Bar's Leak Head Seal Blown Head Gasket Repair

I have a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser, this review is going to be detailed with my problems and solutions. Just know as of today (9/6/25) My Fj is running great with no problems after using the Head Gasket Sealer (put in my vehicle on 7/21/25).*** Jan. 22, 2025 (OD 241030) - My FJ out of the blue started to have a rough start and 4 warning light came on. It was pulling code P0306B Cylinder #6 misfire. The mechanic said I needed a Tune Up, so we replaced the Sparkplugs and did an oil change. Problem stopped.*** Feb. 27, 2025 (OD 241893) - Really rough start, engine shaking, stopped after 1 minute, drove to work. The Engine seamed to pulse, like it was having a problem with fuel. While driving home 4 warning lights came on, then the engine light started blinking. The whole car started shaking, and I was unable to drive faster than 30mph. FJ was in "Limp mode." Had it towed to the mechanic the next day, where it started just fine, no lights, no shaking - NOTHING. Mechanic drove it for 3 days, and NOTHING. So when I got it back, I went to the desert, drove in 4x4 for 8 hours - NOTHING. Did 80mph all the way up the HWY 8 Grade (SanDiego) - NOTHING. At this point I think my FJ is possessed!*** all of March - no Problems!*** April 1, 2025 (OD 243193) - The rough start and shaking is back, drove it straight to the mechanics. Pulled codes P0306 and C1201. "Pressure check cooling system for possible blown head gasket and inspect cylinders. Wire borescope found #6 cylinder getting coolant inside cylinder, possible head gasket, need to remove heads to inspect." SOOO after being told it was a possible head gasket, and being quoted almost $5000 to fix it, I went to a new Mechanic.*** During this time, the Warning lights would turn on and off, some days it would start just fine, some days it would shake like crazy. I never saw a decrease in Gas milage, or white smoke from exhaust.*** April 24, 2025 - Finally dropped off for inspection by new Mechanic. He didn't think it was the head Gasket, after telling him the symptoms. Lights were on, pulled code P0306. The new mechanic, pulled the fuel injectors one was corroded. Swapped that out, cleared codes. Warning lights stayed off for about 2 weeks. Then would come on for a day, then shut off for a week. Some rough starts mixed in.*** June 4, 2025 (OD 244033) - Added coolant to radiator reservoir. Lights keep going on and off. Took it back to the mechanic, still pulling code P0306 and we decided that yes it had to be a blown Head gasket and that it would be better if the engine was replaced. He looked for a new engine, that was going to be $5000 plus labor. I decided to wait a little, and went out of town.*** July 14, 2025 (OD 244722) - Lights came on and stayed on. I spoke with another mechanic and he mentioned a head gasket sealer. That is when I started to research different products and came across "Bar's Leaks HG-1 HEAD SEAL Blown Head Gasket Repair." My FJ seemed like a perfect vehicle to try it on, it wasn't over heating, there was no white smoke, it was using a lot of coolant, it started fine most days. So I ordered it up! What's the harm in trying something for $35, the worst thing that will happen is I will have to replace my engine (which I already need to do). If I can fix the problem for $35 and get another 10-15k miles on my FJ, I will try it!*** July 21, 2025 (OD 244918) - TODAY WAS THE DAY! I read the directions 3 times to make sure I did it correctly, I wanted to make sure that it worked and I got the best result I could. I will say that I did need to drain some coolant from my radiator, as it was too full to add half a bottle of the Sealer. So here goes nothing! Put the Sealer in, Started my FJ, Turned the AC off, and the Heater on HIGH. It took about 40 minutes for it to get to temp. Turned it off and let it cool for almost 2 hours. Started it back up and did a 15 minute lite drive keeping the RPM's between 1500-2000. Cleared the codes and shut it off. Turned it on the next day, No lights, No shaking, No smoke, no weird sounds - NOTHING. Did it work!?? I think so (fingers crossed)!!!*** Sept 6, 2025 (OD 245875) - I have driven almost 1000, I have gone 80+mph, driven for over 2 hours straight - and everything seems totally fine!!! As of today, I will say IT WORKED PERFECTLY! It looks like a $35 fix, just saved me over $5000 and that is amazing! If something changes, I will update my review. But right now, I recommend this product to anyone that has a high milage car with a blown head gasket. It really does work and it works well!

Water pump failed and car overheated. Repaired water pump and all went well for months. Didn’t have signs of a blown head gasket for months. Car started overheating again. No other signs of blown head gasket other than overheating. My friend looked at my car and said must be a blown head gasket.I took it to a shop and they wanted $4k+ for repairs. Yea not worth it for my car. At least not right now. So he said to buy this and see if it works. Boom. Put it in the system and followed instructions. Added the whole bottle for my two and a half gallon coolant system. Let it sit and run and sure enough the heater started working again and he said it’s working. Let it sit and run for another 30 mins to make sure. Didn’t overheat. So I decided to stress drive it and drove it for 2 hours and didn’t over heat.Yes this may be a TEMPORARY FIX, but if it lasts me a six months to a year than I will be grateful. Just need the time to learn how to change a head gasket safely on my own so I can actually repair it. Might take me months for actual repair,it’s a big job for a newbie. I’m no mechanic plus I work 60 hrs a week.If it gives out again , I just may try this again. For less than $50 to fix the car temporarily, sounds like a good deal in my opinion.Btw, after researching, I heard it could last a few years and tens of thousands of miles.

It worked great. Had water in oil on my Camaro. This is procedure I used…Added the Bars to the radiator and overflow. Ran engine for 20 minutes once it reached operating temperature. Turned engine off and let it cool down fully. Drained oil and removed filter. Added new cheap oil and cheap filter. Added LIQUI MOLY engine flush and ran the engine at 1200 rpm for 15 minutes. Let the engine cool fully. Drained the oil and removed the filter. Added my new Synthetic oil with 5 ounces of Prolube, and installed a new Mobil 1 oil filter. Started and ran the the engine for 20 minutes at 1200 rpm. Checked the oil…clear as glass. Worked great just be patient and don’t rush cooling the engine.

UPDATE: No more than two weeks after writing the review below, I got a check engine light with a Cylinder 1 Misfire on the OBD. I cleared it, and a few days later it came back on. This pattern repeated for about two weeks, and it became clear that it was time to let my baby go. I think my 100 mile drive to San Diego and back was what put the final nail in the coffin.So in summery, yes, this stuff works temporarily, especially if your car hasn't been overheating and you're driving less than 30 miles at a time. It probably would hold indefinitely if you're only commuting and not transporting a heavy load. It really is a finger-in-the-dike solution, and it won't hold for long under stress. It got me through two months which was long enough for me to drive down memory lane and say goodbye to my old truck and replace her with her baby sister, just like that episode of the Wonder Years when Jack Arnold (the dad) has to replace the family car. I wasn't disappointed by the outcome but took a star off my original score, just so my review is not any more misleading than it may have been.Is it worth buying? It was for me, but if you're less sentimental and you'd rather tare the bandage off than peal it, I would go directly to replacing a high mileage car or the head gasket. Good luck!Please read on for the original review:ORIGINAL: Crossing my fingers as I write this, but it seems to have done the trick! I took my 2005 Tacoma into a local auto garage after the first time the Check Engine Light came on in late May. Mechanic said it was my thermostat, so he replaced the part, and I was on my way $400 later.Check engine light came back on June 20th, and by this time I had purchased an OBD II bluetooth scanner and Torque Pro for my Android device, as I felt powerless with my last experience. It showed a cylinder 1 misfire, and figured I needed new spark plugs so I went on Amazon to purchase new spark plugs, a spark plug wrench socket, anti cease compound and a torque wrench to do the repair myself (it was kinda fun!). I cleared the check engine light, and drove normal until July 6ish, when the check engine light came back on with the dreaded cylinder 1 misfire. From then on, I kept clearing the light and checking to see how long it took for it to come back on; it seemed to happen every 5 or so days and always when the engine was cold, and I was speeding up from 0 to 45 mph, as I live right off a busy street.Took the truck to the dealership on August 1st for a diagnosis, and they told me that I had a minor blown head gasket, which was leaking coolant into my cylinder 1 causing the misfire when the engine was cold. They can tell because, they checked the spark plug for wetness after leaving the engine off over night. As the engine heats up, the misfires stops because the gasket expands and creates a seal. They used the scare tactic to tell me that I will need a new gasket or I would need to sell the truck within a few weeks because the engine will soon start over heating, leaving me stranded on the side of the road. The repair would cost $2500, which include the gasket inspection of the head for cracks, machining the head, and obviously reassembly. Check out the photo attached the recommendation.I got super depressed that I would have to give my baby up soon, as she and I have gone through so much together, so I started to research the problem and came across this Head Seal and a similar product from another brand. After watching a few testimonials on YouTube, I decided to give it a shot. Being a total beginner in auto mechanics, I didn't understand how to drain the coolant properly, so I made a mess, but got the Head Seal liquid in and ran the engine as instructed on August 4th.I kept my eye on my OBD with my android tablet almost every day, and found a cylinder 1 misfire "pending" in the app five days later on August 9th. My check engine light came back on the next day on August 10th, and I got depressed again. I cleared it and kept driving, as I started to shop for a new truck. Well, it's September 6th almost a month since the last misfire, and there hasn't been a new one. I keep the tablet in the truck most of the time to run diagnostics, and still nothing.Here's my theory: Because I only had a slight leak, the nano particles took a few heating and cooling cycles to really get in the cracks and cure into place. Therefore, it's a slow process, especially for an intermittent leak like mine. I try not to rev my engine over 2500 rpms, and drive slow while it heats, which probably helps too.So far so good! I keep my tablet in the car to keep an eye on the thermometer as well, and the coolant stays at about 88 degrees Celsius when driving on the freeway, which is perfect. As soon as I see an uptick of one or two degrees, I'll flush my coolant. I've gone on several 100+ mile trips also in the last month, and it's holding up.It's been a roller coaster ride (not the product, but my experience with my truck) but I'm glad things are stable. Will update if anything pops up in the next few weeks, but it looks like this seriously saved me $2460, at least for the time being. Knock on wood. If you're having these issues, good luck, and may the force be with you!

Please read the whole review. I own a 2000 Pontiac Firebird 3.8 l V6. I bought it unknowingly having a head gasket leak. It got to the point to where coolant was leaking into the oil. I couldn't even go driving without coming back and half of my coolant was gone. I bought this because I didn't feel like taking apart the whole engine and thought it was worth a shot. This product worked perfectly when we first put it in. There's a noticeable change in the exhaust sound like it was sealing up. for the first few days coolant did go down a little bit but not as much as it used to and it got to the point to where the coolant would stay all the way at the top. There is still bubbles in the oil for a little bit. So I went for a long drive and took the oil cap off to let all the water evaporate from the system. I just got back from driving and there is no more bubbles on the oil cap which indicates The gasket has been fixed. Definitely worth it! I have been driving aggressively for the entire time I put this in the system. It's a manual so that's expected and it has not failed me. So if you own a 2000 Pontiac Firebird that's a V6 and you have a head gasket leak. I would definitely recommend you trying this outUPDATE: the head gasket sealant is fine for temporal use. If you just need it to work for a little bit it's fine. But for bigger leaks it doesn't work very good. Car ran fine for about 2 months and then the leak came back and it was worse I tried one more bottle just in case but eventually I had to take the engine apart and just do the head gaskets myself. I've seen it work better for others but for me it just wasn't very good. It's worth a shot I would say, but you might just need to replace your head gasket.

UPDATE: It has now been nearly six months since I added the Bar's Leaks repair, and it is still working 100%. Additionally, the car had been leaking oil for several years, but the leak has stopped! (Not sure how that could be related, but it doesn't seem like a coincidence to me.) In short, I'm still totally overjoyed and amazed by how this stuff works!My 2001 Pontiac Grand Am sports coupe -- which I love -- was diagnosed with a blown head gasket. Symptoms included white smoke from exhaust and sometimes from under hood, coolant had to be added daily; ran very rough ("shaky") for the first few minutes of driving; even when warmed up, the heater blew cool air for a period of time; gas consumption high. Yet, the car NEVER OVERHEATED.Desperate to avoid costly repairs, I began researching "fixes" and finally settled on the Bar's Head Seal Blown Head Gasket Repair. It was easy to perform the process, and by the second day the difference was like night and day!! I did have to top off the coolant that one day (but not since); the car ran smooth, heater worked fine (no cool air), no white smoke; coolant remains full; fuel consumption seems to be lower.I'm a bit superstitious, so I'm afraid to speak too soon and jinx it, but it has been more than two weeks since doing the Bar's fix and all is great! Another plus: the Bar's customer support is outstanding!! Very knowledgeable and reassuring. If you're skeptical about trying the product, I would suggest calling them first.

Gamechanger!I was advised against using this type of product in my 2006 Mercedes with 240,000 miles that had consistently elevated temperatures, indicating some head gasket damage. I was warned that these types of products can seriously harm the car's cooling system and the engine. I started an online search of different products and decided to use this product over the others. But before moving forward, I called their customer support line. The guy who answered was generous with his time, an expert on the product, supportive, and understanding. After I hung up, I felt comfortable enough to use the product in my car. As advised, I followed the directions carefully and without deviation. Then I let this product stay in the cooling system. I began to drive normally. Over the course of two weeks, I noticed a positive improvement in engine temperatures. Now, four months after the initial use, I can comfortably say that the issue with my head gasket has been, if not completely resolved, at least significantly improved. I was faced with a potential $8,000 repair bill, and that came with no guarantees, at a conservative number. Today, I enjoy driving my car and rarely check the temperature gauge anymore. I know that one size does not fit all. Although this product helped save my car, it may not work for every situation. Some head gaskets may be beyond this type of help. I can say that I feel comfortable in recommending this product as I have not noticed any adverse affects after usage.

OutputHistory (1)Words used465 / 1,000Bar's Leaks HG-1 Head Seal: A Temporary Solution for Blown Head GasketsWhen it comes to dealing with a blown head gasket, many car owners turn to products like Bar's Leaks HG-1 Head Seal for a quick fix. While this product can provide temporary relief, it’s important to understand its limitations and why it may not be a long-term solution.What is Bar's Leaks HG-1 Head Seal?Bar's Leaks HG-1 is a liquid sealant designed to stop leaks in the head gasket, engine block, or cylinder head. It works by forming a seal that can help prevent coolant and oil from mixing, which is a common issue with blown head gaskets. The product is easy to use and can be added directly to the radiator, making it an appealing option for those looking for a quick fix.Why It May Not Work for LongNature of the Damage: If the head gasket is severely damaged, a sealant may not be able to provide a lasting solution. The product is designed for minor leaks and may not hold up under significant pressure or heat.Temporary Fix: Bar's Leaks HG-1 is often viewed as a band-aid solution. While it can stop leaks temporarily, it does not repair the underlying issue. Over time, the seal created by the product can break down, leading to a recurrence of the problem.Engine Conditions: Factors such as engine temperature, pressure, and the type of coolant used can affect the performance of the sealant. In high-stress conditions, the effectiveness of the product may diminish quickly.Compatibility Issues: Not all engines are compatible with sealants. Some manufacturers advise against using such products, as they can cause further damage or clog the cooling system.What to ConsiderIf you find yourself in a situation where you need to use Bar's Leaks HG-1, keep the following in mind:Monitor Your Engine: After using the product, keep a close eye on your engine's performance. Look for signs of overheating, coolant loss, or oil contamination.Plan for Repairs: While the sealant may provide temporary relief, it’s crucial to plan for a proper repair. Replacing the head gasket is often the best long-term solution to prevent further damage to your engine.Consult a Professional: If you’re unsure about the extent of the damage or how to proceed, it’s always a good idea to consult with a mechanic. They can provide guidance on the best course of action for your specific situation.ConclusionBar's Leaks HG-1 Head Seal can be a useful temporary solution for minor head gasket leaks, but it is not a substitute for proper repairs. Understanding its limitations and planning for a more permanent fix is essential to ensure the longevity and health of your engine. If you find yourself frequently dealing with head gasket issues, it may be time to consider a more comprehensive approach to engine maintenance.

I have a Ford fiesta 1.4tdci 2010 2nd owner, from the time I brought the car it always had coolant loss don't where changed the head the piston 3 times and then also same problem 4th time got the half engine done new block piston seal still face the same problem over heating and coolant loss was fed up of putting in so much money and could not take it for a long ride but after putting this it's been a more then a week and the engine noise changed in 15 mins and all the noise from the engine just went away and till now its holding coolant and not over heating anymore will update if I face any problems in coming times but for now it works

Funciona perfectamente, altamente recomendado

Simple to use and has fixed the leak for now. Appears to be working.

This product will not fix every head gasket issue, but it was able to fix my 2016 Prius head gasket 100%. The car was blowing white smoke out of the tailpipe and I had to top up the coolant every 2 to 3 days. I dumped half of the bottle in the reservoir tank, drove the car normally for a couple of days and the smoke disappeared. This was 2 months and 2,000 kms ago. Definitely worth trying before taking the engine apart.

This product worked perfectly on my Yaris 2008 Model which was having blown head gasket, this product sealed it perfectly. Now no more drying out coolant water from the radiator.