I have a head gasket on its way out in my 08 Cobalt LS, and I recently heard about a coolant supplement pellets that GM came out with to help stop coolant leaks. Do any of you have any experience with these pellets? Are they just a temporary fix or do they seem to hold up.

 

I wouldn't take any chance putting crap into my engine... I would be worried it would clog up things that it shouldn't.

I also don't think I would delay repairs on my head gasket either. You never know when its going to really go and leave you stranded on the side of the road.

 

I realize that it certainly won't be a permanent fix.. but I am away from home for the next 3 weeks and I just don't have the cash to do a hg replacement right now. The pellets cost me $6 right from GM, and my mechanic at home reccomended them. Worth a shot I guess

 

Those pellets can sometimes stop up a leak in the rad for a while but in my experience, they don't work worth **** for a head gasket leak.
Also, they have a nasty side effect - thay can plug up the smaller passages in the block and heater core.......not something you want.

If it works at all it's a temporary fix - better start planning on a head gasket

 

Well I will tell you this much...I'm a technician at at GM dealership, and I have never heard of such a thing. Sounds like the old trick of putting an egg in the radiator.

 

He's recommending them, because it'll lead to guaranteed work soon...

 

or a handfull of pepper - it would sort of work back in the "good old days" but these new cars are not going to be liking any kind of strange things being dumped in the coolant.

 

this

 

Wouldn't the gasket be covered by the 5 year warranty? Or do you drive like 50k km per year?

 

Exactly. Where I work we generally offer legitimate fixes...not the cheapest and easiest thing imaginable.

 

Or as someone said, a handful of pepper. Some things never lose their humour value...

I'm a tech as well myself, and I'd pay you $6 just to use the $6 pellets so I can see them do nothing, and the sad, ominous face of you realizing you'd have to pay me top dollar to replace your head gasket for you... oh wait, sorry, that was an inside thought. LOL!

Seriously though, don't waste your time. They sell "Head Gasket in a Can!" as well. Well it looks like my usefulness has run out, as they have a mechanic in a can for EVERYTHING.

 

Don't use them. I've seen so much gunk built up in cooling systems because of those damn things its rediculous.

If you don't have the money to fix the head gasket, park the car until you do. That's your safest bet.

I had a customer come in today. I diagnosed and quoted his coolant leak for him in february. We ordered parts and never saw him again. Until today that is... when his car got towed in and wouldn't start. He overheated the moter to 302 degrees and now needs a new one.

Your call hoss, but I'd park it until you can fix it.

 

 

dont do it, depending on the leak... oil to coolant then you will be fucked and need to get new hoses because oil dont com out easy and will sludge up....

park it or you can mess up far more

and are you sure its the head gasket? 2008 is pretty new car to be all sorts of fucked....did he pressure test it, block test for exhaust gases in coolant, how did he tell you it was the head gasket

 

Year doesn't seem to matter anymore... I've replaced burnt valves on '09 R-bodies with 30k on them. More than a few times.

The ecotecs seem to suffer from burned valves in the '06 model year. Mostly Ions with the 2.2L, though. I've seen five or six cases. Come to think of it... I haven't replaced a single headgasket for a coolant leak on an Ecotec.