GM Coolant Supplement Pellets

[UncleDave]

Just dropping in a fresh rebuild... Is it a good idea to use these as cheap "insurance?" Also, they make different size pellets; does the GN cooling system require the entire pack of the larger pellets?

I understand this is the same basic formulation as Barsleak Gold Seal, is this correct?

Thanks as always!
~Dave

 

[UncleDave]

Well, nobody's telling me not to, so...

 

[Joe 1320]

I'm not a fan of the stuff unless there is a leak that needs to be sealed. The excess usually ends up in the heater core. next thing you know is that you have no heat in the winter. If you're not leaking, then don't use it.

 

[Red C5]

I'm not a fan of putting any types of sealer/additives to the cooling system. Just don't really think they are neccessary.

 

[hensleyt]

I believe those are for the aluminum block Cadillac that were prone to leek around the sleeve

 

[LOT]

believe it or not

As late as late 90s GM put 2 (only had the large ones then) in every vehicle that came off the line. I have cousins who worked in Detroit and Pontiac. They had 2 gal pails of them on hand. The Cadillac pills as they are called are not the kind that will plug stuff up. You should disolve them in HOT water then add to cooling sytem. I use them all the time and have never seen any bad effects from them. I guess the theory is if you have a stud or head bolt that is not sealed completely, it will seal it up. As a plumber, we had stuff called liquid glass for hot water heating systems. Works the same way, only sets up when exposed to air. IMO, Use the pills --good insurance !!! 2 large ones or 3 small ones.

 

[UncleDave]

So the key is to make sure they are dissolved first. Or I could just take a chance, wait and see if I really need them. Thx guys!

 

[Just a Six??]

Crush them to a fine powder & after the car is hot with cap off add them OR do the hot water method. Either way I would wait to see if you need them first.

 

[forcefed3.8's]

The instructions say put them directly into the radiator. Either way, you are doing the same thing. I had a leaking head stud this time around, added the whole pack of tabs, and the leak was gone.

 

[LOT]

You ask for advise

So the key is to make sure they are dissolved first. Or I could just take a chance, wait and see if I really need them. Thx guys!

My advise is to put them in before starting engine--what if you have a stud or head bolt leaking inside the VC?

 

[1quick6]

I used the cadillac tabs to correct a weeping head bolt as well and it has been fine since. That was 12 years ago.

 

[UncleDave]

No substitute for experience

Thanks everyone. There's no substitute for experience, thanks for helping out a noob.

 

[jay dcpt]

Dont use them. Obviously thats just my opinion but if the engine is sealed properly there is no need. Any leak can be fixed and that is not the right way. I work at a chevy dealer as a tech and we hardly ever use those. The only time we do is if a customer is in a pinch and can not afford the correct repair. Even then there instructed that this is not a gaurenteed fix. I personally am totally against them. I have not seen this with my own eyes but I have heard stories of people that used them excessivley because they did not want to fix the problem the right way and it caused the cooling jackets in the engine to become restrictive wich gave the vehicle overheating issues. If you use one or two this wont happen but I still see those as a patch instead of a repair. Especially if you have a fresh rebuild see if it leaks first. And if it does go back in there and repair it the correct way. Im sure you have a decent amount of money into that engine. Why throw that crap in there.

 

[JDSfastGN]

Dont use them. Obviously thats just my opinion but if the engine is sealed properly there is no need. Any leak can be fixed and that is not the right way. I work at a chevy dealer as a tech and we hardly ever use those. The only time we do is if a customer is in a pinch and can not afford the correct repair. Even then there instructed that this is not a gaurenteed fix. I personally am totally against them. I have not seen this with my own eyes but I have heard stories of people that used them excessivley because they did not want to fix the problem the right way and it caused the cooling jackets in the engine to become restrictive wich gave the vehicle overheating issues. If you use one or two this wont happen but I still see those as a patch instead of a repair. Especially if you have a fresh rebuild see if it leaks first. And if it does go back in there and repair it the correct way. Im sure you have a decent amount of money into that engine. Why throw that crap in there.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with them and many cars with cometic head gaskets or head studs do need them. Properly built or not, studs can still weep water and cometics are notorious for the issue. You are correct if you have a blown head gasket you don't want to use them to "fix" the issue but using 6 tabs to make sure your water ports seal is not gonna have any negative effects.

 

[realspartan]

Coolant pellets

Use 4 when changing your coolant and 2 everytime you flush again. They help and were used at the factory. I always use them given the age of some of my cars. They were mandatory in late 80's/90's Cadillacs because of the aluminum block/iron head design of their engines.

Regards,
Realspartan

 

[Just a Six??]

Why does the Factory use them if they are so bad?

 

[GSX-PKV]

Why does the Factory use them if they are so bad?

They are NOT bad IMO. 7 years ago after using Cometic head gaskets on my GN1 heads, we had a slight coolant leak and added 2 crushed "Cadillac pills" and the leak stopped and has not returned. There were no downsides as the car runs better now than ever. Paul