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Is Titan Oil Stop Leak better?
Generally, The effectiveness of automotive oil leak stop-leaks and leak inhibitors
vary dependent on the level of damage/degradation of the engine oil seals.
There are two types of Oil Stop Leaks. They are know as, “Oil Thickeners”
(which would include brands like Lucas, Bars, STP)…
and “Seal Re-Conditioners” (which would include brands such as Titan Oil Stop Leak).
Oil Thickeners: Nearly all engine oil stop-leaks attempt to slow or stop the oil leak by
thickening the oil. Both Lucas Engine Oil Stop leak and Bars Stop Leak are extremely
thick in viscosity similar to 80 to 90 weight gear oil and seem to be effective in
slowing-down minor oil leaks but not as effective in slowing or stopping more serious
oil leaks or leaks in larger oil systems. Also, thickening the engine oil will cause engine
compression to increase causing additional stress on both the seals and engine.
These “Thickening-Type” oil stop-leaks like Lucas Engine Oil Stopleak and Bars Oil
Stop leak formulas only affect the engine oil, thickening it to slow the leak. Both Lucas
and Bars will affect the oil compression in the engine it is used in by increasing the
compression which may be an undesirable effect on some engines like turbo diesels
engines and are generally thought of as a “temporary-fix” until you can have the leak
repaired by a mechanic. Both brands must be reapplied after every oil change.
Of the two “oil thickener” type stop leaks it is generally believed the Lucas Oil Stop
Leak is the thickest of the two.
Seal Re-Conditioners: This type of stop leak is generally believed to be the better of
the oil stop leak formulations. Not as common as the “oil thickening” type of stop leak
due to being many times more expensive to produce than the “thickening-type” sealers.
The “seal re-conditioner” type of stop leak has been shown to be are very able to
stop minor to major oil leaks (based on dosage amount) and does not affect the engine
oil in any way. No increase engine compression has been noted with the use of the
Titan Oil Stop Leak product. This formulation has a very high silicone yield and when
added to the engine oil the oil seals and gaskets which have lost their silicone value
begin to absorb the new silicone and they simply respond by expanding back to their
original size thus stopping the leak.
This is a very safe way of stopping the oil leak as the engine will not gain an increase
in compression by introducing the Titan Stop Leak into the engine oil. Also, being
silicone, the Titan Oil Stop Leak cannot harden or cure in the oil system even under
extreme heat. You do not have to reapply the Titan Sealer after each oil change as you
must with Lucas Oil Stop Leak or Bars Leaks products. Typical repair-life of the Titan Oil
Stop Leak product is 4 to 6 years.
- Based on the specifications of each of the oil stop leaks described above, we
believe the Titan product would be the best choice for most engine oil leaks…
