem in the car longer I don't know. $100 for a problem that usually takes more than $1000 to fix (unless you do yourself) could be a good deal.

The head gasket seals oil ports, cooling ports and the cylinder compression chambers where the head is mounted onto the engine block. Problems with blown head gasket include oil loss, coolant loss and engine power loss due to lost cylinder compression.

This can result in a variety of problems:

1) COOLANT IN THE OIL evidenced by a "milkshake" white frothy looking goo under the head gasket (look under the oil fill cap (and under the valve cover through the oil fill port with a flashlight). sometimes you'll see water or coolant on the dipstick.

2) OIL IN THE COOLANT evidenced by the coolant turning brown with a slight oil slick look on the water surface (if there's any left)

3) Leaky radiator or other part of the cooling system; if one or both of the first two indications are present, then it is likely that the cylinder pressure is bleeding into the cooling loop. if this happens then the pressure buildup will cause the weakest point to rupture.

4) CRACKED or WARPED HEADS. The problem that caused the head gasket to fail may have caused the heads to either warp or crack. In this case, there will be more expense than just replacing the head gasket(s).

5) BLOWN GASKET BETWEEN CYLINDERS OR TO ATMOSPHERE. Here, the head gasket is blown and the only evidence of failure is loss of power.

I owe a Chrysteler Leberon 1992, the car had some issues regarding the heating of the engine from past 4-5 months, I replaced the thermostat then I also checked the cooling pump. My mechanic had actually removed the thermostat from its system since it was still overheating. The car worked good for about 2-3 months but then all of sudden it was again overheating. Mechanic told me that there is some problem with the radiator of the car, so I replaced the radiator, along with flushing the cooling system. which costs me around $350 in all. And now the thing started from here on, after flushing, they found that the car's head gasket is gone, there is coolant in the engine oil, which turned it milky in color and there are smoke clouds coming out from the tail pipe. The mechanic told me that its better for me to sell it now. But selling a 1992 leberon in this condition would me not more than $100-200 only!! which I bought for $1500 a year ago. I of course have no money to spend on it, because repairing the head gasket could be of at least $600 or more. So, I had decided to try the Thermagasket on my car. I got to know that they have that money back guarantee also. So I ordered it for my car.

After getting it, I got to know that the money back guarantee which they offer is only in case that the car is either scrapped or donated to someone or the work order is placed for the car in an authorized service station of repair of the head gaskets which will at least be of $1200 or more, so i was really worried about it.

Anyways then, I had started following all the instructions given in the paper which came along with the Thermagasket because that was the only way for me now. I was running the car at 2000 to 3000 rpm on the final stage of the repair and all of a sudden the smoke which was coming out from my tail pipe started beginning to reduce a bit, then after 5-8 min the car noise also changed to normal and finally the smoke is all gone!! I was really surprised to see something like that. My car was working normally, I am still following the aftercare given in the instructions and the car is working normally till now, It's almost 2 weeks now, I really don't know that how long it is going to last, but at present it is working for me. I am pretty much satisfied with the product, for which I was really not sure in the start. What I think is, if you are in a position to scrap your car, or if you are really not in a situation to spend $600-1000 Thermagasket is worth a try, but still don't trust on the money back guarantee, take it like you are taking a risk of $150 or so.

Malley of RxAuto Thermagasket: The way the guarantee works is if your having any issues with the Thermagasket treatment process, not working you must First contact technical support and give us the chance to help get the vehicle repaired. If we cannot help get the vehicle repaired, or the repair fails the tech support rep will issue a refund authorization.

The money back guarantee does work as long as you work with the technical support (Robert) and all resources have been exhausted. This product worked for me in my 2000 BMW 528i (2yrs ago) and re-introduce it again on June 18, 2008 because of a water pump and auxillary fan failure. Drove car for 30 miles (60 miles roundtrip) at 80 MPH no overheating or compression buildup in cooling system. Save me lots of money and time by using the Thermagasketproduct again.

It all depends on the damage of the gasket I have used Thermagasket with no change at all same leak

I just used CRC Copper Block Weld in my 88 Ford Bronco II. I was losing almost 1 gallon of coolant/day, and my oil had water in it. I couldn't afford a head gasket, so I tried the CRC stuff. I followed the instructions on the bottle to the letter, and now my oil is normal, I'm not losing a drop of coolant, and the engine runs great!

I didn't know CRC had a product for this (I haven't blown a head gasket in a vehicle since somewhere around 1966.) Because of the suggestion here, I researched then tried the (CRC) "K&W Permanent Metallic Block Seal" and it failed miserably, despite following the instructions explicitly - it made no difference what-so-ever?

BUT (sound of horns blowing and banners flapping), when I e-mailed CRC and described what had happened, they immediately offered to replace the product - directly to me. I have no connection or affiliation with CRC in any way (other than as a consumer) but I've got to say, that to date - every product of theirs that I've used (more products over more years than I care to try to list), I've been, at very least, completely and absolutely satisfied with. In most instances, I've been incredibly surprised with the favorable results. It seems as though the can I got was "very old stock" which isn't too surprising seeing as I bought it through my local jobber who's 80 mi. from Toronto and their supply depot is another 40 mi. further from the city (once again, don't get me wrong. my jobber's prices are great, they've got complete machine services that can't be beat and their support is amazing? They just don't have a lot of demand for this type of product.) I'm going to try it again & despite the failure, I've got another engine I've already decided that I?m going to use it on too! I was very relieved to find that their response to my difficulty was an immediate offer to replace it, because I was very surprised to find that it didn't work at all and that just doesn't fit with my past experiences with CRC products.

I know this sounds like a commercial for CRC, and I'm sorry for that - I'm just trying to relate that I've always had good experiences with their products.

This leads me to another question though? Does anyone know of any difference between "K&W Permanent Metallic Block Seal" and RXauto's "Thermagasket"?

From everything I've been able to find, the only difference is the price (RXauto's being about 5X.) I'm real interested in this part too? It's nice to know when others come asking.

We have a 1996 Ford Windstar v6. It overheated really bad, we had the radiator fixed, but it was still smoking really badly. We tried 2 products from the auto parts store (not sure what they were). One was a can one was a white bottle! Both repaired the problem for about 2-3 weeks, before the smoke returned. My mechanic said to try Thermagasket, that was the beginning of April, and the car is still running great!

-Lisa

I used a product called DIKE for 18months, until I could afford to get it fixed.

Its a plastic like product.

Add a small amount about a week apart until the leak stops.

Then, if it starts up again, add some more.

It is critical that you always know where the leak is and how much is being leaked.

It will eventually, like the leak in a dam, get bigger until total failure.

Save up for the repair.

/Alex

I used k&w block seal. it works great for head gasket seals and block seals. make sure u follow the directions to the point.

I repaired my 1994 Saturn which had oil in the water (about a quart) I used Thermagasket and it worked perfectly. They are even around for support if you need them. I looked all over the web for a discussion on this product to see if it worked for others, but could not find one. I decided if i tried it i would post about it regardless. Thermagasket worked great for me.

I have a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix 3.1L V6 145,000 miles.

I HAD a head gasket issue until this weekend, when I used the Thermagasket Product, I can't speak for the longevity of the repair yet, but, my initial experience with it has been a positive experience. As the previous writer stated, the people at rxauto/Thermagasket answer questions, and have a no pressure sales approach.

I had to do the quickie treatment because of freezing temperatures in my area. I flushed the coolant system, changed the oil and filter, and filled the coolant system with clean water as directed. It took a little longer than the 15 minutes they stated for the steam to subside, but after a 50/100 mile drive as recommend in the directions, the problem seems to be gone.

I used K&W Block seal in a 1990 Dodge Omni four-cylinder in 2004. It worked from February 11 to March 9 of that year, then I had the head work done.

I am now facing a similar or worse situation with a '99 Olds Cutlass, 6-cylinder (with two of everything). I just bought it, with trading in my previous car, which had run great, (a '93 Buick Skylark). I have put several cooling system parts on, on advice of the lot or other mechanics--water pump, thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, reservoir bottle, catalytic converter, 3 radiator flush and fills, an oil change, had the transmission checked, and three cooling system checks.

None of that had helped. I also had it checked by the shop that had done work prior to my buying it. They'd apparently done an intake gasket (the cheaper one), but it was still ok according to the most recent radiator check.

All the checks point to the head gasket. I've tried two types of Bars Leaks brand: liquid glass that you put into the system after draining it, (one go-round with help from a mechanic), and the type that pours straight into the top (two go-rounds myself, based on website advice to repeat app. once if first didn't hold).

Didn't phase a thing.

Then I tried Bars Leaks Liquid Aluminum and Alum-a-=Seal Powder.

No change.

Now, I've been talking with Thermagasket people on phone. They (he) seem(s) to be a trained mechanic with experience. I told him my mechanic's own input, which was that those who've tried sealants, even the elaborate kinds, haven't had any success. And that the head is probably cracked, not just warped, and that there is a simultaneous problem with the head gasket.

He answered pretty effectively. He also offered to speak with my mechanic on the phone, and to walk us through a set of special procedures he outlined.

I've seen similar procedures listed a Steel Seal's website, but he said they have you do that, standard, whereas he is only having me do them, to ensure the maximum benefit, and this would be with my specific mechanic over the phone if needed.

So, I'm impressed thus far, though I haven't done it yet.

However, one thing, is, how long this will last. They all claim they'll last forever. This is the thing.

Can you ever have peace of mind? And how ethical can you feel about trading in the car later, even if the sealant has been hold for quite some time?

IF I knew more about the "significant" difference between Thermagasket and Steel Seal, say, or between Bars and K&W, I could feel better about the later trade-in.

That is, if the seal did hold for a long time. Say, over a year. Would that be a reasonably long time to think it was a permanent fix??

Most people apparently don't have that much or that lengthy a success with these, though. ?

What I've wondered about, is if there might be a related specialty shop, that all they did, was replace head gaskets. You know, not just a "full service garage" that does everything, but one that specializes just in doing head gaskets.

If I were going to pick something that there might be a market for, in this age of aluminum heads, that would be IT.

Because a shop like that, might be able to appreciably lower the cost of having this particular little expensive job done, by a couple hundred dollars. There's a sizable market now for this.

Does anyone know of such a place?

I also used K&W metallic permanent block seal. The head gasket was blown one evening when I was driving home from work, the water temp gauge went over the top and I had to pull over to cool down the engine. It took me three hours to get home instead of half an hour. First, I replaced the thermostat and thought that it was the overheat problem, but later found out it wasn't the problem. The coolant looked like a choclate milk and got lots of white smoke coming out from the exhaust. I googled it and found out it could be a blown head gasket therefore I checked the engine oil, which it looked like a thick choclate milk shake. I took out one of the spark plug and it was completely wet and soaked with the milk shake. Looking into the spark plug hole, with my flash light, I noticed there was a thin layer of water in the piston/combustion chamber, and it looked worst than everything I could think of. So the bottom line, coolant inside the engine and engine oil inside the radiator. That was great! I thought the engine was done by then until I heard about some kind of head gasket sealer such as Thermagasket and K&W block sealer. I didn't want to wait and need something fast, so Thermagasket wasn't my option plus it's on the high side of the dollars. I decided to go to the local auto part store and bought the K&W metallic block & head gasket sealer. It cost me only $8 but I didn't think twice to use it on my 93 Lexus GS300 with has 150k miles on it. I thought about worst case I would have to donate the car. After two days of the K&W seal treatment, from flushing the radiator 20 times, to apply the seal and let it dry...the result was incredible! It fixed the gasket problem and my engine runs like normal again, spark plugs are dried, new coolant is flowing clean, no more white smoke and overheating.

I used Thermagasket in my decade-old Plymouth Voyager, which had 192,000 miles on the odometer and a mean oil leak from the rear main seal. (In other words, I had nothing to lose!) The 2.4L motors in those vehicles are notorious for failed head gaskets.

I followed the instructions exactly and it worked... for about a year (6,500 miles). It had absolutely no negative impact on the cooling system. However, its impact on the head gasket was temporary.

There is a reason the makers of Thermasgasket guarantee their product for only 90 days.

If you want the vehicle to be reliable over the long haul, get a real fix. One that doesn't come in bottles

Maybe for a short, SHORT period of time. Never use long term. Have a new set of head gaskets put on before you crack a head or the block.

A lot of people will tell you not to use these liquids and to get a "real repair" from a mechanic if you want it to last. (I wonder how many of these people are mechanics...) Well, I followed their advice and spent $1000 on a head gasket repair. Two years later, it's leaking again. So if you're worried about the liquids not being a "permanent" repair, I'd say don't worry about it. The real repairs aren't always permanent, either, and you can always dump another can in. If the liquids only last 1 year, you could make your engine last 100 years with the amount I spent on a mechanic. I'm going to try one of the liquids this time, maybe the new Head Gasket Fix by Bar's Leaks that doesn't require you to flush the coolant first.

If headgaskets were permanent in themselves would we need to repair them??

YES IT WORKS... to an extent. My 2000 Caddy was overheating a few years back and thermogasket fixed the problem for about 15000 miles. I have to reuse thermogasket once a year or so (and i drive 80 miles a day to work) to 'refix', but the product does what it says.

SO FAR - SO GOOD! I have a 1991 Toyota previa with 214,000 miles on it. I had all the classic symptoms of a blown head gasket - white smoke in the morning, sometimes at an idle, disappearing coolant, the heater didn't work, horrible smell of burnt coolant inside the car that was making me sick. It was bad. So I went online and found the product STEEL SEAL. I watched the video(which was pretty convincing, the mechanics did not seem to me to be actors at all). Well , I just put it in this morning (Tuesday, December 15, 2009) , and I am (almost) beyond words. The temperature gauge has returned to it's proper operating range and the car is running great. I drove it for a couple of hours after it took affect. I kept staring at the temperature gauge every ten seconds. It didn't budge.

I have all the confidence in the world that it's going to hold up but I'm positive that the majority of you guys are still skeptical after only a few hours of service.

For that very reason I am going to give updates every day or so, because, if this sh*t works - I want the whole world to know about it.

P.S. If someone sees this exact posting on another site it is because I copied and pasted it. I don't want anyone to think that I am some company lackey. As a matter of fact, here is my email if you want to grill me further - cheerfulinhell@yahoo.com

Answer 2

The answer to this simple question is NO: Thermagasket do not do what it is claimed to do! After dealing with this company on several occasions I can truthfully say the product is a ripoff! I'm sure most readers will judge this as a very strong statement, and in fact it is so allow me to explain:

I am a professional mechanic: certified by Jaguar, Mer Benz and ASE I've built and restored cars of all types all my life. I also own a car dealership and deal with car problems daily.

Last year a Cadillac with a North star engine became a serious problem. Great car but suffering from overheating. All tests suggested a head-lifting problem due to speed related combustion pressures and a terrible cooling system design. I used the Internet to gather information; there I found the Thermagasket ad. It sounded wonderful, so I called their number and talked with a tech. rep. by the name of Dave. He explained -- drawing from his years of "solving North star cooling problems" what was causing the overheating problem. Of course he claimed Thermagasket was all I needed and it being guaranteed why not try it.

I ordered the kit he recommended. I used it exactly as instructed. It failed to solve the problem. I called Dave. He suggested a long list of things to do. Each amounted to spending more money with Thermagasket. Mistake! Nothing he or others (once he would no longer answer my calls) suggested worked. The Cadillac was "Not Repairable" or so Thermagasket's president added. How could a business market a product that is worthless? I guess profit drives them.

To be fair with Thermagasket I tried their product on a second vehicle: 2001 Honda Accord, 4 cyl engine. I'd judge this a very common engine and, as Thermagasket counseled, one easy to fix. Ordered the product. Used it exactly as instructed. It also failed to fix an overheating issue. I again talked with the experts at Thermagasket but they failed again.

The obvious conclusion -- Thermagasket does not work as advertised! Save your money -- don't buy it!