I have a question on my 1984 Pontiac Trans AM. It is all stock and has the original green ethylene Glycol coolant.

I am planning on changing both my radiator hoses and draining the coolant. I will refill with Zerex Original Green. I have no antifreeze leaks of any kind, anywhere in the car.

My question is it recommended to put some bars leak or sealer in the car with new antifreeze as a protective measure or is that a bad idea? I have read people put a can of Bars leak Radiator sealer in with fresh coolant to help seal any small holes throughout the cooling system.

Curious what everyone's thoughts are and if anyone does that.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Dont fix what aint broken.

 

Make sure you drain the block. 2 plugs, just above the oil pan rails, exactly halfway back (between #3 & #5 on the left, and #4 & #6 on the right). The driver's side one is/was steel; probably will be a witch with a capital B to get out if still original; use a 6-point impact socket ONLY. The one on the pass side is cleverly disguised as the knock sensor. Might need to poke a crusty of rust and funk out of the way after you pull the plugs. Put a brass one back on the driver's side (¼" NPT), available at any hardware store. Use about 6 wraps of the thin white Teflon tape, or 4 of the thicker pink kind.

No sealer. Just clean new green antifreeze; between 50/50 and 60/40 in your geographical area, water to AF. Used DISTILLED water. NOT tap, NOT RO filtered, NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT. Distilled. You could throw in a bottle of Water Wetter if you want, not required by any means, but not a bad idea either.

It would be a GREAT time to replace your WP if it's old, heater & radiator hoses, thermostat, rad cap, and any other "wearout" "soft" parts of the system.

 

What he said ^ What about the heater core? Also, read up on some of the problems on Bars Leak. I would be afraid to introduce anything like that into my good working system, that I intended to keep that way.

 

Good point on the WP / Heater Core / Thermostat. Maybe I should look into doing it all since I have owned the car for 20 + years and I never did them.....thanks for the advice.

 

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!

But OD flush the system, run it with plain water for a bit to circulate then refill with 50/50 coolant / distilled water.

 

My thoughts on any of these "leak-repair-in-a-can" products are that I stay away from them. Same for the multitude of "head-gasket-in-a-can" and "engine-overhaul-in-a-can" additives on the market. If the car is anything other than a million-mile beater that you don't care about, mechanical problems need to be corrected by actual repair.

Simply follow the maintenance schedule outlined in your FSM, replace any worn components you find, and use top-quality coolants/lubricants.