Inside Line: Steel Seal

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The Vauxhall Corsa 1.2, like smaller cars such as Fiats, Renaults and Peugeots, are the most likely to suffer head-gasket failure, according to Steel Seal, the quick-fix solution for a blown head gasket.

Small engines, often with aluminium-alloy cylinder heads, and low-capacity coolant systems, are particularly vulnerable to over-heating, which in turn can lead to the head gasket to blow.

Furthermore some cars can even suffer from a blown head gasket at low mileages – in some instances at just 30,000 miles. This can be down to a manufacturing defect or cheap head gaskets being fitted which becomes a false economy.

And it’s a costly business! The price of repairing a head gasket can increase significantly depending on the amount of additional damage caused. Very often people carry on running a car, such as the Vauxhall Corsa 1.2, until it will not go any more. This can trigger even more problems as the vehicle has boiled or ‘cooked’ from excess heat which causes other faults such as warped heads, cracked blocks and valve damage or even seized pistons locked due to the amount of water that has got into the combustion chambers.

How to diagnose a blown head gasket

Look out for:

  • Coolant loss or leaking from the water pump
  • Bubbles of air coming up into the radiator
  • Engine overheating
  • Engine running rough
  • Coolant or oil from the head or on the spark plugs
  • White smoke from the exhaust
  • Oil in the water
  • Sludge-like substance in the oil
  • Hoses deteriorating or being forced off
  • Low-compression cylinders

Solving the problem

The process of repairing or replacing a head gasket can be lengthy. This is because garage mechanics have to strip down the engine, remove the cylinder head and assess the damage that has been caused. Should the damage not be too severe, then the head gasket may have to be rebored or, in a worst-case scenario, the head gasket will need to be completely replaced.

Benefits of Steel Seal

  • Permanence: Steel Seal permanently seals blown head gaskets, warped heads and cracked engine blocks.
  • Speed: The solution is faster than repairing or replacing a head gasket. It is not uncommon for a head gasket replacement to take an entire day, and depending on the extent of the damage to the head gasket area, it is possible to see a time frame of up to three days.
  • Cost-efficient: Replacing/repairing a Vauxhall Corsa head gasket can cost hundreds of pounds but a bottle of Steel Seal retails for just £39.99 with a full money back guarantee.

Simplicity of use. Pour Steel Seal into the radiator of a cold engine.  When the engine is started and reaches its operating temperature the mixture is drawn into the damaged areas by the extra heat which then seals the cracks with an innovative thermo-chemical bonding process. Once the bonding process is complete the chemicals become inert, so there is no reaction when other products are added to the cooler system.

To find out more about Steel Seal click here.

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  1. It burns up from excessive heat or is “squeezed out” (exceeds its load bearing capacity) due to
    excessive pressure. When we drink coffee, the loss of calcium alerts
    the adrenal glands, which go into high gear to try to keep us alive.

    Now most people know you need to change the oil in the
    engine of a car every 3 to 6 months or every 5000 or 10,000 km.