Removing leak sealer thats gone solid in car cylinder head.

My friend has acquired another engine block for his TR6 to replace his cracked one on cleaning the water ways on his original cylinder head he is finding a solid white substance blocking waterways.

He had used a leak sealer called Steal Seal originally to seal the block leak.

The Steal Seal manufacturers say use White Vinegar to remove it.

It's no good I was give some samples of the white solid that is blocking the waterways and tried various mild acids with no reaction to it.

Suggestions please on ways to remove blockage at home it can be scraped out on places you can get at but can not get to inaccessible places.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Am I right in guessing that the product name is "Steel Seal" not "Steal Seal" ?

My first step would be to look at the MSDS ... [which may be this one]

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 23/07/2014 21:12:41

I will try to find out (I have forgotten ) the name of the solvent used by a company I used to do some work for. It was an engine reconditioning shop and they had a solvent bath which was absolutely magic. Didn't matter what you put in it, it came out clean as a whistle - Steel or Cast or Aluminium - plastic and any type of gasket sealer or block repair goo would just dissolve. Even Red Hermatite.

I am however worried that possibly the safety Elves have put the mockers on it!

There's a product used by kitchen fitters to remove silicone sealer. that should do the job.

Silicone gives off acetic acid (vinegar) as it sets so it must be impervious to it.

Neil

Graham, was that Magnus 755, looked like black treacle? We had a chap immerse his hands in it and his skin came off! Gear came out just like as if it had been cast or machined, pristine. I did work for 6 months in the plating shop and did all the cleaning off with Zonax before plating.

Clive

Paul,

this sounds like the pressure sealing mixture I had applied to a porous aluminium cylinder head by a company in Slough who also did Formula 1 engines. I had oil ways blocked and found the only solution was mechanically removing it. Any solvents capable of dissolving it will make the head porous again I suspect

Simon

Just an idle thought - The car mag 'Practical Classics' has a forum, might be worth asking the question again there.

I expect the other car mags have forums as well.

**LINK**

Edited By V8Eng on 24/07/2014 11:37:09

> Magnus 755

"Heavy duty emulsifiable solvent decarboniser"

"In case of contact, flush skin or eyes with plenty of water and get medical attention immediately"

Appears to be more or less creosote with added detergents - nice.

Neil

Hope this helps

The solvent used by the automotive industry for years was MEK. I have used it to repair ABS and use it as a degreaser.

**LINK**

**LINK**

"Liquid glass" (sodium silicate) is added to the system through the radiator, and allowed to circu

late. Sodium silicate is suspended in the coolant until it reaches the cylinder head. At 100–105 °C sodium silicate loses water molecules to form a glass seal with a re-melt temperature above 810 °C.

**LINK**

Paul,

Not sure if these people supplied the sealing compounds but this link **LINK** gives a good overview of what might have happened to your friend's cylinder head - and rather confirms my thoughts that mechanical rather than chemical means will be the only solution.

I spent a merry few hours with small drills, bits of steel and compressed air clearing the blocked oil way which had left one of the cam bearings and two of the cams without any oil. The first time ity happened, I was in a hurry and just replaced them, the second time it happened rather more rapidly and that was when I found the vaguely crystaline, semi translucent material.

On the plus side, the original problem occurred in one of the cylinder combustion chambers. Apparently there was a batch of heads where the inner core moved allowing a very thin chamber to water jacket wall which subsequently developed a hole. A fast run back from Germany resulted in the combustion products gas-axing their way into the water jacket and limping home on 7 cylinders.

The cure was effected by a friend of a friend who had deep experience of welding heads for dragster and he repaired it but left it with some porosity or tiny holes. A company on Slough Trading estate was recommended and they successfully applied the pressurised compound (from memory, it was a resin). Whilst I was there I saw a pile of different bell housings and blocks from 'one' of the F1 teams.

The fix has held for another 100,000 miles plus over at least 15 years - probably more...not bad for a bodge worthy of JS.....

Yes Clive, that is exactly the solution. One of the chaps at this reconditioning workshop splashed some on his face as he dropped a cylinder head in. That took some bark off too if I remember!

graham.