Chemical fix is something like bars leaks, or a similar product. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't..... A lot depends on just how bad the leak is.

 

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

I used K&W permanent head gasket repair. I would not use Bars leak or most others because they are leave-in solutions. Anything that's left in could cause clogs and other issues. The K&W, I ran it for 500 miles mixed with water and with the heater core disconnected, then I flushed out the system with water and re-added coolant. Really incredible stuff once you learn how it works and how to use it strategically.

 

Hmm interesting, I would prefer to just do the work and replace the HG and be done with it, but I'm kind of in a pinch, half of my own creation. When I bought my house, I got an 02 Ram 1500 4 door 5.9 L gas with it. After doing a lot of work and driving it for a year the R 46 crapped out, and since I prefer a Stick, I've been converting it over to stick with an NV 4500. Got most of the parts, last issue is driveshaft. However I picked up an 03 shortbed along with an NV4500. I bought it at a really fair price with the intent to put the NV 4500 in the 4 door, and rebuild the NV 3500 for the short bed.

 

Mom just had bypass surgury and dad had it a few years ago. They want to downsize and sell current home. They have asked me to come get what I want. I got to get one of these up and going. Money or credit is not at issue, available time is. One local trans company won't touch a stick, and the other wants way too much money ! Guess I got to fix it myself!

 

Of course, that should always be the preferred method. I was already way up in miles and if I was going to pull heads then it would be a sin not to do the chains, etc. Then I wasn't sure what I'd be facing..if it was simply gasket failure, or the heads warped, or a crack in the block.... Didn't have the time and wasn't going to pay to farm it out as it wouldn't be worth it to me. So I tried it and here I am today sitting at 330K mi. The beauty of it is, I can still do the HGs. There is just no need.

 

I might try that on a temp basis, just to tide me over for a little bit. When I actually get to doing the work, I clean and paint everything, so that makes a job take 4 times as long, I'll need my back up ride running.when I do the job. My back up ride getting a little worn out though.

 

Ok I went to AutoZone, and they had several different brands, Blue Devil, K Seal, CRC, BARS. Most claimed to be Coolant compatible, but Bars had one that was water only. They had another coolant compatible.
At first I couldn't find the stuff so I asked the manager " Hey I thinks this is pretty much "Quack" but do you have head gasket sealer?" His reply was " yes and its not Quack the stuff works. They didn't have K&W though. I just noticed the Advanced Auto link, there is an AA across the street from AZ. So I'll look for it there

 

You can get it all over the place, esp online. Buy from Advance online and you will get a discount code on the site. I never buy in store. I buy online then pick up in store.

I can only recommend the K&W since I've never tried anything else. Whatever you do, don't buy the stuff you add to your coolant.... you don't want anything that gets left in. The bottle will tell you to flush out the coolant and add tap water with it mixed in. It will also tell you to run it for roughly 20 min at idle. That was a waste of time. I came across a video saying I should run it for 500 miles and that's what I did for the second attempt. Know that once you run it, you're supposed to drain all the water out and let it sit for like a week. Then you have to flush it out with water again before adding coolant. Not sure where you are but if it gets cold there, wait a month or two before using cause you don't want the water freezing in your block. Perfect scenario would be to add it, then go for a 500 mile drive and drain it. No worry of freezing then.

I removed the thermostat, disconnected the heater core and looped the heater hoses when using it, but I don't think I really needed to. While running in this state, I blocked off the radiator with carboard to bring up the temps to a slight overheat. Just enough to get it nice and hot with good pressure. The stuff has copper flecks and some type of nano particles in a liquid. When it meets an extremely hot surface (like the head), that's where it gets into the HG crack and turns to copper infused glass, due to the high heat. When flowing around in the radiator, etc, it doesn't get hot enough to change form and stays liquid. That's the concept behind it, anyway.

 

I have an 02 Ram 1500 SLT 4.7L RWD and I had a leak in my HG and I used Blue Devil permanent repair and it worked perfectly. You HAVE to do it exactly as the directions say though.

 

Well thanks to a lot of input from you all, I chose K&W CRC coolant compatible, for the same $38 dollars as Blue Devil, it came with enough for a second treatment, if the first failed.
I went by directions, only I probably drove it for 20 minutes more than the 10 required. So far it seems to have worked, waiting a week or so to retest !