Master Liquid Copper.

[Motu]

I hope no one ever gets to try this on a bike,but it's not often I get to repair something with a magic bottle....


We had a 93 Surf in the other day,with the 2L Turbo motor,it had a big coolant leak.The bottom hose had a 100mm split in it,more a burst really -(hindsight - that was a clue dummy) this thing had got really hot and the cooling system was a rusty mess,there was no way it could hold water,but it ran well on 4 cyl and there was no chuffing out the coolant filler cap.So we flushed the system while waiting for new hoses to arrive and put in a new thermostat as a precaution.

But on starting it up with water in it we had a geyser out the top - we use a funnel on the filler neck which allows us to monitor cooling systems,purge air,etc.Oh boy,that was a waste of time...I should of known really,the clue as mentioned was the burst hose,split from combustion pressure - but hey,it was worth the gamble,and we needed to prove it anyway.With one of these motors we can almost gaurantee a crack cyl head,most likely not repairable.But new heads are cheap - anyway,we are looking at a couple of grand here to get back on the road.

The customer doesn't want to repair it,he just wants out - this is the way it's going now,people just walk away from good vehicles as they are not worth the cost of repair.Actualy I might want this one for my daugter...I'll talk about it with him tomorrow.So....I say I'll use some Liquid Copper and see if we can get him something to drive away to think about what to do with it.

Master Liquid Copper comes in a couple of sizes,and I use the big bottle of 473ml,used for trucks.I don't really think it'll seal a head gasket,but it's good on cracks and have actualy seen it creep through and seal.I can't even run it with water in,so put in a little water,then half the Liquid Copper,start the engine and slowly pour in water - in less than a minute we have no more geyser and the water can keep going in.I get the funnel with a little water in and continue to run it....there are still bubbles coming up if I give it a rev,but after 10 or 15 min that no longer happens.I put the rest of the bottle in and over the day run and cool it several times,then this afternnon take it for a drive.No problems,no pressurising,no overheating,no coolant loss.Tomorrow I'll do a cold start and see how we go - this morning it was hydraulicing,tomorrow will see it we have a seal.

This is not a fix,he knows that,it's just to get it drivable and out my door,but I thought it was pretty impressive - from something that wouldn't hold water to for all intents and purposes a good running engine....

[Ixion]

That is impressive. I have never had any decent results with the sealant in a bottle thing, though I've never tried that brand.

My father reckoned by them, he claimed to have had lots of success. Mind you that would have been with thermosyphon systems. It's impressive that it's apparently holding back diesel compbustion pressures, too

[scumdog]

Can'r remember the name (Soldrit I think?) but that stuff is in a little cardboard tin thing and it's THE BEST I've come across for leaking radiators etc. :niceone:

[ZorsT]

I might have to try that on my Daihatsu diesel, it has a leak through to the water jacket somewhere... Dad thinks it might be the block, because it isn't the head gasket, and the crack in the head has been fixed... i have my doubts though

[myvice]

Thats impressive! I'v used it a bunch of times and it has always worked but have allways told clients that it isnt going to last forever. But never on any thing like that!
And its true about the disposable car mentality that is out there.
We have a Rover (named after a dog so why buy one?) turbo, 2 door thing with a nacked box at work. The owner just walked away from it! Ok, its not a small bill to fix it but theres nothing else wrong with it. (yet)
Musnt grumble tho... got my Alfa 33 for $500 caus it didnt get picked up for about 8 months! :yes:

[Motu]

Solderite is one of the best,Master do a couple of stop leaks,one silver for alloy radiators and the other copper for brass - but Liquid Copper is on a different level again,as I said I've seen it ooze it's way through a crack and stop the leak.To actualy seal a cracked head on a diesel in literaly seconds is something I would discount as bullshit....until today.A point worth noteing - most of these stop leaks and crack repairers are not compatable with glycol antifreeze...we've had coolant leaks and even blown headgaskets the next day after a cooling system service.

GoodAndSuchlike - what sort of engine are we talking about...truck? A real diesel with wet liners can suffer from cavitation,not to be confused with electrolisis - I've seen both on the same liner....electrolisis happens around the lower seal....cavitation in a vertical line on the thrust face.Diesel knock causes air pockets that suck metal off the liner,I haven't been involved with trucks for a few years so don't know if it's still a problem.The last truck engine I rebuilt was about 12 yrs ago,a Nissan V8,and I replaced all liners because of cavitation,nothing fixes cavitation.

myvice - 5 yrs ago we were averaging an engine job a month,and atleast a head gasket per week,let alone all the other stuff.Now we are lucky to do an engine a year,and a head gasket a month is wishful thinking - they just walk away...make it a runner and trade it in.All the cars I own are from cars the owner wouldn't repair - I was happy to reco my $500 Pajero,$1000 for everything,the rest spare labour,and I know what's inside...not taking the gamble it spent all it's time in Japan with the only oil change at the first service.Cars are really getting throw away now,like changing socks.

[Pathos]

Cars are becoming more throw away for some people, but for every car sold in that condition there is someone willing to fix it.

However, I would consider replacing a vehicle a major problem. My Parents bought a jap van when they had their fifth children (remarkably their fifth son..no girls) because the station wagon was too small, it was five years old. It lasted us 10 years then the top half of the engine went. Then the bottom. Then the Front brakes. Then the back brakes. Then the gear box. And dad is not very confident with the suspension. All this happened in less than 12 months and was quite expensive, no one would have invested that much money into this van if they knew it was coming, its just not worth it.

In some vehicles parts tend to fail all at once and no one sees it coming so just take the safe way out by replacing it (you have a new vehicle as well!)

[Pixie]

Liquid Copper? Wasn't he Arnie's nemesis in Terminator 2?

[Lou Girardin]

I watched the segment on waste on Campbell last night and it struck me that we have this growing problem with waste disposal, yet we continue to import vehicles and tyres that are near the end of their useful life. Our vehicle fleet averages 12 years old now. When we had a policy like Australia has now, cars would go through several owners from new who would pay to keep them going, with all the benefits that this gives the car industry.
Then there's emmissions issue which has already been covered here.
Have we all come down with some form of collective insanity? Living the dream that we're clean and green?

[Motu]

Surely we have reached rock bottom in the car industry - but I feel we still have a long way to go before we finaly sink into the ooze.All these thousands upon thousands of Jap imports are here because they have come to the end of their useful life in Japan,we are living off their cast offs...like lowlifes scraping a living from skip bins.There are so many coming in,needing to be sold - that means car owners have to be moved out of their present vehicle...by force if neccessary.They are devaluing at a huge rate,just $5000 to drive out of the dealers door - the owner is no longer rewarded for diligent servicing,using the best products like oil,tyres or brakes...it doesn't matter whether they pamper their baby or run it into the ground,it's still worth the same on trade in day - SFA.

This last year has seen a big change in how my business is opperating.Normaly I run my appointment book a week ahead,the next two days booked at 80%,we pick up the other 20% from work in progress or what comes in the door,that's how it's always been in a small garge.Now I opperate like a retail shop,waiting for walk in traffic - by mid day my book is completly empty for the next day....come the next day and we can't get the work out the door.No one books anymore,they wait until the car breaks down - ''my brakes are making a noise''...''I've got an oil/water leak''....''do a service when you do the WoF'' I can't plan my day,just wing it.

I think we are seeing a big shift in how people view their car,it is no longer something to work for,to enjoy once attained - it's just another comodity like the crap toaster they buy from the warehouse,used until worn out and then tossed aside for another.

Um :whistle: rant over.....