I bought a 2010 Hyundai Veracruz with the 3.8 Lambda engine 99,300 miles for $1200, as a salvage with a blown head gasket. The ad stated the radiator sprung a leak and the engine overheated. (The parts I am most after is the transmission anyway. Mine is high miles.)
I decided to have a look inside the engine to see if it's a good core to rebuild. The story it tells is an attempt to stop a radiator leak with an over the counter product, that clogged the passages and caused gasket failure. It looks bad, but cleans up quickly and turns over now.
https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/finding-a-donor-truck.675382/#lg=attachment462423&slide=0
https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/finding-a-donor-truck.675382/#lg=attachment462425&slide=0
https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/finding-a-donor-truck.675382/#lg=attachment462427&slide=0
Tell them, Scotty! {black}:afraid: Do Not Put That 🤬 Garbage In Your Radiator!!! Sure it fixes the leak, and kills your bloody engine.
What's your opinion on getting any more miles out of this engine, Scotty?
Thanks, EZ
If the radiator is leaking, it needs to be replaced, period.
It had a brand new radiator in it when I bought the truck.
Someone added a product to the old one to get the truck back home, I suspect. (It's the story the engine tells anyway.)
The stop leak clogged up the engine's water jackets, caused hot spots and then the head gasket fail.
Sorry to hear this.
For decades people have looked for magic in a can or bottle to fix their car problems. As this example aptly demonstrates such "cures" frequently just make things worse.
