Whats the Best Stop Leak Oil Additive?
#1
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Whats the Best Stop Leak Oil Additive?
My F150 has leaking valve covers and i cant afford to replace them right now, so im wondering what the best stop leak engine oil additive is so i can use it on my next oil change this month. Does anyone have any favorite brands of theirs or any suggestions?
#2
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Have you tried tightening the valve covers yet? Not sure what year you have, but many times, at least on older vehicles, the gasket will shrink or compress a bit, or the bolts may back off for whatever reason. A little snugging up of the bolts can work wonders in these cases, but don't overtighten.
Aside from that - not a fan of stop leak additives unless looking to dump the vehicle shortly.
Aside from that - not a fan of stop leak additives unless looking to dump the vehicle shortly.
#3
There are alot of engine oatmeals to stop lubricating your engine. Doesnt matter much but if leaking valve covers are the concern what wrong with saving a little and then replacing them? Depending on the year you have this is easy even for a novice and the seals are CHEAP as hell, maybe $40. for the set. That was the quick price check for a 01 F-150 5.4l.
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I have a 90 5.0L v8 with that ****ty EFI intake that hangs over the passenger side valve cover and i really dont feel like doing the job myself so im saving up to pay to have the job done which ive been quoted at 500 bucks. So i was wondering in the mean time what the good stop leak additives there were on the market, not about how much seals cost or that i should replace them because i know this already.
#5
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Suggest to find another quote - sounds awful high.
The intake plenum is not that difficult - just need to get the right-sized Torx stub (not socket) wrench that will fit down in between to catch the center bolt on the passenger side where the plenum connects to the manifold. IIRC, 1/4" drive fitting with extension works well, 3/8" drive is too wide to fit in the gap.
If it were me, I would put up with the leak rather than risk clogging an oil passage or the like with stop-leak. As far as products - Barr's is a reputable name that comes to mind.
The intake plenum is not that difficult - just need to get the right-sized Torx stub (not socket) wrench that will fit down in between to catch the center bolt on the passenger side where the plenum connects to the manifold. IIRC, 1/4" drive fitting with extension works well, 3/8" drive is too wide to fit in the gap.
If it were me, I would put up with the leak rather than risk clogging an oil passage or the like with stop-leak. As far as products - Barr's is a reputable name that comes to mind.
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#8
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gotcha, but i do have to take off the intake to get to the passenger side right? so id need to buy a new intake gasket and two valve cover gaskets, and hell why'll im at ill add in some shiny new valve covers :/
#9
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Yeah, the intake plenum needs to come off. Be sure to get the right gasket - you will need the plenum-to-manifold gasket, not the traditional intake manifold gasket that most interpret to be the one between the manifold and the block.
And yes, two valve cover gaskets - can't remember if they're mirror images of each other, or if there's a specific one for driver-side and passenger-side.
Shiny new covers won't do a thing for your leak - but it'll make things look spiffier :-)
And yes, two valve cover gaskets - can't remember if they're mirror images of each other, or if there's a specific one for driver-side and passenger-side.
Shiny new covers won't do a thing for your leak - but it'll make things look spiffier :-)