What are my stop leak options?

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I have an '03 Mazda MPV with a 3.0 Duratec. It seems most of these engine develop leaks--at the oil pan, timing chain cover and elsewhere. I had the oil pan gasket changed already and had some leaking from the timing chain cover which I greatly reduced with Lubromoly engine oil saver. I now have a new round of leaks. I may go back to the Lubromoly, but I was wondering what my other options were. Changing the gasket is probably not worth it as it would probably cost around $1,000 to fix.
 
Originally Posted By: volk06
Try some Mobil 1 HM or Maxlife as those have had great reports of stopping oil leaks.


+1. Mobil1 HM helped my Duratec V6 front cover leak quite a bit. Give it 5,000 miles or more to work though.
 
Originally Posted By: ET16
I have an '03 Mazda MPV with a 3.0 Duratec. It seems most of these engine develop leaks--at the oil pan, timing chain cover and elsewhere. I had the oil pan gasket changed already and had some leaking from the timing chain cover which I greatly reduced with Lubromoly engine oil saver. I now have a new round of leaks. I may go back to the Lubromoly, but I was wondering what my other options were. Changing the gasket is probably not worth it as it would probably cost around $1,000 to fix.


I'd try a HM oil, and if that doesn't work add some LM Engine Oil Saver to it.
 
Maxlife is the king of HM oils, I'd suggest that or another reputable HM oil first. MoS2 may also work for stopping small leaks.
 
Mobil 1 HM did nothing for my son's 02 Neon that already had a leak. Maxlife Red Bottle fixed a leak on my buddies 97 Camry with 150k. Go with Maxlife - good stuff, cheap at Walmart - $16.27/jug.
 
My 99 Accord 2.3 started to consume oil around 135k. So I topped off with Mobil and it was down a quart soon after. Topped off with Valvoline ML and changed out the pcv valve. Never noticed any more consumption issues and sold it with 166k miles.
 
I plan to go back to HM oil, but I have a new fill of Havoline synthetic. I'd hate to dump it.
 
Originally Posted By: ET16
I have an '03 Mazda MPV with a 3.0 Duratec. It seems most of these engine develop leaks--at the oil pan, timing chain cover and elsewhere. I had the oil pan gasket changed already and had some leaking from the timing chain cover which I greatly reduced with Lubromoly engine oil saver. I now have a new round of leaks. I may go back to the Lubromoly, but I was wondering what my other options were. Changing the gasket is probably not worth it as it would probably cost around $1,000 to fix.


I don't have any easy solution. But, I would be very careful and try to determine if you are leaking oil (e.g. pan gasket or front engine seal, etc.) or burning oil (oil getting into the combustion chamber).

To check for a leak, clean up any visible oil or dirt under the engine. Put newspapers on floor. Re-check after a hard drive, etc.

To check for burning, you might be able to look at the tail pipe. Otherwise, you may have to back into the conclusion (i.e. it's not leaking onto the ground... the oil level is going down... therefore... )
 
In my experience liqui-moly motor oil saver is the best available product to stop gasket leaks.
There's no substitute for actually replacing the gasket but if that's not an option motor oil saver is the next best thing.
It's got a nice shot of boron too which can help extend oil change intervals too
 
I don't know if it's a transatlantic thing, but in europe when we start to leak oil we replace the leaking gasket. There seem to be quite a lot of threads on bitog and other US. motoring sites that talk about ways to stop leaks from cam covers, rear main seals etc.
What do you guys have agaisnt changing seals and gaskets?
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
I don't know if it's a transatlantic thing, but in europe when we start to leak oil we replace the leaking gasket. There seem to be quite a lot of threads on bitog and other US. motoring sites that talk about ways to stop leaks from cam covers, rear main seals etc.
What do you guys have agaisnt changing seals and gaskets?


We all know replacing the offending gasket is the right thing to do, but...........Some people don't have the time, desire, or money. Others are planning on fixing it when the weather gets better, or are getting rid of the car and don't care about fixing it at all and try a fix in a bottle hoping it will work just long enough to get rid of the car. Then there are people who actually had success with the fix in a bottle and want to try it again. I'm sure there are other many other reasons.
 
I sympathise with not having the time or desire, that's what the whole service industry is there for.
I don't really see not having the money as an excuse though, it's like saying you can't afford to pay your mortgage - if you bought a smaller/cheaper car or a smaller/cheaqper house you could afford the repair/mortgage payment.

Something about only taking on commitments that are manageable, like, I could've bought a Porsche or a Jag or a big Merc/BMW, but maintaining them to my OCD standard would've been too expensive. That's why I bought the Scirocco - no matter what (if anything) goes wrong with it, I can afford to fix it there and then, either with my own time and for free or someone elses time for payment.

I have mixed views on wanting to stop the leak just long enough to sell the car, I've been both the buyer AND the seller in that situation (not for a long long time, though)
 
Originally Posted By: Olas

I don't really see not having the money as an excuse though, it's like saying you can't afford to pay your mortgage - if you bought a smaller/cheaper car or a smaller/cheaqper house you could afford the repair/mortgage payment.



Tell someone who lost their job or suffered some other financial hardship that. Typically an oil leak will not sideline a car, many times it is more of an annoyance than anything else, and it doesn't require immediate repair. Things happen, so if a $5 bottle of stop leak will slow or stop a leak for a person who fell on hard times why not? They can always repair the leak, or dispose of the vehicle at a later date. For the record HM oils and stop leaks don't always work, most of us know that. But there have been enough success stories with HM oils and stop leaks to give them a try.

I had a 93 Aerostar with an oil leak, I could have easily afforded to repair or replace the vehicle. For me it was more of a cost vs. value issue. I squeezed the last bit of life out of it, and disposed of it when it suited me. OTOH if any of my other vehicles spring a leak I'll fix them.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Olas

I don't really see not having the money as an excuse though, it's like saying you can't afford to pay your mortgage - if you bought a smaller/cheaper car or a smaller/cheaqper house you could afford the repair/mortgage payment.



Tell someone who lost their job or suffered some other financial hardship that. Typically an oil leak will not sideline a car, many times it is more of an annoyance than anything else, and it doesn't require immediate repair. Things happen, so if a $5 bottle of stop leak will slow or stop a leak for a person who fell on hard times why not? They can always repair the leak, or dispose of the vehicle at a later date. For the record HM oils and stop leaks don't always work, most of us know that. But there have been enough success stories with HM oils and stop leaks to give them a try.

I had a 93 Aerostar with an oil leak, I could have easily afforded to repair or replace the vehicle. For me it was more of a cost vs. value issue. I squeezed the last bit of life out of it, and disposed of it when it suited me. OTOH if any of my other vehicles spring a leak I'll fix them.


How much does the average gasket cost in the US? more than a bottle of stop leak?
 
Originally Posted By: Olas
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Olas

I don't really see not having the money as an excuse though, it's like saying you can't afford to pay your mortgage - if you bought a smaller/cheaper car or a smaller/cheaqper house you could afford the repair/mortgage payment.



Tell someone who lost their job or suffered some other financial hardship that. Typically an oil leak will not sideline a car, many times it is more of an annoyance than anything else, and it doesn't require immediate repair. Things happen, so if a $5 bottle of stop leak will slow or stop a leak for a person who fell on hard times why not? They can always repair the leak, or dispose of the vehicle at a later date. For the record HM oils and stop leaks don't always work, most of us know that. But there have been enough success stories with HM oils and stop leaks to give them a try.

I had a 93 Aerostar with an oil leak, I could have easily afforded to repair or replace the vehicle. For me it was more of a cost vs. value issue. I squeezed the last bit of life out of it, and disposed of it when it suited me. OTOH if any of my other vehicles spring a leak I'll fix them.


How much does the average gasket cost in the US? more than a bottle of stop leak?


You're totally missing the point. How much does it cost to install the seal or gasket for someone who isn't mechanically inclined? Some of these jobs can take a seasoned pro hours to do, and at $80-$125/hour it adds up real fast. So a $5 seal or gasket could end up costing someone big money to replace. Not everyone has the time, desire, or talent to do it themselves, or the friends to help them.
 
I kind of see where you're coming from, but at the same time I can't really agree that anything other than a head gasket is even remotely difficult. All you need to know is lefty loosey righty tighty ang get off your arse and do it.

The time and risk of getting dirty are what put people off IMO, and they're probably the same ones who call an electrician to fit a new lightbulb or plug in the new BluRay player.

Lest we forget, laziness and stupidity are the reasons the service industry exists.
 
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