Stop leak additive

[mikeWalsall]

When I had my V6 Bongo converted to LPG I asked Paul at Coventry campers to give it a check over ... one of the things he remarked on was a leaking cam seal ... although it had a recent cam belt replacement why these seals where not automatically changed when replacing the cam belt begs believe ..

The alternator failed last week and as exchange units are rare / expensive I opted for a repair by a local company .. they reckons it may have failed because the internals where severely contaminated with engine oil which maybe came from the seeping cam seal ..

As it is basically the same procedure as to changing the cam belt, changing the seals at the same time would be a very simple and relatively cheap job to do, but to be honest, both physically and financially I am not up to doing a full cam belt change just to get to the seals..

I was tempted to add some 'Stop Leak' into the engine oil .. as this apparently softens hardened rubber / neoprene seals, but on Googling for info, on one Forum a guy reckons it softened the rubber slide on his cam chain tensioner to the extent it disintegrated ..!!

I now the Bongo does not have a cam chain ... but are there any vulnerable internal rubber components, or is it worth a try for a 'quick fix' ..??

[Evil Edna]

Well it worked for us - G8dhe(my other half) will be along shortly with a link to the thread re the additive. (Wow just found the spell checker on here!! Sorry I digress.

[mikeWalsall]

I believe ours is caused by the Cam seals which leak, like a lot of V6's, the oil then runs down the inclined engine and drops onto the hot exhaust at the rear, then if we reverse or of the wind is blowing in the right direction when we stop/pause at lights junctions the smell gets wafted into the cabin air intakes. It got very bad this winter including spotting oil drips and we were planning on a major service and replacing all the seals etc. but dandywarhol suggested the Forte oil seal liquid and I have to say its done an excellent job and effectively taken us back a couple of years to when it was only a minor problem. Now we are waiting to see how long it lasts! I sourced the tubes off Ebay, one is sufficient but having had an oil change used a second one after that.

Thanks for your input ...

I do tend to search before I query and found the "g8dhe" .. and other relevant posts .. I am tempted to give it a try as I am now worried about the cam belt getting contaminated !!

[rita]

Is this what you are looking for.


http://www.forte-nwe.com/SE/Forte+produ ... ioner.html

[rita]

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... al#p543413


Your needing to jiggle your memory a wee bit...

Your quote...They do different additives for different systems .. engines / gearboxes .. auto boxes .. coolant systems ..

Although I use Flash lube UCL .. I have never been a big fan of after market Slik / STP / PTFE / Teflon etc: type of oil additives so can't say how good they work ..

[mikeWalsall]

Thanks ..as it's lousy weather here in Walsall I have already been searching old posts .. very informative ..

There are loads of 'stop leak' additive manufactures ..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=e ... &_osacat=0

[g8dhe]

Yup, just updated the original thread, no signs of any side effects either. We did have an oil change just prior to the MOT so I added the spare bottle immediately afterwards to keep up the level. We will see how it goes this year, but I expect that it will require the replacement of all the seals at some point not to far in the future, but at least we can choose the timing of it!

[splitpin]

I have used Redex stop leak with good results on one of my other vehicles ,would recomend it.

[mikeWalsall]

Yes .. I looked in Wilcos today and noticed the Redex stop leak @£4.50 a bottle ..

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/car-mainte ... U2dg%3D%3D

[mikexgough]

The Trade use Forte or Lucas brands.... especially on the older cars where seals are scarce or difficult to cross refer....

[westonwarrior]

I have used the oil aditive to try and stop the oil smell but it does not seam to have worked.

[teenmal]

Hi mikeWalsall

It might be worthwhile making sure that the engine is Breathing properly.

Cheers.

[mikeWalsall]

Hi mikeWalsall

It might be worthwhile making sure that the engine is Breathing properly.

Cheers.

Good thinking ... although I have service records for oil changes / servicing for the last three years and the engine 'looks' clean and tidy ... I will check out / clean the PCV system ..

I have removed the oil filler cap and that seems normal with no build up of pressure / fumes ..