Hi all.
My question is a above. How good is chemiweld and how long does it last.
Thanks.

Ive heard mixed things.. Its a temp solution not a long term fix. Ive heard it can block radiators too..

It can last forever or a week or so...depends on the type of leak - if a simple leaky welch plug then it may last for months...if a split in a radiator tube then it may only last a week due to the split opening up with the heat. I've never blocked a radiator with it. Back in the '70s when Jaguar released the XJ6 series which had many coolant leaks (ask any Jag owner), they would add Barrs Leaks in the factory and it was also part of the servicing and every 6 months or so another can was added. Problem was that after a few years and many cans of Barrs Leaks, it built up in the bottom of the radiator and reduced it's capacity to cool. Then the motor cooked.
I'd use it as a temporary measure only, as it can give you a bit of breathing space.

Thanks Ego & Hako.
The top radiator hose split a couple of weeks ago and by the time I got the Verada home it was steaming under the bonnet. The temperature guage did not show overheating. Anyway I replace the top and bottom radiator hoses and refilled it with new coolant. It drove ok for a couple of weeks and one morning I noticed coolant at the rear of the engine leaking on the exhaust shield and onto the garage floor. I then realised that I had done in a head gasket. My mechanic wanted $1500.00 to fully recon the two heads including remove and install. I am a pensioner so I can't afford this sort of money to repair the car. Another mechanic suggested I use the chemiweld. He swears that it does a good job. Well I've flushed the whole cooling system and added clear water and added the chemiweld a couple of days ago. The water leak from behind the head has stopped. I hope it will last for at least 6 months.
What do you guys reckon?
Thanks.

Worth a shot. It there is anymore signs of water might be worth another bottle. See how you go. I've heard stories of lasting years.

I've only had a bad experience with chemiweld. My first car was a TP magna GLX, I drove it an hour home on a 43 degree day and coolant pissed everywhere (ie: overheated). At first I blamed it just on the really hot day. Kept happening, so after about 2 weeks, took it to a radiator mob, and I was told that chemiweld had been used to hide a cracked head, and that it had blocked the radiator 70%!

BUT saying this, it could be worth a shot anyway if you can't afford to get it fixed the right way. I got charged $400 for my recon'd head, but I removed it and took it to the engine reconditioners, so I prob saved a bit on that.

Thank you all.
I'll let you know if and when I get another coolant leak.
Thanks for your advice

If you're like me, you'll also carry a spare tin of Chemiweld and 20 litres of tank water in the boot....just in case.
There are some other tricks to reduce leaks....like fit a lower pressure radiator cap to reduce the internal pressure.
Hope all goes well.

Thanks Hako.
What lower pressure radiator should I get. The one on the car is 0.9. (whatever that means)

I've only had a bad experience with chemiweld. My first car was a TP magna GLX, I drove it an hour home on a 43 degree day and coolant pissed everywhere (ie: overheated). At first I blamed it just on the really hot day. Kept happening, so after about 2 weeks, took it to a radiator mob, and I was told that chemiweld had been used to hide a cracked head, and that it had blocked the radiator 70%!

BUT saying this, it could be worth a shot anyway if you can't afford to get it fixed the right way. I got charged $400 for my recon'd head, but I removed it and took it to the engine reconditioners, so I prob saved a bit on that.

Wow i used to work on radiators that much of a blockage i can safely say they used alot of chemiweld.
Biggest issue we would come across was silicone blocking the bars. (people using silicone instead of gasket goo)
I hear ground black pepper works well as a tempory fix.

Thanks Hako.
What lower pressure radiator should I get. The one on the car is 0.9. (whatever that means)

Not sure what pressures are available in the small caps, 0.9 means it pressurises the system to 0.9Kpa or about 13 psi (my TL one is 1.1Kpa)....but you could also crack the cap to the "slightly undone" position which is half undone and this will release much of the pressure but will also mean that when the coolant expands and flows to the overflow tank it may not be drawn back into the radiator. This should not be a problem if you check the coolant level at least once a day and top up. Don't rely on the temp gauge to warn you the coolant is low because once the coolant leaks out, the temperature gauge will not measure the coolant temp as it is no longer immersed in it. The cooling system will no longer be pressurised (which will reduce pressure on the leak) but as it's winter less demand will be made on it. Please remember that these are temporary measures only!!! Good Luck.

i used chemiweld in a hiace diesel van, and my mate used it in his v6 camry. fixed the problem on both cars. i understand it only works (goes hard and sets) when it comes into contact with combustion gases so wont work on radiator leaks etc. only works on cylinder head cracks / blown headgaskets that are leaking combustion gases into water chambers which show up as bubbling from the radiator cap. if you have leaking radiator, or leaking from the head you should use some type of stop leak product

i used chemiweld in a hiace diesel van, and my mate used it in his v6 camry. fixed the problem on both cars. i understand it only works (goes hard and sets) when it comes into contact with combustion gases so wont work on radiator leaks etc. only works on cylinder head cracks / blown headgaskets that are leaking combustion gases into water chambers which show up as bubbling from the radiator cap. if you have leaking radiator, or leaking from the head you should use some type of stop leak product

I think you might be right - it appears there are different types of chem-i-weld for different situations. However the OP has stopped his leak so maybe he used the correct one.

Please do not use Chemiweld on a Magna, the cores in the Radiator are way to small to cope with the junk that stuff has in it

Are you sure that the head gasket is leaking and you do not have a leaking welsch plug or water pump BTW as this sounds more than likely for this case. Magna third gens are very very hard to blow head gaskets in

If you must use a radiator stop leak of any kind either use the Wynns or the granular type made by a few companies, they come in a little clear tube, can not remember the brand but have used them for years in the second gen V6 where the heads crack arounod the exhaust port and they work well and do not block other parts of the system up

Other issue with the Chemiweld with a Magna, remember that a Magna uses a reverse set up for the Thermostat, you can often get air pocket arounod the Thermostat and then you may get hardening of the chemiweld, this is not good at all