Ive owned a 1996 V6 Camry ever since day 1. It has never given me any major problems until last year. The radiator got blocked and it started overheating.
I changed the radiator to a NEW one and shortly after this, it started losing coolant bit by bit. It wasnt leaking anywhere. I just discovered last week that it was going into a cylinder indicating a bad head gasket. I bought some ChemiWeld ( which is a sort of stop leak product) which actually stopped the leak, but now my car's fan is coming on all most all of the time even in cool weather, which is what happen last time before i had to replace the radiator.
So my question is, could this chemi-weld product have solved one problem but created another? Could it have blocked my new radiator? The product has only been in there for a week, is there any point to me trying to stick a garden hose in my radiator and flushing it out?
Is there a product i could by to try and flush it out more effectively? or have i stuffed my new radiator?
Could this have blocked my relatively NEW radiator?
This is a dead easy one. The answer to your question is yes it can and it will. Take the radiator out and have it serviced to unblock it. Flush the cars cooling system out with clean water, including the expansion tank and heater and DO NOT use coolant as the head will start to leak again very soon. As you can't leave plain water in your engine for long you will have to repair the cylinder head(s). Using plain water for now will give you a bit of breathing space.
Could this have blocked my relatively NEW radiator?
i voted for the other guy
but wanted to add there is nothing made that you can pour into a motor that wil repair it
might be something to slow down failing but nothing repairs
you can flush the cooling system but then have to repair the head gasket either way it needs to be replace
and now on never pour anything into your motor or trans if you have a problem fix it right
you can add treatments to protect but none repair
Could be the heater core which is blocked.This is just like a small radiator and has much smaller tubes running through it .If blocked, it will prevent coolant from circulating.There's no easy fix for failed head gasket.
Hmm is it actually overheating though? You never mentioned that. If it's not overheating, I wouldn't worry too much. If the ChemiWeld has blocked up your radiator, the engine would be getting pretty hot, if it's not getting hot, just relaaaaaaaaaaaaax. But one thing is for sure: you can't just ignore the cylinder head problem for an indefinite period of time. You should at least start getting quotes for the work, or for the parts if you intend to do the work yourself.
ChemiWeld is a temporary solution to a major problem. This is just a guess, but I'm thinking I'm right on the money: Your head gasket is leaking because you let the car overheat in the first place. Usually when you overheat an engine, it warps the head or blows the head gasket, and then after you've eliminated the cause of the overheating, you have to have the head(s) redone. So now you know that a simple problem, when it's ignored for too long, can cause major problems.
I hope you'll get your heads done, and then figure everything else out from there. Like I say, if the engine isn't overheating, I wouldn't worry too much about your cooling system, but you KNOW you have head problems, so solve that first. Don't listen too much to your thermofans cutting in and out, just watch your temp gauge, that'll tell you everything you need to know.
You have already wasted many $$$. NEVER replace any part 'till you KNOW the problem. The coolant loss bit by bit is quite normal through evaporation, not usually a leak. If there is coolant in your oil you have a problem. How did you decide it was a head gasket? There are many %26quot;mekaniks%26quot; out there who love to rip you off. Go to a RADIATOR SHOP, not an auto repair, and have your cooling system checked, I would doubt that the leak stop additive you applied is at fault. Go see a pro and quit wasting time guessing. The fan coming on is quite normal even in cold weather as the engine gets just at hot in cold as it does in warm weather.
ChemiWeld causes a coating right through your cooling system including the radiator. That coating restricts heat transfer from the radiator tubes to the passing air. You won't get it out of the radiator even with a fire hose.
The right fix is to have the cylinder head taken off and machined and reassembled with a new head gasket, do both heads at the same time, it won't cost a lot more. Replace the radiator, again, and only add coolant in future.
I have seen this problem too many time before, in older cars with a larger radiator it worked but not on modern cars.
It might not be blocking the radiator, any blockage in the cooling system would slow down the flow which can cause it to overheat. Try taking the top hose off the radiator, stick a hose in the top of the rad and fire the engine up, the hose will keep water going in and you will be able to see how fast water is coming out of the engine from the top hose. It might have blocked the thermostat as that is a bit of a bottle neck.
Also check the oil to make sure there isn't any water in there if it has been leaking internally.
