Small coolant leak probably from the crossover tube: Use Bars Leak?

[barnaclebob]

I noticed that my heater wasn't putting out heat when the car (2001.5 LE) was idling, only when reved up and sure enough the coolant was low by about 1.5 quarts and the hunt was on to find the leak.

Oil, and transmission fluid were fine but I saw coolant dripping from where the transmission bell housing meets the engine and followed it up as high as I could see. The leak is probably coming from the crossover tube on the passenger side but I'll get the borescope out today to confirm. Its a slow leak, maybe 1 drip a minute and it left a 3" diameter wet spot on the ground before it seemed to stop when the car cooled down.

Of course the ideal fix is to replace the gaskets but that seems like a tough job. I'm not sure I want to remove the transmission and I've read reports of barely being able to get at it if you remove the upper intake manifold which is something I feel comfortable doing. Is it possible to unbolt the transmission, exhaust, and push it up with the jack to get a little more room between the engine and firewall?

The other option is to use some bars leak on it but that is controversial. The car has been well maintained and the coolant was clean looking when I changed it a year or two ago and still looks clean. So I don't expect the radiator or heater core to be partially clogged which could cause the bars leak to seal it up.

Any advice?

[barnaclebob]

Crossover tube leak confirmed with the borescope, ugh.

[barnaclebob]

Three tablets of Bar's Leaks went in and the preliminary results are good. No wet spot below the gasket anymore. I crushed and dissolved them in about a cup of coolant first, let it idle for about 15 minutes then went on a 15 minute drive. My radiator was still full so if you don't have the funnel that attaches to the radiator then it would be helpful to let a few cups out first so it doesnt overflow when you try to put the dissolved tablet solution into the radiator.

[nickelghandi]

You might already know this, but once you are sure it is not leaking, and maybe even before, you should drain, flush with distilled water, and refill the cooling system with fresh coolant. Bar's leaks can kill things like water pumps, thermostats, and radiators. It isn't as bad as some, but it can definitely still clog things up. Three tablets shouldn't do much, if any, damage, but better safe than sorry.

[barnaclebob]

Yeah I'll probably do that but might not be able to get to it for a few months. I guess the amount of damage or clogging it does would depend on how hard it sets up when it settles out of the fluid and if normal system flow rates cause it to go back into suspension or not.