Blue Devil?

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GearheadTool

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I keep seeing "Blue Devil" on shelves (of Advance, etc) at $60 a bottle. I also know Scotty Kilmer likes "Steel Seal," and says "he adds it during a coolant change because big leaks start small, and that is when the sealers work." The Steel Seal/Blue Devil have no particles like the Bar's [censored], they just work chemically.. and I cannot for the life of me figure out if they work with the chemicals in the coolant (as Steel Seal says it does,) or if the bond is created during just the water (like Blue Devil says.)

When I type "Bleu Devil" into Google, I see a lot of cursing and RIP-OFF REPORT. However.. Could it be that "big leaks start small," and that there is something to that?

And which one is better?
 
Why do you think you need such a product? All of these leak sealers are band-aid fixes, designed for lazy/poor/dishonest people who either don't want to spend time/can't afford to fix it properly, or who want to unload a junker on an unsuspecting buyer and need the car to hold itself together for just a few more days.

I would say none is really better than the other, it's a luck of the draw if any of these products work at all, depending on where/how bad your leak is. My advice: stay away from ALL leak sealers. If nothing is wrong with your cooling system, well, there's no point in fixing something that isn't broken to begin with. If you have a problem, fix it PROPERLY by replacing the failed parts, not by adding mystery goop to the cooling system.
 
The only time i've used the blue devil stuff is when we get a customer at work that doesn't want to spend the money to replace the headgasket on their truck that is causing the engine to push coolant. We'll get 1 or 2 bottle of the stuff, depending on the size of the trucks cooling system,from Napa and dump it in. I don't know if it really works or not, we usually don't see the "cheap" customers more than once anyways. Not the way I would do it, but if I were maybe trying to unload an old car that was leaking coolant or pushing it, I might give it a shot.
 
Blue Devil, used as directed, will ruin your entire cooling system. I know this from experience. You might as well take that $60, shred it into confetti, and cram it into your radiator, cooling passages, and water pump. That will have approximately the same effect as Blue Devil.
 
Cool.

So, no use putting this stuff in before there is any sign of a problem?

I heard Volvo BLUE Coolant has "conditioners" in it that help the HG stay well, is more why I am asking. (The T-belt appears to be an April job.)
 
IMO the only thing more ridiculous than using blue devil instead of actually fixing the problem, is to think you should add it during every coolant change as preventative maintenance.

With that said, an acquaintance has an '07 GMC Envoy that had a leaking heater core, a common problem on these models due to the way the heater core is designed. To replace with the updated design, or even access the heater core, A/C lines must be removed, so the entire A/C system must be evacuated and refilled. Then it's another 10 or so hours to remove the entire dash to access the core. The GM mark of excellence!

Needless to say, we tried the blue devil fix... seemed to work right after applying it (followed instructions exactly and pressure tested system before and after). Not sure if it held up long term.
 
At the O'Reilys by my work, which is in an "urban" area, they keep an empty bottle on the shelf, and the full ones behind the counter. It seems the bottles were growing legs..
grin.gif
 
I got some of this junk for a cressida (known for HG issues) that was just starting to wisp white smoke out the tailpipe.

$60 poorer, it still wisped smoke! Also you have to get the car down to running pure water, not antifreeze. They have a cheaper product called "pour n go" that works with antifreeze.

Then I went and did the head gasket on that car and it still wisped smoke. Beyond my diagnostic abilities, I let it go as is.

Did you want a defininite answer? I don't know what did or didn't take or if I even had an issue to begin with.
laugh.gif
 
I have used Barr's stop leak for probably 30 years now as a preventitive suppliment. Never an ill effect. I alway dump in half a bottle of so when changing coolant. My (yet to be treated) 2000 silverado start leaking coolant faily bad at the front of the intake manifold just after the warrantee ran out in 2003. Dumped in a full bottle of Barr's (the one with the pellets)the leak stopped within 5 minutes and has not leaked since. That's over 9 years and the leak has not reappeared. Great stuff IMO.
 
Use the Bar's cooling system conditioner or GM tablets that come in them new off the assembly line or the Subaru conditioner when you change the coolant.
 
I have used Blue Devil before and it was in a vehicle that got traded, not running. I will admit it did "fix" the problem. It turns into something that looks like styrofoam when it reacts with the compression i guess that was entering the cooling system. You MUST remove the thermostat to do this process otherwise it will ruin it. I had a hard time going through the process because the car kept overheating but after a few tries it just ram smooth as silk. My guess is it had a cracked hear or blown HG. Scary as it seems the car was sold to someone that actually got in it and drove it to Florida (17-19 hours) and had no issues. After about 2 months they decided to change the coolant and she blew again at that point. We ended up putting a motor in it but I will admit that it did fix what was basically a non running car for quite a few miles. Not really the way to fix something correctly but if you do need the car to go a few more days or if you are trying to dump it then this stuff does work. Not fond of these types of fixes personally and I would not dump a vehicle like that on someone because I feel it is not fair. Absolutely not to be used as preventative maintenance though. This stuff truly is a last attempt to get a few more days out of it. Otherwise I would never put it in anything.
 
Thanks, all.

So, I should NOT listen to this guy, and advice?

"There is a product out there called Steel Seal and it can keep yoru head gasket from blowing int he first place."



He says "You have to change the coolant every 3 years anyway, why not put the sealant in and never worry about a blown head gasket again?"
 
I don't add any selalers or other junk to my cooling system, and I STILL don't ever worry about blown head gaskets! If the cooling system is in good shape, you don't let the engine overheat, and your engine isn't one that's "known" to blow head gaskets frequently, then you shouldn't ever worry about blowing a head gasket.

Also, I don't see how any of these prducts could possibly PREVENT a blown head gasket. They're more for "repairing" gaskets that have already blown. So, no I definitely would not listen to that guy.
 
Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
Thanks, all.

So, I should NOT listen to this guy, and advice?


He says "You have to change the coolant every 3 years anyway, why not put the sealant in and never worry about a blown head gasket again?"


You can do whatever you want, give it a try.

Maybe some in the crankcase will stop oil leaks.
 
Originally Posted By: GearheadTool
Thanks, all.

So, I should NOT listen to this guy, and advice?

"There is a product out there called Steel Seal and it can keep yoru head gasket from blowing int he first place."



He says "You have to change the coolant every 3 years anyway, why not put the sealant in and never worry about a blown head gasket again?"


Give your track record for following advice, I'm thinking it was likely you weren't going to listen to this guy's anyway
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: afoulk

The only time i've used the blue devil stuff is when we get a customer at work that doesn't want to spend the money to replace the headgasket on their truck that is causing the engine to push coolant. We'll get 1 or 2 bottle of the stuff, depending on the size of the trucks cooling system,from Napa and dump it in. I don't know if it really works or not, we usually don't see the "cheap" customers more than once anyways. Not the way I would do it, but if I were maybe trying to unload an old car that was leaking coolant or pushing it, I might give it a shot.
Just curious, what do you guys charge to do that anyways???
 
As long as you keep coolant (NOT WATER) in your car you wont blow a HG anyways. Aluminum heads on iron blocks like to corrode from electrolysis after the radiator leak causes the owner to start running straight water. Ive seen thin bridges between water passage and combustion chamber on a 22R because of this.
Sometimes the head or block just warps from overheating due to leaks and low coolant.
Bottom line is keep your system sealed and full and you wont have to worry about sealers.
 
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