It gets cold here too, sometimes down in the teens. This is not a winter fix, esp due to the fact that you're running it with plain ole tap water. You do it in the summer when you don't need heat and don't have to worry about it freezing and cracking your block.

First you must drain the coolant and flush it out the cooling system with water a few times. You then add a bottle of it shaken well as you fill system with tap water. The K&W stuff circulates around the cooling system and only hardens when exposed to the extremely high temps in the areas around the cylinders. It won't harden anywhere else, including the radiator and heater core cause the temps are too low, but I still took precautions. Anyway, as it tries to flow through the head gasket leak, the temps turn the liquid to glass mixed with copper. You then remove the radiator hoses and thermostat, leaving it open to dry for a week, then reconnect everything and flush with water a few times. Prior to letting it dry though, I flushed out the radiator with a garden hose in case anything had settled at the bottom. I only needed the head gasket sealed and didn't trust the stuff at the time. I also ran it with the thermost removed for continuous flow, but I blocked off a part of the radiator with cardboard to keep the temps semi high (remember, hi temps turn it to glass).

The first time I attempted to use it, I left in it for 15-20 min per the instructions, but that didn't work. It only worked after I drove around with it for 500 miles, before draining. I also disconnect the overflow and ran the hose into a glass bottle, pouring the solution back into the radiator each day after the engine cooled overnight. Over 60K miles later, coolant stays filled to the neck. If it ever failed again, I'd give it another dose. There is nothing to lose, when the option is to get another engine or rebuild and you can still take those steps if it doesn't work.

PS: The product says many engine rebuilders use it for a final seal.

Again, never use the stuff that you throw into the coolant.

 

I always have two or three daily drivers so I can always take one out of service to make repairs.Right now I have a Ram 1500, Impala and Escalade as well as a motorcycle. I was just trained to repair things once and go on. Granted, if it's the only thing you have to drive, you have to make do.

 

I had two cars at the time. Gave my Honda to daughter for college years later. Here is the thing, my friend. It IS a one time repair, it just seems like cheating. I'd get in the truck and drive it to California right now without a second thought. It is Japanese reliable.

I was faced with repairing heads an almost 250k mile truck. Then it would be a sin to do all that and not replace the 3 timing chains, lifters etc. Furthermore, there was no guarantee that it wasnt a cracked block instead, on which the stuff is also effective. As I added up the costs, it made no sense to me, so then I began researching and that led me to the product. Some guys on a Jeep forum had seen sucess with very bad HG leaks. My leak was small... maybe a cupful or two of coolant lost per day, depending on miles. No steam, etc. Think of all that cost and think of $20 instead. It's almost unbelievable but it's true. My thread is out there. I can still pull the heads today, I just dont need to.

 

I got to thinking (now my head hurts) wait until you get a winter where your boogers freeze when you go outside. If there's no wind, I'm outside with a T-shirt on in the teens.