91Lexuser Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Hi, I was wondering if anyone of you have had any experience sealing a leaky heater core with Blue Devil Engine & Cooling Sealant by Universal Products! http://www.gouniversalproducts.com/product_overview.html This is for a 1991 LS400. Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 No experience with the product but i would be very leery of adding that to my cooling system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91Lexuser Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 Thanks Larryp! Well, faced with a situation where the dealer charges $105/hr and estimates that the job will take a minimum of 10 hrs, one would start looking for other options. Mind you that you still need to add the price of the core itself. I thought I found the core being peddled on the net for $66, but then I discovered that they're a bunch of crooks. That's a topic for another day, though! The car has over 230,000 miles and I'm waiting to celebrate my quarter of a million mile on it. Now, with that in mind what would you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harky Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Now, with that in mind what would you do? Option 1 - Obvoiusly, search out an indie mechanic that charges a more reasonable hourly rate... Option 2 - If you are handy, you may do some investigation on your own to verify that it is indeed a core leak and not a leak at the hose connection to the core. This may be a much less expensive fix. Option 3 Bypass the heater core circuit to eliminate coolant flow thru the core. (Assuming that AL winters aren't too severe...) Option 4 - Dump in the "stop leak" and pray that it doesn't plug up your radiator or idle control valve circuit or your PCV circuit, etc, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VBdenny Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I have never seen leaky heater cores get any better. Usually the first sign of trouble is the inside of your windows developing a fog. Heater cores are located in very difficult places to access which is why they charge so much. I suppose if this happened to my car I would probably investigate how to change it out myself. My second choice would be to find a garage that charges less per hour such as a Toyota dealer. Some Toyota dealers will not work on a Lexus but some will. I really doubt the stoip leak will work anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Like you, i know at this point any major repairs are going to represent a major portion of the total value of the car. If you plan on keeping her another year you'll have to get 'er fixed. However, as Harky suggested, bypassing the heater core for the summer might be a good option to "fix" the problem temporarily. I have had the pleasure to replace 2 heater cores in the last 3 months (F150 and Monte Carlo) and it is a major pain - not technically difficult - just plain hard to get to everything. On the F150 you have to remove entire dash. If you have any mechanical skills you could do probably do it yourself and save a ton of money. I'd bypass her for now and plan to fix her myself later (or at least find a ggod indie mechanic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plexus914 Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Removing the heater core is not that difficult because you do not need to remove the dash.....just pull the core off the heater housing: LS 400 Disconnect the negative battery cable. Wait 90 seconds before doing any further work while the airbag system de-energizes. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Drain the cooling system into a clean container for reuse. Remove or disconnect the following:- Undercover and the No. 1 safety pad-to-instrument panel screws and the panel at the driver-s side - No. 2 heater-to-register duct - Heater core-to-heater housing screw and clamp - Heater hoses from the heater core - Heater core from the heater housing - Discard the O-rings Fig. Exploded view of the instrument panel-LS 400 Fig. Exploded view of the heater core, heater/air conditioning housing and related components-LS 400 More MODELS: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/repairguides/Lexus-Car-ES-IS-LS-1998-06/Heater-Core/Removal-Installation/_/P-0996b43f803790e1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Coleman Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 I have wsyet leaking in my back seat puddle of water. When O drive I can hear water sloshing under the passenger seat. What could be the problem. Heat is still working.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sha4000 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 On 12/16/2019 at 5:06 PM, Charles Coleman said: I have wsyet leaking in my back seat puddle of water. When O drive I can hear water sloshing under the passenger seat. What could be the problem. Heat is still working.. Your sunroof drains are most likely clogged with junk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Replace leather seat cover Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 My wifes original HEATED leather seat covering that is perforated on her 08 es350 has gone bad. I have gone on eBay and found one to replace it but it is not perforated - would it work? it is not just the leather but it has the 3 inch foam as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vissine Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 I would never use those sealants. It never works and mostly creates undesirable conditions in the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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