Don't knock snake oil... it really works! When was the last time you saw a squeaky snake? Sure, some (in North America) may rattle but they never squeak mate! 😀
Ladies and gentlemen, does your snake squeak when it slithers? Well thanks to my new product, snake squeak can be eliminated for only 3 payments of $49,99!
I want my snakes to squeak and or rattle. It makes it far easier to identify their presence and gives me more time to formulate a timely exit strategy.
@@markh.6687 That is the strategy that I have employed for over five decades now. It's worked thus far. The problem now is the "five decades" bit. Quickly isn't what it used to be!
@@davidbrayshaw3529 I get it, being in my 50's, and not so fit to begin with. But I can still hustle quick when it matters. Say, like that when that hot woman...errr, nevermind. I mean, escaping from snakes.
John, here in 'Murica a bottle of AT 205 is about 12 USD. I was skeptical, not being a big advocate of additives. I had a 1999 Mercedes E320 with a steering rack that developed a leak. The car was 21 years old at the time and I did not want to fork over the 2 grand or so to replace the rack. So I tried the AT 205 Reseal. Not only did this stuff stop the leak within a couple of hundred miles, but it bought me the time to gather up the cash to replace the rack. In my humble opinion, this is the only additive worth purchasing. That being said, the cost of the product in Australia seems a bit excessive! I would think twice about spending that kind of coin for an additive.
While I agree with your placement of the fire suppression equipment near the evacuation point. I once questioned a fire safety company on why they placed the fire extinguisher at the back of our workshop and not near the door. They said that if you're near the door, just leave. But if you're down the back and the fire is between you and the door now you have a way to improve your chances of escape. So I was glad to see you mention the 3rd extinguisher near back and close to the likely sources of ignition. It's also important differentiate between a fire in a workplace and a fire at home. Most people will be more likely to attempt fighting a fire at home.
Nature says run, unless your offspring are in danger. I'd keep the extinguisher near the exits(entries), I'll run to the extinguisher when the fire's small and keep going if it's big.
Great video John, ideal time to promote these kinds of safety equipment with everybody in the home during the holidays that extra 20 seconds not wasted looking for it can save lives.
Snake oils and most fuel additives are my best friend. I service/ repair diesel injectors, pumps and turbos and 75% of the faults I see are due to the addition of the next wonder potion and cure for injection issues.
I had a thought that related to your "snake oil" comment Matui69... John said that "...at worst it does nothing" (referring to the additive). I had thought worse would be "what if this oil additive blocks a leak it shouldn't?" Like, how can it tell the difference between a worn main rear seal and an oil gallery? Next minute your repair quote goes from $1600 (with new clutch) to complete engine rebuild for $????
Absolutely love the section on the Fire Extinguisher set up. Been there and done that. You CAN NOT overdo the amount of fire gear you have, its cheap insurance to have it around and not use it than needing it and having nout. We have one in our upstairs bedroom just in case we get caught with our pants down and need to fight our way out.
Yep 2 in the shed exits, one at kitchen entry and one en-route to BBQ. Interesting that in straya we most commonly see oil/fat flames on our BBQ's yet don't bother with an extinguisher nearby. Livin on the edge.
@@mrrberger yep, I've had a BBQ catch fire. Didnt realise the drip tray had built up and it caught fire. Luckily I managed to turn the gas off and had an extinguisher close by in my garage.
Every 6 months, the extinguisher should be inverted a couple of times, to keep the powder loose. This especially applies to extinguishers in vehicles - all that vibration can pack down the powder, making the unit useless when needed.
That's true. The powder can actually harden in place after a long time. Turning and shaking them now and then is definitely a good idea. You should actually feel the powder running from one end to the other as you turn the bottle upside down and back up. I worked with extinguishers in my very first temp job☺👍👋
John - thanks for the candid admission around fire safety. My father was a dangerous goods driver, and drummed into us the simple precautions that you can take as a sentient human being to ensure that when things "go poopy in the trousers" as far as fire is concerned, it's always nice to have a suppression device nearby. Well done, great Community Service Announcement. P.S. Thanks to you and your service - I love my M3C.
@@barryaiello3127 exactly. Some folks think it's ok to wait another year or two. I've even seen a guy who ran his golf for 6 years without an oil change, because he thought it was too expensive. A new turbo, timing chain and oil pump proved him wrong.
In the late 70's we used to deliver potatoes, the water pump on the utes that was used had failed, and as usual the delivery was needed that day. The local mechanic/servo had this additive that was meant to fix water pumps, they put that in. That water pump was still on the motor 2 years when it was pulled out due to being totally stuffed. The local Mechanic couldnt get anymore of that stuff either, it was taken off the market because it was to good.
I have a leaking rear main in a diesel mondeo, been leaking for years, helped with a polymer sealant (about 20 bux) every oil change. Even before this it dripped maybe only a cup or so of oil between services. They can leak a little for years. Oil is relatively cheap to keep topping up. Spending too much on a rear main seal repair on an older car is just good money for no real gain. Everything boils down to what you can afford I suppose.
I gotta drive my truck to new construction sites, I can't have any oil leaks at all. It was worth it for me to sew up every leak on the block, so I think it has to do more with need than what you can afford. Who can afford to be unemployed?
My experience over the years with seal swelling additives is pretty much what John said in this video. They usually worked for about 2 or 3 months, but after that the leak comes back with a vengeance. On a Ford Explorer (1995) I owned, the leak came back soo bad that it allowed air to get into the crankcase bypassing the MAF sensor and got sucked into the intake via the PCV system. Un-metered air. It leaned out the mixture at idle that caused misfires for the first minute or so on a hot restart. The computer eventually did a short term fuel trim. There was soo much oil that leaked when it was parked that I had to put an oil drain pan under the transmission bell housing when I parked. After I paid $800 (US) for it to be replaced along with a new torque convertor, the idle problem went away confirming my theory.
BIG YES on the fire extinguisher and blanket. I put them in my fat cave, and in the kitchen earlier this year. Wife wasn't happy about the affront to Kitchen aesthetics but I put my one remaining foot down on this front. I also put a smoke detector in the fat cave, but at the "habitable" end of the cave. On the unexpected repair bill front, suggesting a delay to save up is good idea however I've had an oil leak repair mandated following a registration renewal (pink slip) check. That made the delay and save option unviable. It was either get the job done or lose registration.
That "Snake Oil" you speak of John, is in fact recommended by one very highly subscribed RUclips automotive commentator from the USA, (won't mention his name, but his initials are S.K.), he claims no allegiance to the manufacturer. But I say, oil is cheap, until the leak prevents rego or becomes torrential, leave it be. $1600, is a lot of cash to pull a gearbox just to stop a few drops. Good idea and info on the extinguishers mate, saved my butt once in a workshop fire.
I have used Barhdal gear oil stop leak for many years. And, it works... sometimes. I give it a B+. Recently I had a pinion gear seal start to leak about a dribble every day. The treatment was successful, no more leaking.
Hah - I did something similar a couple years back JC after getting away with not having any extinguishers for at least 10 years in the fat cave - doing grinding and welding etc. Obviously I was living a charmed life. The downside? I set fire to the damn workshop installing the fire extinguisher brackets. 😜😂😂 Hey, at least I had a new extinguisher handy to put the bloody thing out! 😂😂👍
Good advice, John. Fire is bloody scary, and can spread FAST. A truck driver I know started off smelling a bit of smoke, getting concerned, to HOLY SHIT THERE'S FIRE COMING UNDER THE HOOD!!! in very short order. He pulled over, yanked on the parking brake, and executed plan Golf Tango Foxtrot Oscar. (Spell it out.) The truck was wholly consumed in flames in about a minute after that, and a total loss. It turned out that something in the transmission let go, smashed out of the tranny case, and knocked a hole in a fuel tank, near hot exhaust, hotter than usual because the system was doing a regen at the time. The burned out carcass of the truck sat in the yard behind the shop for months because of paperwork and insurance bullshit. At the time I was training new drivers, so I'd point that out to them, with advice to not piss around if you suspect something is burning. Your advice to have the fire extinguisher beside your primary exit is simple and brilliant.
I haven't had much use with AT 205, but I have seen Scotty Kilmar on youtube talk about it. He says it can help some leaks around low pressure situations as long as it stays in the oil. The leak will continue after an oil change. You'll then need to add it again. He also says you can spray it on rubber components occasionally to keep them soft and reduce cracking. I only sprayed it on rubber for the benefit of the doubt, but dont know from personal experience if it would make a diffrence. Not to knock Scotty.( or John) I love watching both Scotty and John. Both seem to be very knowledgeable about cars.
When I was a young fella just starting out in the industry we had a KA Laser in the workshop that was owned by one of the office girls. We knew the piston rings were cactus by the MASSIVE amounts of smoke that had been pouring out of the exhaust but it had miraculously stopped doing so about a month beforehand. It was a quiet time in the workshop and as a favour to her the boss decided we should do an oil change for her. We put the car over the pit, removed the oil drain plug and got about half a coffee cup of oil out of the engine...and not another drop more. Long story short...it turns out that the boyfriend had "discovered" this magical ingredient at the local auto parts store called "stop smoke" and had just kept pouring bottle after bottle of it into the engine until the engine did in fact stop smoking. Success!!!...not. We had to remove the sump to get the rest of the oil out of the engine as it had turned basically into a thick slime and had to be removed from the sump by turning it upside down and banging it on a piece of cardboard. When it was out it was like watching a slowly dissolving lump of honey coloured jelly melting on the cardboard. Not only were the rings gone in the engine but now the entire valve train and main bearings were completely shot due to oil starvation. The boss was thinking we might do a quick hone on the bores and chuck a new set of rings in for her but the valve train and big end damage kyboshed that idea. Moral of the story...additives are a car salesmans' best friend.
Sound advice on the fire safety equipment. I keep an extinguisher in the kitchen and laundry room near the exit points. Also one in each level in the bathroom. It is best "to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them". Forgot about the car but will pick up one tomorrow.
I've always carried a chemical fire extinguisher in a car ever since I saw what happens to people covered in burning fuel. Even if you can't put the car out, well maybe you can put yourself out with the smaller ones. Have used it a total of 3 times and thankfully never on my own car. 2 Rangerovers and 1 Hyundai Only one of those owners actually thanked me for stopping to help, I bet you can guess which one.
Jeez mate, at this rate you are going to have ARB, aftermarket parts makers AND additive makers waiting out the front of your house! Well done, great info as usual ;)
So what you really mean John is : S = k log W. I have been involved in club level motorsport competition for a long time. Every 2 years we have to update to a new fire extinguisher. So the old one gets a place in the house or garage. When I do this, the oldest unit is used. I set up a small fire and make members of the house use it to put out the fire. This means that every member of my family has had experience using an extinguisher. On the 1st of January each year, every extinguisher dial is checked to make sure it is in the green zone. Also on this day, ALL batteries of remotes, clocks, cameras, radios and torches are changed for new. Vehicle batteries are checked for charging and replaced if 4 years old. Except for the Optima in the race car, that is checked every meeting.
I've had an Austin Healey Sprite and Austin Mini and all I can say is they were great fun to own, but they also had some oil leakage. I suppose it's a British car thing. So, to the Miata owner, I suggest to affix an MG sticker and go motoring with a sense his main seal is normal and nothing to worry over.
Like the SR71 just count the drops and build a standard around it. I'd call it an upgrade that it's now in constant oil change cycle like British cars.
.... excellent advice. Then in 20yrs when the Miata is junked he can progress it by putting a "Triumph STAG" badge on it. The STAG was so glamorous & desirable but tragic.
Given that the MX-5 is 20 years old and only has 67,000km on it, I can only its value heading in one direction (hint: not down). It's heading into classic territory, so spend the money and do the job properly. BTW I did the fire extinguisher and blanket thing a few years ago, but that was mainly because I saw them in the middle aisle of Aldi and I can't go to Aldi and not buy random shit from the middle aisle. I've never had to use the extinguisher or fire blanket, but now I kinda feel like an upgrade (idk if a 1kg ABE extinguisher is enough).
I would make one slight adjustment to the fire extinguisher next to the garage door, place it lower. There exist regulations regarding public buildings that I think would also be valid at home. Have the top of the extinguisher not higher than your shoulders to make it as easy as possible to take it of its hook.
John.... 2 things... First, it turns out that the video we all saw, in which lemmings drowned themselves, was a fake. It turns out that someone tossed lemmings into the ocean while someone else photographed it... We were deceived and lemmings are apparently not suicidal. Second, some automotive cleaning products actually work, for example carburetor cleaner. It turns out that varnish and dirt are real things and can be removed. As to the oil detergents, those mostly aren't useful. First rapidly moving parts rarely clog and secondly if a product actually dissolved all of the sludge in your engine in 10 minutes, the resulting sludge would actually clog up your bearings. On the other hand, high quality oil with mild cleaning additives do work over time to clean an engine and keep it clean. As to fixing worn out parts or actually heavily sludged up parts, I've always wound up replacing them. One footnote: anything that claims to lubricate by adding a solid lubricant like graphite or Teflon into you oil will only work until the solid settles out. This experiment was done on B29 bombers during WW2 by a friend of mine in trying to use graphite to extend the bombers range and I repeated the test in my car in the 1980's, Graphite actually improved the fuel economy and raised the idle speed of the engine very significantly. Then I let the car sit for a few days and the benefits were gone. Two years later I took the engine apart and found the graphite in little pools of shiny powder mostly on the cylinder heads and around the cam shaft in the valley (V8), So apparently no one ever did find a way to keep a solid suspended in oil indefinitely... or even longer than a few weeks.
Back in the golden days of my youth, when in the 80's I first ventured onto the roads as a motorist, my Fathers advice on sinking money into additives was that the money was better spent on tools, and a decent Haynes manual for the car. Of course, back then most repairs on cars were practical for the home mechanic and for people with a little mechanical aptitude and some care and a little common sense perfectly safe (at least to the standards of the time). I'm not so sure that with the way cars are designed these days and the variety of special tools required that is necessarily good advice, but I'd still lean away from special additives. Even ones that made sense back in the day like "Molyslip" to reduce engine wear or cooling system additives that often had a positive affect on corrosion and lubrication of water pumps are no longer a good idea in modern engines unless endorsed by the manufacturer of the vehicle, oils and coolants these days are more specific to the components used in the engine. I would argue that maybe some of the injector cleaners and such may have a good affect, but I'd be wary of using anything in a car these days that was not intended by the manufacturer due to the possibility of adverse effects on sensors, seals etc. Its a shame, but it is the inevitable consequence of the decades of engineering knowledge that have been poured into automotive design.
i baught a manual for ever car i owned from 16 to a few years ago, rebuild my first motor learning from a manual. i learned from emanual was the gardner .
This is an interesting conversation. I didn't see how old the vehicle was, but my experience of the cause of an oil leak from the rear main seal on most occasions is that the crankcase ventilation system has become clogged or blocked causing a positive pressure to exist in the crankcase. I could claim to have fixed 25 out of 30 jobs by simply cleaning out the ventilation system and fitting a new PCV valve. By the way most of these vehicles had never had sufficient oil changes to keep the inner surfaces of the engine clean. I have seen engine that have had 6 months/ 10,000km service with good oil last at least 20 years without oil leaks.
It is not just getting the fire suppression equipment you need to read the instructions and practice what you are going to do in the case of an emergency, until you get to the point that in the actual case of an emergency you do what is needed without thinking. For the most part practice can be in your head just planning and re-planning. Because when the time comes there won't be any time to stop and read instructions or think up a plan of action.
Had an XG falcon ute 6 cyl, was a broke apprentice at the time and the head gasket started to leak. Radiator bubbles, smell in the coolant water in the exhaust, temp gauge flicking all the tell tale signs. Got a bottle of Chemiweld and it got me an extra 6 months out of the vehicle before it really let got and had to be done .
I bought the LiquiMoly Engine resealer because my old Q7 was leaking (repair bill in the thousands). We were planning on trading in the car for something new but an oil leak will drastically reduce the price. Put a bottle in and no more leaks. Q7 will be gone next week and replaced with a new Hyundai. $30 from AutoOne and paid for itself with the trade in price. With a car you want to keep, go for it and get it done properly but if you only need a short term solution, the product works. You will need a new bottle with every oil change.
Additives are stop gaps to get you by, not permanent fixes. Head gasket sealer just allows you to prepare for having your car off the road when you get it prepared properly. I have heard transmission sealers are bad due to the large number of rubber/plastic seals. Most of these sealant additives work by causing the seals to swell up and fill in any gaps. Problem is with auto trans is that many of these seals need to move, and when they swell up they become too large and risk jamming the piston that is meant to move.
Well done John with your investment in extinguishers and fire blankets. I'm retired from CSIRO fire science and RFS volo of 39 years - don't forget optical smoke alarms in the house - interconnected hard wired with battery backup. An even better option is having optical / C0 (carbon monoxide) detectors.
Dood, snake oil sometimes works, back when I was a 17 yo highly skilled driver I managed to not only strip 1st gear but to crack the block of my Twinspinner. I could live without 1st, but the overheating was a bit much, a friend suggested using Chemiweld, lo and behold, that snake oil lasted years much to my suprise. The snake oil in your fire extinguisher is Baking Soda, an ingredient held in much reverence in most kitchens. I have extinguished several pan fires by using it. I am not suggesting grabbing a handfull to put out a major fire, only a properly used extinguisher can do that. Good to hear of a company, Hicraftsafety, giving good service, very uncommon these days. Keep up the good work, Dood, look forward to your next.
Hi John, good reminder, I actually do have a powder extinguisher in the garage and have for many years… as evidenced by it showing it has no pressure left, and would’ve been a bit of a disappointment if there was a fire and nothing came out. Replacement has been ordered, it hadn’t crossed my mind in a long time to actually check it. Cheers.
At about 120k my wife’s VW Eos (2.0 turbo motor) started leaking from the rear main seal, I decided just to live with it and periodically clean the garage floor. About 2 years later at around 150k I decided the clutch needed replacing and had the oil seal fixed. As a side note the car had slowly developed an annoying throttle flat spot between 3-4000 rpm, after the main seal was replaced the flat spot was cured.
Yeah it would've been sucking air in through the seal into the crank case and it going up through the pcv bypassing the maf and causing a mis or flat spot.
On the powder extinguiser(s)....here in Europe (the Netherlands) if you use a powder fire extinguiser on anything remotely electrical or mechanical ....its considered a TOTAL LOSS!!! I think its worth a little investigation how things go with the insurance policys down under😎! Keep them vids coming love them all!
AT205 re-seal isn't snake oil, it really works. Scotty kilmar says about, it's is 24 quid off ebay. 140 dollars is a con, its a clear polymer based product that will make seals supple and seal again. I put some in a old tractor gearbox over 10 years ago and it is still leak free. It pours like water, it won't block anything as it only makes rubber seals swell.
I am a mechanic with 18 years qualified 6 years with my own shop. Some of that additive stuff works but the problem has to be a very mild case and 99% of the time the problem will return with 1 or 2 oil changes . Second hand car yards love additives 😂👍
Thanks for this report John. You’ve just reminded me to run through our family’s fire (blanket and evacuation) drills again with my 3 primary school age children. A while back you did a brilliant video(s) on how not to be a dickhead on the road, targeted at young drivers. I was wondering if you might do the same for fire safety? While I’m sure there are other videos my pre teens can watch, your “no BS” style cuts through brilliantly, at least in this household.
Just an extra comment on fire safety, most of us DYI people have a respirator for painting ect. A basic rubber half mask with screw on filter/s and I keep mine in my bedside draw because most people that die in house fires die from the smoke. This way it’s right next to you if the worst should happen, it’s stored in a clean environment and I always know where it is when I need to use it for painting. This helps remind me that it’s in the draw next to the bed when panic sets in and rational thought has left my brain. Being woken up at 2am by a screaming smoke alarm with the real chance of a room full of smoke and no lights is not conducive to calm rational thinking. A fire investigator once told me a lot of fires start in the meter box and showed me ways to avoid that happening but that’s the reason you may lose power. I hope this helps. Cheers.
I have used the same product in the Nulon range on a v6 Honda Inspire and 100% that product worked and stopped the oil leak. I’m not saying the fix was permanent but it worked for the remainder of the time that I owned the car, about 1 year. Also the Nulon product was only $38
I'd suggest that the reason the seal has gone in this case is age - it was 20 years old with low mileage which probably means once a week to the shop and the occasional slightly longer trip once a year. The rest of the time is spent sitting in the garage drying out and losing shape. This is actually best case scenario for this kind of stop-gap (pun intended) measure. If the seal can be softened, it allows the spring inside to pull the seal back into shape so that it conforms better to the shaft. It's actually unlikely with low kms that the seal is actually worn or damaged, especially if the vehicle has had it's required 20 oil changes during that time. Dirty or old oil would of course cause far more problems for this seal and other parts of the engine. As far as spending $140 on this particular product, someone is having a lend: you can buy that product for $50 to $60 if you shop around on places like Amazon, Ebay etc. There's also a plethora of products available from retailers like SuperCheap, some starting at around $30. I doubt that the active ingredients in all of them are very different - possibly just the actual amount of active ingredients are a little different. Since this particular vehicle is exactly what these products were designed for, it would definitely be worth trying, with the understanding that with the age of that vehicle you should definitely be putting aside a small amount of money each week for repairs and maintenance. If you've got the money sitting there in a "maintenance" account it's basically already spent, you can just get the work done. Think about it - you can budget for tires, servicing, brakes, and little more for other maintenance. The next things to go will be seals on other bearings (transmission rear end, wheel bearings and then gaskets (expensive). Don't forget exhaust system, which is probably corroding away quietly from all those short runs. I kind of understand wanting to keep an older vehicle. More modern cars are way more complicated and have more to go wrong, and working on them is a lot more complicated. I don't think $1000 would get you a new rear seal on very many vehicles made in the last five or ten years. Maybe a Mahindra or a Jimny 😇 While it might be tempting to replace an older vehicle, if it has low km then the more cost effective solution is actually the maintenance. You'll be spending tens of thousands on a new vehicle because even in today's market you won't get much for a twenty year old vehicle. Having been in this situation a few times, I can say that it's very nice to have a new car, but a low km older one works just as well and is far kinder on the bank balance, even if you do figure in the inevitable maintenance. (I can do a lot of stuff myself, so that probably influences my reasoning to a large extent).
Great segment on fire safety! I’m a volunteer fire fighter and marine engineer and it drives me crazy seeing “fat caves” and homes without basic fire fighting equipment. If I might add, a smoke detector with a bright strobe light over every bed in your home. Anecdotally, most of the people who die in their homes die in their bedrooms from fires that start there. The bright strobe flashing in your face will definitely help to wake you up and may save your life.
The only "fix in a bottle" I've ever found to make some difference was some Archoil D-Max stuff that I poured into the fuel tank of my Audi A3 (out of desperation) and, in fairness, it did drastically reduce the smoke coming out of the exhaust. The variable vanes on the turbski were getting stuck with carbon and it seemed to temporarily free them up enough to keep driving. That 2.0TDI BKD engine was a genuine pile of shit though, I was glad to get rid of it.
Extinguishers here in 'Muricuh, are always placed in the worst effing place seemingly, underneath the kitchen sink and next to the stove. Worked 15 years in the apartment maintenance field and dealt with many fires , almost none being put out by extinguishers because they're placed within arm's reach of where most fires start. This would almost make sense, to have imitate access to the extinguisher, except fires usually start when you're not in the kitchen and now access to the extinguisher is cut off by the fire. 😔 Run Forest run.
Yep. Silicone free rejuvenator for main seals, rubber boots, window surrounds. AU$140 is a bit steep though. Scotty also says never use anything with silicone in it (for rocker covers / oil pans etc), because silicone will quickly clog the catalytic converter(s).
My fat cave is primarily a wood shop and in there I have lots of things that burn really well. One of my shop rules is no angle grinders, no welders etc. I was using a hole saw to cut out some toy wheels, well friction produces heat and upon knocking out the accumulated dust I had a small gently smouldering fire. No real danger as the it was not much bigger than a 50 cent so easily put out. If there is a moral to this story it's that fires can start really easily and I fully agree with John that a well equipped fat cave should include a means to extinguish a fire and also a planned escape route.
I remember one time I smelt petrol driving along and pulled over to take a look. On opening the bonnet, and inch of petrol was sitting on the intake manifold of the V in my V8 engine boiling. You feel quite helpless without any fire extinguisher...... even more so where it to catch fire.
Hi John, recently found your content here in the UK. Love the banter and technical information. I’ve recently purchased a Pajero Sport or Shogun Sport as their known over here. I have 30 years history in the automotive manufacturing industry as a quality engineer, so appreciate your technical approach to issues. My question relates to diesel fuel additives sold over the counter. There is a 1.5 Renault manufactured engine that requires a special first fill fuel with increased lubricity, which is expensive. This was a countermeasure to a fuel pump warranty issue, to improve the initial bedding in if the lobes. I use a proprietary additive based on this experience, which is also supposed to help keep the engine clean. What’s your take on this type of additive? I know it makes no difference to economy or performance. I currently use Archoil.
AT-205 I think he meant $14 a bottle. At least that's close to what the $ is in 'Murica. And THANK YOU for sharing the fire safety ideas John! SO important. Unless you have been in, or close to, a fire, you think you can handle things. Think again.
I think 'mechanic in a bottle' stuff sometimes works. 2012 Falcon minor coolant leak 5 years ago. $10 Coolant stop leak - all good. $140 for a bottle of stop leak!!! Noooo! There is a couple of choices for under $20 at Supercheap - might even work 🙂. It's like buying a little bit of hope 🤞
G’day John, if power goes out on your fat cave door and it’s just a standard roller door - pull the chain hanging from the side (to disengage something) and push the door up. You’ll have adrenaline pumping so a standard roller door will be child’s play. Make running up the stairs Plan C, not Plan B. If it’s one of those heavier multi-panelled type doors then it may not be possible to easily open manually but well worth checking.
back in year 2000 I brought a 8yo V6 commodore and it had a slight rear main leak. I changed the oil to Mobil 1 5w/50 vs 20w/50 crap Holden was using and by the next service the leak had stopped. I drove another 400 thousand km and the rear main leak never returned but the sump gasket and a few others eventually started to weep once the car was over 20yo
Sump gaskets go often in the v6s ,they're just shit cork or rubber, I've completely removed mine and just glued the sump on, be a long time before she ever leaks again 🤣👌
If you can't get that extinguisher inspected on a regular basis, make a point, a couple of times a year, of checking the pressure on the included dial, and invert the device, and listen for the powder, in the bottom, displacing.
John normally those stop leak products will stop the leak for a short time because they can swell the rubber. But what you get is after the time period the snake oil wears out you end up with oil coming out everywhere because the snake oil weakens the sealing of rubber and gaskets
I thoroughly endorse your fire safety lesson John. May I please add that after years of workshop and field service in the mechanical arena that fire blankets can be the most often used fire suppressant. They then make good welding blankets. Anyhow carry on MALS.
When you said that at worst, these products may do nothing, I am reminded of a product some years ago that was supposed to put a teflon coating inside your engine. Can't recall offhand what it was called, but it ended up causing quite the backlash on the company. It didn't work and it clogged up the finer oilways in the engine and caused a lot of damage in some cases. That is even worse than doing nothing.
My insurance company subsidizes these. I bought a 25 lb.(?) extinguisher with mount for $25.00CAN. I too waited twenty five years or so to get to the point of actually having one on hand. Also, my local Fire Dept. provided free public training.
I fell for the SHINE ARMOUR spiel and purchased a package of scratch repair polish(?) which included a bottle of their wonderful FORTIFY purple stuff and was supposed to come with 5 microfibre cloths. The package turned up with 3 (only) cloths, 1 bottle of Forfify and 3 bottles of Shine Armour magic stuff. One of the bottles of magic had half emptied into the plastic bag it was in and surprisingly none of the stuff worked. Well not for me. I was lucky though, I demanded and got my money back and they let me have the half bottle and the purple stuff. I've learnt my lesson. Oh yeah, found out too late it was USD. But as I said, all good, got my money back. Ya live and learn.
I used to use Justice Brothers Seal Swell on the Rear Mains in old ford donks, but those old seals fiber/rubber leaked from new. Lucas additives in hydraulic systems to stop cavation, including power steering, only used when selling on some POS. Driveway warranty stuff. A tube of Molybond squeezed into a transmission or diff is liquid rebuild stuff, but only cause they be stuffed. STP were originally makers of heavy lube oils for locomotive undercarriages, and the oil was used to lube Sherman suspension during WW2. These tanks had a running life of 600 miles, the British ones had a 30 cyl Dodge engine, a real pain in the arse to rip out and rebuild, and to make a bit more life possible from the worn out gear, crews would keep adding thick undercarriage oil to the engine till they smoked a lot less. So, additives had a role in the cast iron days, not so much now, unless you, much alike me, intend to foist some bit of mobile crap onto someone else. Never forget, when you buy second hand, you buying someone else’s problem.
I'm watching as I do valve stem seals that I've been putting off for at least a year, the rubber softener won't fix how hard these seals are! However I don't get hit with costs on cars from labour costs at least. Just pay the costs of multiple classic cars. Thanks for the shoutout for fire fighting gear, John Faine almost lost his shed recently too!
That's an Aisin gearbox. Try a Toyota garage. Same as the early IS200 and Nissan S14, but plainly you shouldn't go near a Nissan shop. John - powder extinguishers cause respiratory problems. Modern foams can be electrically safe up to 5kV. Look into it maybe. If you live somewhere cold get anti freeze foam too. Fire extinguishers are for walking past as you leave. They can be used to clear a way to the exit of there are fire hazards. Never enter a burning vehicle to get an extinguisher - get everyone out and get safely upwind. Don't touch burned out vehicles because fluorinated polymers get nasty when they are heated excessively.
Discussion on Entropy and fire extinguishers in the one vid. Just to save potential viewer confusion, no extingusher's gonna stop the 'heat death' of the universe.
I reckon you should have made a separate vid about workshop safety. It made me think about my own. Thanks mate.
Yeah, your workshop has the ceiling that looks like dry grass. Lol.
Hopefully it's not very flammable.
Stay safe 😊👍
@@Bubbles12345-cat This is Australia. If it could burn, one wouldn't be able to buy it ;-) Its a heat insulator and is completely fire-safe.
@@4xoverland I see. Something like the pink Aerolite we use here in South Africa.
especially with all them snakes!
Don't knock snake oil... it really works! When was the last time you saw a squeaky snake? Sure, some (in North America) may rattle but they never squeak mate! 😀
Ladies and gentlemen, does your snake squeak when it slithers? Well thanks to my new product, snake squeak can be eliminated for only 3 payments of $49,99!
I want my snakes to squeak and or rattle. It makes it far easier to identify their presence and gives me more time to formulate a timely exit strategy.
@@davidbrayshaw3529 Exit Strategy: Leave quickly in opposite direction from snake!!
@@markh.6687 That is the strategy that I have employed for over five decades now. It's worked thus far.
The problem now is the "five decades" bit. Quickly isn't what it used to be!
@@davidbrayshaw3529 I get it, being in my 50's, and not so fit to begin with. But I can still hustle quick when it matters. Say, like that when that hot woman...errr, nevermind. I mean, escaping from snakes.
As a retired firey I can’t applaud your suggestion on the fire extinguisher/blanket combo enough.
Thanks for your service, Rod.
@@AutoExpertJC No note on saving wife in this scenario!
@@brentonl1746 insurance will give you replacement value for a new one
Cadogan Blanket pack.
@@RICHOCHANGO nothing like unpacking/unwrapping a fresh new one.
John, here in 'Murica a bottle of AT 205 is about 12 USD. I was skeptical, not being a big advocate of additives. I had a 1999 Mercedes E320 with a steering rack that developed a leak. The car was 21 years old at the time and I did not want to fork over the 2 grand or so to replace the rack. So I tried the AT 205 Reseal. Not only did this stuff stop the leak within a couple of hundred miles, but it bought me the time to gather up the cash to replace the rack. In my humble opinion, this is the only additive worth purchasing. That being said, the cost of the product in Australia seems a bit excessive! I would think twice about spending that kind of coin for an additive.
While I agree with your placement of the fire suppression equipment near the evacuation point. I once questioned a fire safety company on why they placed the fire extinguisher at the back of our workshop and not near the door. They said that if you're near the door, just leave. But if you're down the back and the fire is between you and the door now you have a way to improve your chances of escape. So I was glad to see you mention the 3rd extinguisher near back and close to the likely sources of ignition. It's also important differentiate between a fire in a workplace and a fire at home. Most people will be more likely to attempt fighting a fire at home.
Nature says run, unless your offspring are in danger. I'd keep the extinguisher near the exits(entries), I'll run to the extinguisher when the fire's small and keep going if it's big.
Great video John, ideal time to promote these kinds of safety equipment with everybody in the home during the holidays that extra 20 seconds not wasted looking for it can save lives.
Your public service message made me check the pressures on the extinguishers in my house. Thanks for the reminder.
Don't know how much my entropy increased, but I enjoyed watching very muchly.
Snake oils and most fuel additives are my best friend. I service/ repair diesel injectors, pumps and turbos and 75% of the faults I see are due to the addition of the next wonder potion and cure for injection issues.
Injector cleaner worked really well on my old diesel engine. I don't trust the ones that 'repair' stuff, however.
I had a thought that related to your "snake oil" comment Matui69... John said that "...at worst it does nothing" (referring to the additive). I had thought worse would be "what if this oil additive blocks a leak it shouldn't?" Like, how can it tell the difference between a worn main rear seal and an oil gallery? Next minute your repair quote goes from $1600 (with new clutch) to complete engine rebuild for $????
Absolutely love the section on the Fire Extinguisher set up. Been there and done that. You CAN NOT overdo the amount of fire gear you have, its cheap insurance to have it around and not use it than needing it and having nout. We have one in our upstairs bedroom just in case we get caught with our pants down and need to fight our way out.
Agree, same reason I keep a rifle next to the bed side ;)
Yep 2 in the shed exits, one at kitchen entry and one en-route to BBQ. Interesting that in straya we most commonly see oil/fat flames on our BBQ's yet don't bother with an extinguisher nearby. Livin on the edge.
@@mrrberger yep, I've had a BBQ catch fire. Didnt realise the drip tray had built up and it caught fire. Luckily I managed to turn the gas off and had an extinguisher close by in my garage.
Every 6 months, the extinguisher should be inverted a couple of times, to keep the powder loose. This especially applies to extinguishers in vehicles - all that vibration can pack down the powder, making the unit useless when needed.
That's true. The powder can actually harden in place after a long time. Turning and shaking them now and then is definitely a good idea.
You should actually feel the powder running from one end to the other as you turn the bottle upside down and back up.
I worked with extinguishers in my very first temp job☺👍👋
John - thanks for the candid admission around fire safety. My father was a dangerous goods driver, and drummed into us the simple precautions that you can take as a sentient human being to ensure that when things "go poopy in the trousers" as far as fire is concerned, it's always nice to have a suppression device nearby. Well done, great Community Service Announcement. P.S. Thanks to you and your service - I love my M3C.
Well done John, good safety segment on Fire extinguishers and YES, good businesses should be complimented & promoted.
I've been a mechanic over 40 years and been told my blood's worth bottling but I don't think it'll stop an oil leak or a blocked injector.
Right?
Leaking seals caused by infrequent oil changes won't fix themselves.
@@panzerveps Meh, it's an 18 yr old engine, leaks are common and expected at that age regardless of oil change intervals.
@@barryaiello3127 True that, but I've seen 3 year old engines with cracked gaskets and seals due to poor maintenance.
@@panzerveps What kind of "poor maintenance",? no car needs anything more than oil/filter changes in it's 1st 3 years.
@@barryaiello3127 exactly. Some folks think it's ok to wait another year or two.
I've even seen a guy who ran his golf for 6 years without an oil change, because he thought it was too expensive.
A new turbo, timing chain and oil pump proved him wrong.
In the late 70's we used to deliver potatoes, the water pump on the utes that was used had failed, and as usual the delivery was needed that day. The local mechanic/servo had this additive that was meant to fix water pumps, they put that in. That water pump was still on the motor 2 years when it was pulled out due to being totally stuffed. The local Mechanic couldnt get anymore of that stuff either, it was taken off the market because it was to good.
Johno these episodes are worth their weight in gold!
On ships, the extinguisher is always next to a door, and that door is part of the fire and evacuation route.
I have a leaking rear main in a diesel mondeo, been leaking for years, helped with a polymer sealant (about 20 bux) every oil change. Even before this it dripped maybe only a cup or so of oil between services. They can leak a little for years. Oil is relatively cheap to keep topping up. Spending too much on a rear main seal repair on an older car is just good money for no real gain. Everything boils down to what you can afford I suppose.
I gotta drive my truck to new construction sites, I can't have any oil leaks at all. It was worth it for me to sew up every leak on the block, so I think it has to do more with need than what you can afford. Who can afford to be unemployed?
Having a fuel leak & oxygen is waiting for a heat source to complete the fire diangle.
My experience over the years with seal swelling additives is pretty much what John said in this video. They usually worked for about 2 or 3 months, but after that the leak comes back with a vengeance. On a Ford Explorer (1995) I owned, the leak came back soo bad that it allowed air to get into the crankcase bypassing the MAF sensor and got sucked into the intake via the PCV system. Un-metered air. It leaned out the mixture at idle that caused misfires for the first minute or so on a hot restart. The computer eventually did a short term fuel trim. There was soo much oil that leaked when it was parked that I had to put an oil drain pan under the transmission bell housing when I parked. After I paid $800 (US) for it to be replaced along with a new torque convertor, the idle problem went away confirming my theory.
BIG YES on the fire extinguisher and blanket. I put them in my fat cave, and in the kitchen earlier this year. Wife wasn't happy about the affront to Kitchen aesthetics but I put my one remaining foot down on this front. I also put a smoke detector in the fat cave, but at the "habitable" end of the cave.
On the unexpected repair bill front, suggesting a delay to save up is good idea however I've had an oil leak repair mandated following a registration renewal (pink slip) check. That made the delay and save option unviable. It was either get the job done or lose registration.
That "Snake Oil" you speak of John, is in fact recommended by one very highly subscribed RUclips automotive commentator from the USA, (won't mention his name, but his initials are S.K.), he claims no allegiance to the manufacturer.
But I say, oil is cheap, until the leak prevents rego or becomes torrential, leave it be. $1600, is a lot of cash to pull a gearbox just to stop a few drops.
Good idea and info on the extinguishers mate, saved my butt once in a workshop fire.
I have used Barhdal gear oil stop leak for many years. And, it works... sometimes. I give it a B+. Recently I had a pinion gear seal start to leak about a dribble every day. The treatment was successful, no more leaking.
I've had good experiences with Hicraft Safety too. Good to see them getting a plug.
Thanks for your feedback!
Hah - I did something similar a couple years back JC after getting away with not having any extinguishers for at least 10 years in the fat cave - doing grinding and welding etc. Obviously I was living a charmed life.
The downside?
I set fire to the damn workshop installing the fire extinguisher brackets. 😜😂😂
Hey, at least I had a new extinguisher handy to put the bloody thing out! 😂😂👍
Good advice, John. Fire is bloody scary, and can spread FAST. A truck driver I know started off smelling a bit of smoke, getting concerned, to HOLY SHIT THERE'S FIRE COMING UNDER THE HOOD!!! in very short order. He pulled over, yanked on the parking brake, and executed plan Golf Tango Foxtrot Oscar. (Spell it out.) The truck was wholly consumed in flames in about a minute after that, and a total loss.
It turned out that something in the transmission let go, smashed out of the tranny case, and knocked a hole in a fuel tank, near hot exhaust, hotter than usual because the system was doing a regen at the time.
The burned out carcass of the truck sat in the yard behind the shop for months because of paperwork and insurance bullshit. At the time I was training new drivers, so I'd point that out to them, with advice to not piss around if you suspect something is burning.
Your advice to have the fire extinguisher beside your primary exit is simple and brilliant.
We have had a fire blanket and extinguisher in the kitchen for so long, 15 years or so, and I recon we have all forgotten they are there.
I haven't had much use with AT 205, but I have seen Scotty Kilmar on youtube talk about it. He says it can help some leaks around low pressure situations as long as it stays in the oil. The leak will continue after an oil change. You'll then need to add it again. He also says you can spray it on rubber components occasionally to keep them soft and reduce cracking. I only sprayed it on rubber for the benefit of the doubt, but dont know from personal experience if it would make a diffrence. Not to knock Scotty.( or John) I love watching both Scotty and John. Both seem to be very knowledgeable about cars.
Scotty is cooked mate. living in the past.
When I was a young fella just starting out in the industry we had a KA Laser in the workshop that was owned by one of the office girls. We knew the piston rings were cactus by the MASSIVE amounts of smoke that had been pouring out of the exhaust but it had miraculously stopped doing so about a month beforehand. It was a quiet time in the workshop and as a favour to her the boss decided we should do an oil change for her. We put the car over the pit, removed the oil drain plug and got about half a coffee cup of oil out of the engine...and not another drop more. Long story short...it turns out that the boyfriend had "discovered" this magical ingredient at the local auto parts store called "stop smoke" and had just kept pouring bottle after bottle of it into the engine until the engine did in fact stop smoking. Success!!!...not. We had to remove the sump to get the rest of the oil out of the engine as it had turned basically into a thick slime and had to be removed from the sump by turning it upside down and banging it on a piece of cardboard. When it was out it was like watching a slowly dissolving lump of honey coloured jelly melting on the cardboard. Not only were the rings gone in the engine but now the entire valve train and main bearings were completely shot due to oil starvation. The boss was thinking we might do a quick hone on the bores and chuck a new set of rings in for her but the valve train and big end damage kyboshed that idea. Moral of the story...additives are a car salesmans' best friend.
Sound advice on the fire safety equipment. I keep an extinguisher in the kitchen and laundry room near the exit points. Also one in each level in the bathroom. It is best "to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them". Forgot about the car but will pick up one tomorrow.
Boss once sent me on a week-long practical fire-fighting course. Best, most useful week at work in 40 years! Great Video John.
I've always carried a chemical fire extinguisher in a car ever since I saw what happens to people covered in burning fuel. Even if you can't put the car out, well maybe you can put yourself out with the smaller ones. Have used it a total of 3 times and thankfully never on my own car.
2 Rangerovers and 1 Hyundai
Only one of those owners actually thanked me for stopping to help, I bet you can guess which one.
As long as the two LR owners didn't sue you for damaging their shitbox, I count that as good.
Excellent advice on fire extinguishers and fire blankets.
And don't forget to check the recommended expiry dates on each of those items.
Jeez mate, at this rate you are going to have ARB, aftermarket parts makers AND additive makers waiting out the front of your house!
Well done, great info as usual ;)
In South Africa he'd have to be wary of a hit...
So what you really mean John is : S = k log W.
I have been involved in club level motorsport competition for a long time. Every 2 years we have to update to a new fire extinguisher. So the old one gets a place in the house or garage. When I do this, the oldest unit is used. I set up a small fire and make members of the house use it to put out the fire. This means that every member of my family has had experience using an extinguisher. On the 1st of January each year, every extinguisher dial is checked to make sure it is in the green zone. Also on this day, ALL batteries of remotes, clocks, cameras, radios and torches are changed for new. Vehicle batteries are checked for charging and replaced if 4 years old. Except for the Optima in the race car, that is checked every meeting.
I've had an Austin Healey Sprite and Austin Mini and all I can say is they were great fun to own, but they also had some oil leakage. I suppose it's a British car thing. So, to the Miata owner, I suggest to affix an MG sticker and go motoring with a sense his main seal is normal and nothing to worry over.
Like the SR71 just count the drops and build a standard around it. I'd call it an upgrade that it's now in constant oil change cycle like British cars.
.... excellent advice. Then in 20yrs when the Miata is junked he can progress it by putting a "Triumph STAG" badge on it.
The STAG was so glamorous & desirable but tragic.
It's not just a British problem, I'm pretty sure Commodores n falcons came with oil leaks from the factory 🤣
@@5lcalais1 Basically, it let's us know there's still oil in the sump. When the leaks stop, it's time to top-up ;-)
Another good video as I was watching I realized I wasn't yet subscribed. Thank you for the continuing good content.
Given that the MX-5 is 20 years old and only has 67,000km on it, I can only its value heading in one direction (hint: not down). It's heading into classic territory, so spend the money and do the job properly.
BTW I did the fire extinguisher and blanket thing a few years ago, but that was mainly because I saw them in the middle aisle of Aldi and I can't go to Aldi and not buy random shit from the middle aisle. I've never had to use the extinguisher or fire blanket, but now I kinda feel like an upgrade (idk if a 1kg ABE extinguisher is enough).
I would make one slight adjustment to the fire extinguisher next to the garage door, place it lower.
There exist regulations regarding public buildings that I think would also be valid at home. Have the top of the extinguisher not higher than your shoulders to make it as easy as possible to take it of its hook.
John.... 2 things... First, it turns out that the video we all saw, in which lemmings drowned themselves, was a fake. It turns out that someone tossed lemmings into the ocean while someone else photographed it... We were deceived and lemmings are apparently not suicidal. Second, some automotive cleaning products actually work, for example carburetor cleaner. It turns out that varnish and dirt are real things and can be removed. As to the oil detergents, those mostly aren't useful. First rapidly moving parts rarely clog and secondly if a product actually dissolved all of the sludge in your engine in 10 minutes, the resulting sludge would actually clog up your bearings. On the other hand, high quality oil with mild cleaning additives do work over time to clean an engine and keep it clean. As to fixing worn out parts or actually heavily sludged up parts, I've always wound up replacing them.
One footnote: anything that claims to lubricate by adding a solid lubricant like graphite or Teflon into you oil will only work until the solid settles out. This experiment was done on B29 bombers during WW2 by a friend of mine in trying to use graphite to extend the bombers range and I repeated the test in my car in the 1980's, Graphite actually improved the fuel economy and raised the idle speed of the engine very significantly. Then I let the car sit for a few days and the benefits were gone. Two years later I took the engine apart and found the graphite in little pools of shiny powder mostly on the cylinder heads and around the cam shaft in the valley (V8), So apparently no one ever did find a way to keep a solid suspended in oil indefinitely... or even longer than a few weeks.
Back in the golden days of my youth, when in the 80's I first ventured onto the roads as a motorist, my Fathers advice on sinking money into additives was that the money was better spent on tools, and a decent Haynes manual for the car. Of course, back then most repairs on cars were practical for the home mechanic and for people with a little mechanical aptitude and some care and a little common sense perfectly safe (at least to the standards of the time). I'm not so sure that with the way cars are designed these days and the variety of special tools required that is necessarily good advice, but I'd still lean away from special additives. Even ones that made sense back in the day like "Molyslip" to reduce engine wear or cooling system additives that often had a positive affect on corrosion and lubrication of water pumps are no longer a good idea in modern engines unless endorsed by the manufacturer of the vehicle, oils and coolants these days are more specific to the components used in the engine. I would argue that maybe some of the injector cleaners and such may have a good affect, but I'd be wary of using anything in a car these days that was not intended by the manufacturer due to the possibility of adverse effects on sensors, seals etc. Its a shame, but it is the inevitable consequence of the decades of engineering knowledge that have been poured into automotive design.
i baught a manual for ever car i owned from 16 to a few years ago, rebuild my first motor learning from a manual.
i learned from emanual was the gardner .
Injector cleaners don't work anyway 🤣👍
@@5lcalais1 Seafoam has worked pretty darn well in my cases.
This is an interesting conversation. I didn't see how old the vehicle was, but my experience of the cause of an oil leak from the rear main seal on most occasions is that the crankcase ventilation system has become clogged or blocked causing a positive pressure to exist in the crankcase.
I could claim to have fixed 25 out of 30 jobs by simply cleaning out the ventilation system and fitting a new PCV valve.
By the way most of these vehicles had never had sufficient oil changes to keep the inner surfaces of the engine clean.
I have seen engine that have had 6 months/ 10,000km service with good oil last at least 20 years without oil leaks.
It is not just getting the fire suppression equipment you need to read the instructions and practice what you are going to do in the case of an emergency, until you get to the point that in the actual case of an emergency you do what is needed without thinking. For the most part practice can be in your head just planning and re-planning. Because when the time comes there won't be any time to stop and read instructions or think up a plan of action.
10/10 for safety statement. Well done.
Had an XG falcon ute 6 cyl, was a broke apprentice at the time and the head gasket started to leak. Radiator bubbles, smell in the coolant water in the exhaust, temp gauge flicking all the tell tale signs. Got a bottle of Chemiweld and it got me an extra 6 months out of the vehicle before it really let got and had to be done .
Thaks for the plug just ordered my replacement extinguishers for the workshop on your recommendation.
I bought the LiquiMoly Engine resealer because my old Q7 was leaking (repair bill in the thousands). We were planning on trading in the car for something new but an oil leak will drastically reduce the price. Put a bottle in and no more leaks. Q7 will be gone next week and replaced with a new Hyundai. $30 from AutoOne and paid for itself with the trade in price.
With a car you want to keep, go for it and get it done properly but if you only need a short term solution, the product works. You will need a new bottle with every oil change.
AT-205.... CAD$18 at the local auto parts store (complete with ming mole at the till!) If its going to do nothing, might as well be cheap.
Did the Ming Moll offer any 'special services' at the time of your purchase? :)
Great safety suggestions .
Additives are stop gaps to get you by, not permanent fixes. Head gasket sealer just allows you to prepare for having your car off the road when you get it prepared properly.
I have heard transmission sealers are bad due to the large number of rubber/plastic seals. Most of these sealant additives work by causing the seals to swell up and fill in any gaps. Problem is with auto trans is that many of these seals need to move, and when they swell up they become too large and risk jamming the piston that is meant to move.
Well done John with your investment in extinguishers and fire blankets. I'm retired from CSIRO fire science and RFS volo of 39 years - don't forget optical smoke alarms in the house - interconnected hard wired with battery backup. An even better option is having optical / C0 (carbon monoxide) detectors.
Thanks from Israel! I was thinking about buying that specific snake oil, but you sorted it out for me.
Free Palestine.....
Dood, snake oil sometimes works, back when I was a 17 yo highly skilled driver I
managed to not only strip 1st gear but to crack the block of my Twinspinner.
I could live without 1st, but the overheating was a bit much, a friend suggested
using Chemiweld, lo and behold, that snake oil lasted years much to my suprise.
The snake oil in your fire extinguisher is Baking Soda, an ingredient held in much
reverence in most kitchens. I have extinguished several pan fires by using it.
I am not suggesting grabbing a handfull to put out a major fire, only a properly used
extinguisher can do that. Good to hear of a company, Hicraftsafety, giving good service,
very uncommon these days. Keep up the good work, Dood, look forward to your next.
Hi John, good reminder, I actually do have a powder extinguisher in the garage and have for many years… as evidenced by it showing it has no pressure left, and would’ve been a bit of a disappointment if there was a fire and nothing came out. Replacement has been ordered, it hadn’t crossed my mind in a long time to actually check it. Cheers.
At about 120k my wife’s VW Eos (2.0 turbo motor) started leaking from the rear main seal, I decided just to live with it and periodically clean the garage floor. About 2 years later at around 150k I decided the clutch needed replacing and had the oil seal fixed. As a side note the car had slowly developed an annoying throttle flat spot between 3-4000 rpm, after the main seal was replaced the flat spot was cured.
Yeah it would've been sucking air in through the seal into the crank case and it going up through the pcv bypassing the maf and causing a mis or flat spot.
On the powder extinguiser(s)....here in Europe (the Netherlands) if you use a powder fire extinguiser on anything remotely electrical or mechanical ....its considered a TOTAL LOSS!!! I think its worth a little investigation how things go with the insurance policys down under😎! Keep them vids coming love them all!
AT205 re-seal isn't snake oil, it really works. Scotty kilmar says about, it's is 24 quid off ebay. 140 dollars is a con, its a clear polymer based product that will make seals supple and seal again. I put some in a old tractor gearbox over 10 years ago and it is still leak free. It pours like water, it won't block anything as it only makes rubber seals swell.
I am a mechanic with 18 years qualified 6 years with my own shop. Some of that additive stuff works but the problem has to be a very mild case and 99% of the time the problem will return with 1 or 2 oil changes . Second hand car yards love additives 😂👍
Thanks for this report John. You’ve just reminded me to run through our family’s fire (blanket and evacuation) drills again with my 3 primary school age children.
A while back you did a brilliant video(s) on how not to be a dickhead on the road, targeted at young drivers. I was wondering if you might do the same for fire safety? While I’m sure there are other videos my pre teens can watch, your “no BS” style cuts through brilliantly, at least in this household.
Great topic, so well explained.
Great job John especially like the fact credit where credit is due fantastic
Just an extra comment on fire safety, most of us DYI people have a respirator for painting ect. A basic rubber half mask with screw on filter/s and I keep mine in my bedside draw because most people that die in house fires die from the smoke. This way it’s right next to you if the worst should happen, it’s stored in a clean environment and I always know where it is when I need to use it for painting. This helps remind me that it’s in the draw next to the bed when panic sets in and rational thought has left my brain. Being woken up at 2am by a screaming smoke alarm with the real chance of a room full of smoke and no lights is not conducive to calm rational thinking. A fire investigator once told me a lot of fires start in the meter box and showed me ways to avoid that happening but that’s the reason you may lose power. I hope this helps. Cheers.
I have used the same product in the Nulon range on a v6 Honda Inspire and 100% that product worked and stopped the oil leak. I’m not saying the fix was permanent but it worked for the remainder of the time that I owned the car, about 1 year. Also the Nulon product was only $38
Very philosophical approach on whether to replace a main seal or not. 😁👍
I'd suggest that the reason the seal has gone in this case is age - it was 20 years old with low mileage which probably means once a week to the shop and the occasional slightly longer trip once a year. The rest of the time is spent sitting in the garage drying out and losing shape.
This is actually best case scenario for this kind of stop-gap (pun intended) measure. If the seal can be softened, it allows the spring inside to pull the seal back into shape so that it conforms better to the shaft.
It's actually unlikely with low kms that the seal is actually worn or damaged, especially if the vehicle has had it's required 20 oil changes during that time. Dirty or old oil would of course cause far more problems for this seal and other parts of the engine. As far as spending $140 on this particular product, someone is having a lend: you can buy that product for $50 to $60 if you shop around on places like Amazon, Ebay etc. There's also a plethora of products available from retailers like SuperCheap, some starting at around $30. I doubt that the active ingredients in all of them are very different - possibly just the actual amount of active ingredients are a little different.
Since this particular vehicle is exactly what these products were designed for, it would definitely be worth trying, with the understanding that with the age of that vehicle you should definitely be putting aside a small amount of money each week for repairs and maintenance. If you've got the money sitting there in a "maintenance" account it's basically already spent, you can just get the work done. Think about it - you can budget for tires, servicing, brakes, and little more for other maintenance. The next things to go will be seals on other bearings (transmission rear end, wheel bearings and then gaskets (expensive). Don't forget exhaust system, which is probably corroding away quietly from all those short runs.
I kind of understand wanting to keep an older vehicle. More modern cars are way more complicated and have more to go wrong, and working on them is a lot more complicated. I don't think $1000 would get you a new rear seal on very many vehicles made in the last five or ten years. Maybe a Mahindra or a Jimny 😇
While it might be tempting to replace an older vehicle, if it has low km then the more cost effective solution is actually the maintenance. You'll be spending tens of thousands on a new vehicle because even in today's market you won't get much for a twenty year old vehicle. Having been in this situation a few times, I can say that it's very nice to have a new car, but a low km older one works just as well and is far kinder on the bank balance, even if you do figure in the inevitable maintenance. (I can do a lot of stuff myself, so that probably influences my reasoning to a large extent).
Great segment on fire safety! I’m a volunteer fire fighter and marine engineer and it drives me crazy seeing “fat caves” and homes without basic fire fighting equipment. If I might add, a smoke detector with a bright strobe light over every bed in your home. Anecdotally, most of the people who die in their homes die in their bedrooms from fires that start there. The bright strobe flashing in your face will definitely help to wake you up and may save your life.
The only "fix in a bottle" I've ever found to make some difference was some Archoil D-Max stuff that I poured into the fuel tank of my Audi A3 (out of desperation) and, in fairness, it did drastically reduce the smoke coming out of the exhaust. The variable vanes on the turbski were getting stuck with carbon and it seemed to temporarily free them up enough to keep driving. That 2.0TDI BKD engine was a genuine pile of shit though, I was glad to get rid of it.
Extinguishers here in 'Muricuh, are always placed in the worst effing place seemingly, underneath the kitchen sink and next to the stove. Worked 15 years in the apartment maintenance field and dealt with many fires , almost none being put out by extinguishers because they're placed within arm's reach of where most fires start. This would almost make sense, to have imitate access to the extinguisher, except fires usually start when you're not in the kitchen and now access to the extinguisher is cut off by the fire. 😔 Run Forest run.
Scotty speaks highly of the AT 205.
Yep. Silicone free rejuvenator for main seals, rubber boots, window surrounds. AU$140 is a bit steep though. Scotty also says never use anything with silicone in it (for rocker covers / oil pans etc), because silicone will quickly clog the catalytic converter(s).
My fat cave is primarily a wood shop and in there I have lots of things that burn really well. One of my shop rules is no angle grinders, no welders etc. I was using a hole saw to cut out some toy wheels, well friction produces heat and upon knocking out the accumulated dust I had a small gently smouldering fire. No real danger as the it was not much bigger than a 50 cent so easily put out.
If there is a moral to this story it's that fires can start really easily and I fully agree with John that a well equipped fat cave should include a means to extinguish a fire and also a planned escape route.
I remember one time I smelt petrol driving along and pulled over to take a look. On opening the bonnet, and inch of petrol was sitting on the intake manifold of the V in my V8 engine boiling. You feel quite helpless without any fire extinguisher...... even more so where it to catch fire.
Hi John, recently found your content here in the UK. Love the banter and technical information. I’ve recently purchased a Pajero Sport or Shogun Sport as their known over here. I have 30 years history in the automotive manufacturing industry as a quality engineer, so appreciate your technical approach to issues. My question relates to diesel fuel additives sold over the counter. There is a 1.5 Renault manufactured engine that requires a special first fill fuel with increased lubricity, which is expensive. This was a countermeasure to a fuel pump warranty issue, to improve the initial bedding in if the lobes. I use a proprietary additive based on this experience, which is also supposed to help keep the engine clean. What’s your take on this type of additive? I know it makes no difference to economy or performance. I currently use Archoil.
You'll be surprised how many houses have the paint cans and petrol for the lawnmower right next to where they're grinding.
AT-205 I think he meant $14 a bottle. At least that's close to what the $ is in 'Murica. And THANK YOU for sharing the fire safety ideas John! SO important. Unless you have been in, or close to, a fire, you think you can handle things. Think again.
The fire suppression kit was a great public service announcement John, awesome idea! We all thank you for this.
I think 'mechanic in a bottle' stuff sometimes works. 2012 Falcon minor coolant leak 5 years ago. $10 Coolant stop leak - all good. $140 for a bottle of stop leak!!! Noooo! There is a couple of choices for under $20 at Supercheap - might even work 🙂. It's like buying a little bit of hope 🤞
Nice to hear you plugging a good company. Not so common nowadays. I watch for the no bullshit commentary so keep em coming jc
Good information about safety!
G’day John, if power goes out on your fat cave door and it’s just a standard roller door - pull the chain hanging from the side (to disengage something) and push the door up. You’ll have adrenaline pumping so a standard roller door will be child’s play. Make running up the stairs Plan C, not Plan B. If it’s one of those heavier multi-panelled type doors then it may not be possible to easily open manually but well worth checking.
Should have got some Fire Sticks - they work great and because they're not pressurised they last for ages.
back in year 2000 I brought a 8yo V6 commodore and it had a slight rear main leak.
I changed the oil to Mobil 1 5w/50 vs 20w/50 crap Holden was using and by the next service the leak had stopped. I drove another 400 thousand km and the rear main leak never returned but the sump gasket and a few others eventually started to weep once the car was over 20yo
Sump gaskets go often in the v6s ,they're just shit cork or rubber, I've completely removed mine and just glued the sump on, be a long time before she ever leaks again 🤣👌
If you can't get that extinguisher inspected on a regular basis, make a point, a couple of times a year, of checking the pressure on the included dial, and invert the device, and listen for the powder, in the bottom, displacing.
where would the powder go if the pressure doesnt drop? or are you saying it forms a clump?
John normally those stop leak products will stop the leak for a short time because they can swell the rubber. But what you get is after the time period the snake oil wears out you end up with oil coming out everywhere because the snake oil weakens the sealing of rubber and gaskets
I thoroughly endorse your fire safety lesson John. May I please add that after years of workshop and field service in the mechanical arena that fire blankets can be the most often used fire suppressant. They then make good welding blankets. Anyhow carry on MALS.
When you said that at worst, these products may do nothing, I am reminded of a product some years ago that was supposed to put a teflon coating inside your engine. Can't recall offhand what it was called, but it ended up causing quite the backlash on the company.
It didn't work and it clogged up the finer oilways in the engine and caused a lot of damage in some cases. That is even worse than doing nothing.
I think it was called slick 50
Teflon is shit anyways even if it worked. It effectively reduces friction yeah but its not suitable for engines.
My insurance company subsidizes these. I bought a 25 lb.(?) extinguisher with mount for $25.00CAN. I too waited twenty five years or so to get to the point of actually having one on hand. Also, my local Fire Dept. provided free public training.
In the US, that bottle is thru available thru Amazon for $22.
If I put the fire suppression gear next to my evacuation I’ll have to strap it to my arse
I fell for the SHINE ARMOUR spiel and purchased a package of scratch repair polish(?) which included a bottle of their wonderful FORTIFY purple stuff and was supposed to come with 5 microfibre cloths. The package turned up with 3 (only) cloths, 1 bottle of Forfify and 3 bottles of Shine Armour magic stuff. One of the bottles of magic had half emptied into the plastic bag it was in and surprisingly none of the stuff worked. Well not for me. I was lucky though, I demanded and got my money back and they let me have the half bottle and the purple stuff. I've learnt my lesson. Oh yeah, found out too late it was USD. But as I said, all good, got my money back. Ya live and learn.
Great advise all round
Yes I have always had a Fire Extinguisher next to the roller door but a bit lower to the ground where anyone can get to it !
I am going to take some time tomorrow and buy 3 extinguishers and place them strategically around the house.
Never thought of keeping a fire blanket in the house, good tip there 💯
the best option for a fat fire on the kitchen stove.
I used to use Justice Brothers Seal Swell on the Rear Mains in old ford donks, but those old seals fiber/rubber leaked from new.
Lucas additives in hydraulic systems to stop cavation, including power steering, only used when selling on some POS. Driveway warranty stuff.
A tube of Molybond squeezed into a transmission or diff is liquid rebuild stuff, but only cause they be stuffed.
STP were originally makers of heavy lube oils for locomotive undercarriages, and the oil was used to lube Sherman suspension during WW2.
These tanks had a running life of 600 miles, the British ones had a 30 cyl Dodge engine, a real pain in the arse to rip out and rebuild, and to make a bit more life possible from the worn out gear, crews would keep adding thick undercarriage oil to the engine till they smoked a lot less.
So, additives had a role in the cast iron days, not so much now, unless you, much alike me, intend to foist some bit of mobile crap onto someone else. Never forget, when you buy second hand, you buying someone else’s problem.
Outstanding as always , thanks John 👍 . Kim .
I'm watching as I do valve stem seals that I've been putting off for at least a year, the rubber softener won't fix how hard these seals are!
However I don't get hit with costs on cars from labour costs at least. Just pay the costs of multiple classic cars.
Thanks for the shoutout for fire fighting gear, John Faine almost lost his shed recently too!
That's an Aisin gearbox. Try a Toyota garage. Same as the early IS200 and Nissan S14, but plainly you shouldn't go near a Nissan shop.
John - powder extinguishers cause respiratory problems. Modern foams can be electrically safe up to 5kV. Look into it maybe. If you live somewhere cold get anti freeze foam too.
Fire extinguishers are for walking past as you leave. They can be used to clear a way to the exit of there are fire hazards. Never enter a burning vehicle to get an extinguisher - get everyone out and get safely upwind. Don't touch burned out vehicles because fluorinated polymers get nasty when they are heated excessively.
Discussion on Entropy and fire extinguishers in the one vid.
Just to save potential viewer confusion, no extingusher's gonna stop the 'heat death' of the universe.
Well, all I can say is that adding a sealant liquid from SuperCheap to my coolant did miraculous wonders to my oil cooler leak. It stopped it.
those are separate systems...
another very useful video, thanks.
Thanks for the mechanic man candy in the title image John. As always, your vids educate, entertain & arouse.