I had a head gasket go whilst in Europe. I got towed back to flat and used Steel Seal. I gently used car 17 miles per day on urban commute for 2 weeks. It stopped leaking and I drove 1000 miles back to have cylinder head repaired properly. It was £23 well spent and saved me paying a garage to do it.
Good to see it tested. I'm getting my head gasket done this week at quite an expense so good to know that the 32 quid solution doesn't work or is rather upset 😂
None of those miracle products ever work, I've used a few. Glad you're saving the car. I just missed out on buying one a few weeks ago, mad bugger was selling a really nice one really cheap as he had "too many cars" Answered the ad 15 minutes after it went live but got beaten to the punch haha.
I had the water pump plastic impeller cracked in mine back in the day. It would still circulate the coolant but not very effectively so on motorway driving the temperature would start to climb but return to normal when engine load was reduced. Was a bit alarming to suddenly notice the temps above 90 but after slowing down I was able to find a tolerable equilibrium between vehicle speed and coolant temperature. Was nothing to do with head gasket and all was sorted after a metal impeller water pump was put in place. Luckily it was belt service time anyway so no major unexpected costs there.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if you put that stuff in and drove it. Natural cooling with the air flowing in combined with the fans would mean the engine stays much cooler.
A friend’s gta used to do the same thing, he thought it was normal, I had a play around with it and turned out a radiator resistor was blown, now sits on 90
I made this comment before awhile ago, and in no way do I disagree with the ability of the product, however in my experience with head gasket sealers is no 1 renew the gasket best fix, or if you use chemicals you must first identify the leaking cylinder and remove the spark plug or disconnect the injector on that cylinder or the compression will stop the chemical from effectively doing it job
Absaloutly brilliant video neil❤👍 I used head gasket sealer on my astra diesel it did stop it boiling the water away but still boils inside the expansion tank and smokes from the head brilliant
When reading the information on these products, you’re always hopeful they can be a cheap fix and really short time, but inevitably they don’t match up to the description on the packet. Never mind, car deserves the time spent to do a proper job .
Check the water pump as the impeller is made of plastic and are prone to becoming detached from the back of the pump, or check the thermostat as there also prone to jamming shut…. Mind you to do the water pump on the V6 isn’t a 5 minute job…. Done loads of them, and by the sound of the engine starting to crank over it sounds pretty knackered and if the engine has boiled up I’d be definitely removing both cylinder heads. One word of warning the 3.0 and 3.2 V6 Alfa engine have piston liners and if it does get cooked way too much you could risk cracking one or more of the piston liners with the intense heat inside the engine block. Why pull the engine out.. you can remove the cylinder heads with the engine still n place.
Mate that was a forlorn hope. They are never a permanent solution. Even if it works for a few miles the engine heat cycle during a weeks driving will show the leak return. Check the water pump and pressure test. Heads off. Usual stuff. Cheers from OZ
Ive just done this on my Mito. Seems to have suppressed the symptoms dramatically, i’m quite staggered. Still think i’ll need to replace the head gasket sharpish but its helped keep it going in the meantime
I bought a bottle of steel seal for my 147TS but I then thought again and bought a gasket set. Working on the V6 is another ball game though I imagine.
I was really hoping it would work for you on the GT. I still think you should call it quits on this one. I used the same stuff in a twinny and it worked a treat. The only issue was was that some of the hoses had become very soft. As always, wish you all the best.
You have definitely got to save the car as it look’s far too nice to break but I understand the reality of the cost of repairs to the engine against the value of the car. Added to that, the parts would undoubtedly keep similar Alfa’s on the road. Good luck with the project & keep up the good work 👍
I wrote off my GT 3.2 V6 end of last year because it sucked water into the intakes and hydro-locked the engine (rainy wales finally got me) and i'd already poured about £8000 into it so claimed off the insurance. I live in wales now and it's impossible to find a decent alfa dealership i can book into without a massive waiting list. I was driving all the way to quedgeley gloucestershire to use clover leaf services they were the nearest and most highly rated garage within any kind of acceptable distance. I bought a BMW M240i in the end as a replacement....Don't get me wrong it's an amazing car with undisputable performance advantage but it took me a long time to warm to it I really wasn't sure at first. I miss that feeling of being connected to the car through the steering wheel, the bmw is really floaty and you can't feel much resistance in the steering wheel but i guess this is a sign of the times they just don't make 'em like they used to
I've heard the head gasket sealers only work when the gasket is just beginning to leak but not when it's that far gone like in the case of this GT. And even then sometimes it's just a temporary fix.
Shame it didn't work. My Audi had white "smoke" and I tried the same stuff to fix it. It worked for me and 2 years later it's still OK. Although the car takes 9 min to get upto temp now rather than the usual couple of min, I assume that's just a stuck thermostat.
Well no surprises there. Head gaskets are pretty major sealing devises and once failed no amount of some guey gum, or what ever that stuff is, is going fix the problem
Hi, what can be wrong with my 156 2.5? Sometimes fans of radiator runs perfect when where is 90 on gauge, sometimes coolant is boiling because fans dont start, but on MES I see proper coolant temperature (f.e. 99*C) and info that fans arent started - for example after harder driving. Are they started by ECU or by some sensor? Thanks
That’s quite an optimistic speedometer 180mph 😁 how fast will one of these top out at. Must be an Italian thing, my Punto HGT has a 160mph speedo. I’m gonna have to find a big hill and try hit that 🤣🤣
Not sure about these, but I think the official top speed of my old GTV V6 was 155mph, so I’d imagine this would be in the same ballpark. Definitely not 180!
You are kidding ! That stuff might get you home, but whenever I've changed a head gasket you can usually find a point of failure from which there is no going back and no quick fix cure.
Why not fit the 2.4 diesel engine from the Brera ? When mapped you get 260 bhp and shti loads of torque And will be a faster car in real world driving plus you get rid of that awful gearbox
Just a side note and a heads up that your website is being blocked by some sort of fake competition, can’t access it at all just keeps saying I’m the 5millionth visitor and that I have won a Samsung phone 😂 annoying I wanted to browse your site lol
I had a head gasket go whilst in Europe. I got towed back to flat and used Steel Seal. I gently used car 17 miles per day on urban commute for 2 weeks. It stopped leaking and I drove 1000 miles back to have cylinder head repaired properly. It was £23 well spent and saved me paying a garage to do it.
1:15 the sound of door joints cracking brings back instant memories as if I was about to sit in my old Alfa :´)
Good to see it tested. I'm getting my head gasket done this week at quite an expense so good to know that the 32 quid solution doesn't work or is rather upset 😂
Enjoyed that! And conclusive proof that these magic potions usually down work! Hope the paintwork is ok after that volcano!!
None of those miracle products ever work, I've used a few. Glad you're saving the car. I just missed out on buying one a few weeks ago, mad bugger was selling a really nice one really cheap as he had "too many cars" Answered the ad 15 minutes after it went live but got beaten to the punch haha.
And this is why we love our Alfas........so glad you are saving her and I really enjoyed this Fun edition, I'm still smiling at the ending !!
I had the water pump plastic impeller cracked in mine back in the day. It would still circulate the coolant but not very effectively so on motorway driving the temperature would start to climb but return to normal when engine load was reduced. Was a bit alarming to suddenly notice the temps above 90 but after slowing down I was able to find a tolerable equilibrium between vehicle speed and coolant temperature. Was nothing to do with head gasket and all was sorted after a metal impeller water pump was put in place. Luckily it was belt service time anyway so no major unexpected costs there.
Plastic water pump 😮 was the problem on my v6 sport wagon ❤
Very common
It would be interesting to see what would happen if you put that stuff in and drove it. Natural cooling with the air flowing in combined with the fans would mean the engine stays much cooler.
My GTA once went slightly above 90°C, I was worried I had blown or broke something. Watching that temp going higher was actually nerve racking
Yeah they always go up&down a bit, a little over 90 is ok
this normally means the fan slow speed relay needs replacing. or relay socket is burnt
937's should stay on 90 deg. always even when scanner says its 103degrees. I believe it doesn't go up on dash gauge until 105 or more
@@jasons147gta3 Nah, it was just a very hot summer day, bussos don't like that..😂
A friend’s gta used to do the same thing, he thought it was normal, I had a play around with it and turned out a radiator resistor was blown, now sits on 90
I made this comment before awhile ago, and in no way do I disagree with the ability of the product, however in my experience with head gasket sealers is no 1 renew the gasket best fix, or if you use chemicals you must first identify the leaking cylinder and remove the spark plug or disconnect the injector on that cylinder or the compression will stop the chemical from effectively doing it job
Absaloutly brilliant video neil❤👍 I used head gasket sealer on my astra diesel it did stop it boiling the water away but still boils inside the expansion tank and smokes from the head brilliant
Worth a go Neil👍
When reading the information on these products, you’re always hopeful they can be a cheap fix and really short time, but inevitably they don’t match up to the description on the packet. Never mind, car deserves the time spent to do a proper job .
Check the water pump as the impeller is made of plastic and are prone to becoming detached from the back of the pump, or check the thermostat as there also prone to jamming shut…. Mind you to do the water pump on the V6 isn’t a 5 minute job…. Done loads of them, and by the sound of the engine starting to crank over it sounds pretty knackered and if the engine has boiled up I’d be definitely removing both cylinder heads. One word of warning the 3.0 and 3.2 V6 Alfa engine have piston liners and if it does get cooked way too much you could risk cracking one or more of the piston liners with the intense heat inside the engine block. Why pull the engine out.. you can remove the cylinder heads with the engine still n place.
Mate that was a forlorn hope. They are never a permanent solution. Even if it works for a few miles the engine heat cycle during a weeks driving will show the leak return. Check the water pump and pressure test. Heads off. Usual stuff. Cheers from OZ
Didn’t seal the head gasket but I would change the expansion cap after using that!
Ive just done this on my Mito. Seems to have suppressed the symptoms dramatically, i’m quite staggered. Still think i’ll need to replace the head gasket sharpish but its helped keep it going in the meantime
It does work for small leaks but if you watch the next episode it was a very big leak.
Good one.😊
Thanks 😊
I bought a bottle of steel seal for my 147TS but I then thought again and bought a gasket set. Working on the V6 is another ball game though I imagine.
I was really hoping it would work for you on the GT. I still think you should call it quits on this one.
I used the same stuff in a twinny and it worked a treat. The only issue was was that some of the hoses had become very soft.
As always, wish you all the best.
You have definitely got to save the car as it look’s far too nice to break but I understand the reality of the cost of repairs to the engine against the value of the car. Added to that, the parts would undoubtedly keep similar Alfa’s on the road. Good luck with the project & keep up the good work 👍
Watcha doin' man! But hey… it'd get you home in an emergency.
Worth a go 😂 not really though. Seats look gorgeous in the light coloured leather Neil.
K-Seal works....that yellow stuff is unlikely to. Retry !
I wrote off my GT 3.2 V6 end of last year because it sucked water into the intakes and hydro-locked the engine (rainy wales finally got me) and i'd already poured about £8000 into it so claimed off the insurance. I live in wales now and it's impossible to find a decent alfa dealership i can book into without a massive waiting list. I was driving all the way to quedgeley gloucestershire to use clover leaf services they were the nearest and most highly rated garage within any kind of acceptable distance. I bought a BMW M240i in the end as a replacement....Don't get me wrong it's an amazing car with undisputable performance advantage but it took me a long time to warm to it I really wasn't sure at first. I miss that feeling of being connected to the car through the steering wheel, the bmw is really floaty and you can't feel much resistance in the steering wheel but i guess this is a sign of the times they just don't make 'em like they used to
Nice to hear good things about Cloverleaf, as they'll be my go to when I find the right car...
This stuff is very popular with people who get rid of the car straight after, it's probably just a coincidence...
I've heard the head gasket sealers only work when the gasket is just beginning to leak but not when it's that far gone like in the case of this GT. And even then sometimes it's just a temporary fix.
Shame it didn't work. My Audi had white "smoke" and I tried the same stuff to fix it. It worked for me and 2 years later it's still OK. Although the car takes 9 min to get upto temp now rather than the usual couple of min, I assume that's just a stuck thermostat.
Well no surprises there. Head gaskets are pretty major sealing devises and once failed no amount of some guey gum, or what ever that stuff is, is going fix the problem
Asking a lot for a pour in solution to fix a blown headgasket it's got deal with combustion gases pressurising the cooling system
Not sure, but might it be an issue with the Thermostat too?
Says on bottle your suppose to let cool down fully so the chemical can crystallize in any hole it finds
Wonder weather you can presell this car to an enthusiastic and bill for getting it properly sorted
The equivalent of a Volcano exploding haha but in this case all for educational purposes :)
Steel seal didn’t work for me either. Had to replace the head gasket and get the head resurfaced
Hi, what can be wrong with my 156 2.5? Sometimes fans of radiator runs perfect when where is 90 on gauge, sometimes coolant is boiling because fans dont start, but on MES I see proper coolant temperature (f.e. 99*C) and info that fans arent started - for example after harder driving. Are they started by ECU or by some sensor? Thanks
At the end, it looks like it is a steam machine 😂
Fixing a small leak in the radiator might be possible this way but the head gasket, no way. Products like this are more or less snake oil.
I never thought for a minute that it would work but I worry about fine waterways being blocked by this stuff? Going to need a super flush through?
Maybe you should rinse the coolant, that can be corrosive
Get the heads off mate
That’s quite an optimistic speedometer 180mph 😁 how fast will one of these top out at. Must be an Italian thing, my Punto HGT has a 160mph speedo. I’m gonna have to find a big hill and try hit that 🤣🤣
Not sure about these, but I think the official top speed of my old GTV V6 was 155mph, so I’d imagine this would be in the same ballpark. Definitely not 180!
The 156GTA was even more optimistic, they had 200mph!
What would be the main cause of HG failure on a relatively low mileage V6 ?
this was a holed coolant hose and it was driven till it well and truly overheated.
You are kidding ! That stuff might get you home, but whenever I've changed a head gasket you can usually find a point of failure from which there is no going back and no quick fix cure.
For £32 I'm sure there are better ways to try and steam clean the engine bay :)
Well Neil, you lost 32 quid, but you may have saved a lot of others 32 quid! In any case, these kind of things are a temporary fix, at best.
that is a fubard engine!
My Alfa❤ is bleeding 😩🫣
I think too... 😂
Probably does not work well on wet sleeve engines anyway
Steal seal as in you was robbed 😂😂, you know what the result was gonna be 😂😂
Why not fit the 2.4 diesel engine from the Brera ?
When mapped you get 260 bhp and shti loads of torque
And will be a faster car in real world driving plus you get rid of that awful gearbox
Just a side note and a heads up that your website is being blocked by some sort of fake competition, can’t access it at all just keeps saying I’m the 5millionth visitor and that I have won a Samsung phone 😂 annoying I wanted to browse your site lol
Nothing on there. Mainly on Facebook now.
Working for me. Just checked
😎😎❤❤👍👍
Take the engine of, and repair properly...
You could put that crap in your faulty car and sell it to a clueless mug. I imagine that's what it's for.
Gone Italian