I was told that I have a blown head gasketI read something that said this liquid glass is good for sealing radiators and head gasketsI'm a little reluctant to use this stuff cuz I've heard it works from some people and others have said that it could seal up the wrong thing and cause more problemsI just really don't have the money to fix a head gasket right now and I need my carAlso, this stuff says it won't work on aluminum parts anywayAside from tearing the car apart, is there anyway to know if they are made of aluminum? I have a 2000 Ford Explorer, 4.0 engine, V6Any intelligent answers are welcome.
Head gasket sealants can be just the thing for getting another 6 months or even a year out of a dying engineMostly sodium silicate (a very inexpensive chemical sold for an amazing price), they leave hard sodium silicate deposits in the tiny gaps in failed head gaskets until the engine eventually breaks them upAt the same time the silicate chews up the water pump seal, but in a dying engine that is a good trade-offThe odd thing is that virtually all engines today use aluminum cylinder heads, and the sealant converts to insoluble aluminum silicate and sodium aluminum silicate where it comes in contact with aluminumI am interested that your level of certainty at the moment is that you were told - we don't know how knowledgeable the source is - that you have a bad head gasketIf you have symptoms that started suddenly, especially after overheating, and include mysterious loss of coolant so you have to refill every day or at least every week, it may be trueA block test (a chemical test for hydrocarbons in the coolant, available through mechanics everywhere) is the only accepted diagnosis for a bad head gasketIf you were told that because your exhaust releases white water vapor when cold or the oil has signs of water in it, you should be aware those are normal cold weather happeningsHead gasket failure does happen, but it is misdiagnosed by amateurs far more often than it occurs.
