Bar's Products - Premium Automotive Chemicals

Bar's Leaks Tech Minute: Liquid Aluminum Radiator Stop Leak and Liquid Copper Block Seal

Jeff Ventura — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A brief overview and explanation of two very popular Bar's Leaks products: the Liquid Aluminum Radiator Stop Leak (p/n 1186) and the Liquid Copper Block Seal (p/n 1109). Enjoy, and post any questions in the comments or email us and we'll get right back to you. Promise!

More product detail:

Liquid Aluminum Radiator Stop Leak (p/n 1186)

Liquid Copper Block Seal (p/n 1109)

Bar's Leaks Tech Minute: Hydraulic Jack Oil with Stop Leak

Jeff Ventura — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Bar's Leaks Jack Oil (p/n HJ12) is the best option for floor jacks, engine hoists, bottle jacks and tranny jacks. It's even a great option for slow plows. This Bar's Leaks Tech Minute provides more information. Enjoy!

More detail:

Bar's Leaks Hydraulic Jack Oil with Stop Leak

Rislone Tech Minute: Rislone Engine Treatment

Jeff Ventura — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Here's a quick overview of Rislone Engine Treatment (p/n 100QR), a bestselling product for 91 years and counting. The formulation has changed as oil technology has advanced, but the results haven't.

Rislone Engine Treatment is a high quality penetrating lubrication oil, combined with protective engine additives and unique cleaning additives. Its multi-grade formula allows the oil to flow freely and provides protection over a broader temperature range. The unique Rislone Formula is designed to penetrate into valve seats, bearing surfaces, piston rings and ring grooves, where deposits are likely to form. These deposits are gradually removed and held in suspension until they are trapped in the filter or removed with the next oil change.

More information:

Rislone Engine Treatment

Ask a Grown Man with Jon Hamm

Jeff Ventura — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This further proves Jon Hamm is an awesome dude.

Bar's Leaks Tech Minute: Head Gasket Fix

Jeff Ventura — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Here's a short Bar's Leaks Tech Minute highlighting our Head Gasket Fix product (p/n 1111), one of our strongest head gasket solutions that's also very easy to install. The product is widely regarded as one of the strongest and most convenient head gasket repair solutions on the market, which means a strong seal with very little downtime for your car. When mechanics come away impressed with this product, that's always a good sign.

More information:

Bar's Leaks Permanent Block Seal Head Gasket Fix

Bar's Leaks Tech Minute: Dual Cavity Engine, Automatic Transmission and Power Steering Repair

Jeff Ventura — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Here's a quick Bar's Leaks Tech Minute describing our dual cavity Engine Repair (p/n 1000), Automatic Transmission Repair (p/n 1400), and Power Steering Repair (p/n 1600). If you haven't looked into our dual cavity technology, it's time to learn about the next-generation of automotive performance chemicals.

More information:

Bar's Leaks Engine Repair

Bar's Leaks Automatic Transmission Repair

Bar's Leaks Power Steering Repair

The Straight Scoop on ZDDP (Zinc) Additives

Jeff Ventura — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Q:

Hi Rislone. The waters are really muddy right now as far as newer oils without ZDDP, and even with the zinc additive. I have procured gallons of your Rislone with ZDDP trying to protect my older engines. Having some older MGs, I keep up with the latest gossip on a very popular MG forum in the old T car section (TA TC TD TF).

In the latest issue of the New England MG T Register’s Sacred Octagon, there was an article, “Show me the ZINC”:

“During a conversation with Bob Wagner, owner of Wagner Motor Sports in Atlanta, the question about inc levels in oil came up. I told him I have been using Valvolene 20W–50 VR1 (racing oil) in five of my seven British cars for the past 15 or more years with no problems. Then I said ”on the last Harley engine rebuild I added a zinc additive to the VR1 just for GP."

"He said he has been using racing break-in oil on all of his race engine rebuilds and a mix of racing break-in oil and conventional oil on street engines with great success. He also said he was told by his race oil supplier about the problem that was found by using the additive. The additives are not working because the new detergent oils do not allow foreign matter to stick to engine parts. Zinc being a foreign matter is held in suspension and is not allowed to stick to surfaces such as the lifters and cam lobes Bob and I agreed this sounded reasonable but was it true… we didn’t know.

Since then I have talked with members of the Ford Flat Head Club, a hot rod buddy, a representative from Joe Gibbs Oil and they have all confirmed what Bob Wagner had said. From what I have been told the above oil companies have run test that show zinc additives added to conventional oil offer little or no protection."

The article rambles on, but you get the gist of it.

As an engineer and owner of a hydraulics business, I find this rationale quite illogical.

First off, if it were added to old nondetergent oil, I’d expect to find it in the sediment on the bottom of the oil pan in no time. Thart fact that detergents keep it in circulation is a good thing. Engines survive on an oil film in a perfect world, but when there’s metal-to-metal contact at startup and often cam lobes/followers, I like the thoughts of zinc there in the crunch. I’ve been known to dump graphite powder in my engines, too.

It sounds like the specialty oil suppliers are trying to scare people into buying their products.

There are a lot of us old codgers out here with money to spend and cost is no object when it comes to oil for our expensive toys.

Jim N.

A:

Jim, it is very hard to be in this industry and be totally unbiased. It becomes natural for additive companies to push their brand, and for oil companies to push any specialty oil products they produce, which many times sell at a premium price. In our case, we have worked to reduce the cost as much as possible which is why we are releasing a super concentrated version of our ZDDP additive that will be $7.99 or less at most locations starting summer 2012. Until then we have our quart available. Use this additive with your favorite SN-rated motor oil, and it will boost your zinc and phosphorus levels to 1600 to 1800 ppm. We at Rislone work hard to offer product solutions that solve problems. We have been doing it since 1921 and have seen many changes in motor oil tribology, additive chemistries, their solubility and performance. This is no different than the ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate) supplement additives we have formulated for the latest problem. Today’s oils are not designed to be run in older engines. The oil companies have worked hard for years to keep oils backward-compatible, but it has finally hit a wall. For the most part, the situation is no different than when lead was removed from gasoline. In older vehicles that were designed run on leaded regular gasoline you either need an additive, or make changes in the engines to adapt them to survive with unleaded fuel.

The product in our bottles is our own proprietary formulation developed from our 90 years of real world experience, along with R&D partners who have developed, formulated and analyzed PCMO’s, HDDEO’s and high performance oils through multiple API Service Categories and OEM performance requirements.

To help understand why there is a need for this product, you need to understand how oils have changed in the past 30 years. Just think back to the SF oil that had nominal levels of zinc and phosphorus at 1500 to 1600 ppm where the current SN oil has a nominal value of 600 to 700 ppm. The reason for this drop was the negative effects phosphorus was shown to have on some emission components, like catalytic converters. Even after all these years, ZDDP is still one of the best additives to prevent wear & oxidation and inhibit rust. The Rislone ZDDP Engine Oil Supplement formulation employs advanced ZDDP technology which has shown no detrimental effects to emission control devices due to its very low volatility.

Today’s engines are designed to run with this lower level of protection, because the sliding metal parts are either designed with rollers or anti-friction coatings to prevent wear. But even today’s engines need some ZDDP to protect internal engine parts, and it continues to work well with the latest oil technology, both regular petroleum and synthetic. This does not help everyone who owns an older vehicle that needs higher levels of ZDDP, especially classic cars, or racing engines that have higher valve spring pressures or those which are not driven daily. History has shown that reducing the ZDDP package has seen increases in premature failure with flat tappet camshafts and other internal engine parts. What can be deceiving is that in many cases, this does not happen overnight, but could take months or even years. This is because the ZDDP provides a sacrificial layer that does get consumed as miles accumulate on the engine.

ZDDP is still necessary in crankcase motor oils and due to its polarity it is in solution, not suspension otherwise solubilized, e.g. scotch & water. The polar zinc migrates and grabs on any exposed surface. The detergent package will not prevent the zinc from bonding with the metal surfaces, nor will it remove the zinc once adhered. These detergents and dispersants keep oxidized particles & soot suspended to be captured by the filter. There is a certain ratio of zinc to phosphorus inside the additive package to make sure this happens. In fact, most ZDDP oil additive packages contain detergents as part of the package.

You can make laboratory type testing show most any results you want to convince consumers that your way of thinking is correct. At the end of the day it is the real world testing and use that everyone needs to count on. Not to sound like a commercial, but Rislone produces the best additives sold worldwide, and as we approach 100 years in business, we’ll continue to create products needed for the ever-changing automobile.

TV Update: Rislone on the SPEED Network

Jeff Ventura — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This upcoming weekend, on Sunday, April 15, at 8:30 AM ET, Truck U (on the SPEED network) will air episode #801.

In this episode, our new Rislone Engine Oil Supplement with Zinc Treatment (ZDDP; 3X concentrate) will be featured. Be sure to check it out!

If you miss this show, SPEED will be replaying it on 4/17/12 @ 2:30 PM ET, and 4/20/2012 @ 10:30 ET.

Hope you tune in!

Testimonial Highlight: Brian L. from Ontario, Canada

Jeff Ventura — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Just received this testimonial for our Bar's Leaks Liquid Aluminum (p/n 1186) from Brian L. of Ontario, Canada:

To whom it may concern,

Just a quick e mail to thank you very much for helping us get to a garage safe with a radiator leak!
We are on a two month journey from Northern Ontario to Florida.Half way down the state of Florida
I noticed a bad radiator leak on our Holiday Rambler RV.The last thing i want to do is break down on a highway, never mind possibly blow up a diesel engine! Your great Bar's Leak product made it possible to drive to the Keys, then safely to a garage to replace the radiator. Your product worked like a charm on a radiator that was in really bad shape.

Thank You Very Much!!!

Brian L.

Here are some photos Brian sent along with this email to us:

Brian, thanks for choosing Bar's Leaks and, more importantly, sending along your testimonial and photos!

Buyer's Guide: Choosing the Right Head Gasket Repair Solution

Jeff Ventura — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

When talking about blown head gaskets, the first question we get asked about our head gasket repair products is, “How do I know which one to choose?”

Good question. We have three main products to address head gasket issues: our Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Repair (p/n 1100), Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Fix (p/n 1111) and Bar’s Leaks Professional Carbon Fiber Block Seal Head Gasket & Cooling Sealant (p/n HG-1).

All three are meant to deal with head gasket leaks, but there are differences. I’m going to discuss each product here, starting with our strongest.

Our Professional Carbon Fiber Block Seal Head Gasket & Cooling Sealant (p/n HG-1) is our strongest, most professional-grade product of this type. It’s antifreeze compatible, meaning no flush is necessary unless your system is dirty. HG-1 contains Xtreme Cool (a water wetting agent which reduces temperature) as well as carbon fiber and aramid fibers. When dealing with a head gasket leak, consider fibers to be like rebar in concrete: they’re necessary to form a truly strong, permanent bond.

Our Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Fix (p/n 1111) is one of our most popular products due to cost and how convenient it is to install. Like HG-1, no draining of the cooling system is required unless the system is dirty. Its sealing strength is a bit below our HG-1 product, but the installation is quick and easy. For most mild to moderate HG leaks, this product has worked wonders for tens of thousands of customers.

Our Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Repair (p/n 1100) is the first head gasket-specific product we came out with approximate eight years ago. It gives a very strong seal and is our most affordable HG product, but the installation is more demanding because the product is not compatible with antifreeze. You’ll need to completely flush your cooling system BEFORE using this product, as it can be used with water only. Immediately after doing the procedure, we ask that you drain your system and let your car sit 12-24 hours (weather permitting -- you can't leave only water in the system if it is below freezing). After the waiting period, you’ll need to flush again, making sure to get all the product completely out of your cooling system. You can then refill your cooling system with an OE-recommended coolant. You can assume your car will be laid up for a full day (maybe a bit longer) for this installation.

So, here’s how all that boils down:

If you want the strongest product we offer AND the most convenient, choose our Carbon Fiber Block Seal Head Gasket & Cooling Sealant (p/n HG-1). It sells for around $60 retail, but is truly a pro-class product. (And still considerably cheaper than a full mechanical head gasket repair, which run $1,500+.) Recommended if your car can run for 15 minutes without overheating.
If you want a strong product AND something that’s very easy to install, choose our Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Fix (p/n 1111). It’s one of our most popular products overall for a reason. Sells for around $30 retail. Recommended if your car can run for 20 mintues without overheating.
If you want a very strong product AND you have the time and knowledge to do a more manual install, choose our Bar’s Leaks Head Gasket Repair (p/n 1100). Sells for about $10 retail. Recommended if your car can run for 15 minutes without overheating.

If, after reading this, you still have questions about which product is right for your particular head gasket problem, call our technical support at 800-345-6572 or hit us up on Facebook and ask your question there. We’re here to help!

Pen and paper aren't dead

Jeff Ventura — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Here's a great handwritten testimonial about our Bar's Leaks Liquid Aluminium Cooling System Stop Leak. Pretty awesome someone still takes the time for real pen-and-paper letter. Way to kick it old school, Corky, and thanks for writing!

Rislone Transmission Stop Slip Featured on 'Truck U'

Jeff Ventura — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This upcoming week, on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 8:30 AM EST and Friday, Feb. 17 at 4:30 AM (for you night owls) and 10:30 AM, Truck U (on the SPEED network) will air episode #706, called Duramax Injector Repair.

In this episode, our popular Rislone Transmission Stop Slip with Leak Repair (p/n 4502) will be featured. Be sure to check it out!

Also, to save you a bunch of searching, here’s the Rislone Transmission Stop Slip FAQ and Tech Sheet. Tons of information between the two.

Hope you tune in!

Watch a Bugatti Veyron Hit 225 MPH on a Public Road

Jeff Ventura — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Say what you want, but this is crazytown stuff.

Also, because I know you're asking what I was thinking: yes, he got pulled over. But I imagine that a guy with a Veyron is (a) super well-connected or (b) has a way of getting out of tickets.

Anyway, more details on this public stunt are over at Jalopnik. For now, enjoy the video.

Testimonial Highlight: Art T. from Saratoga Springs, NY

Jeff Ventura — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Art T. from Saratoga Springs, NY recently wrote to our support department with the following story:

I have a 2002 Chrysler Sebring 2.7 V6, notorious for oil light sensor problems (thus check engine light). Verified all over the web! Without a Remedy? One night @ 25 degrees below zero, I noticed oil leaking. I purchased a bottle of Bar's Leaks Engine Oil Stop Leak. I assure you, like they were riding with me, after 200 miles & approximately 3 days, as predicted on the directions, the leak was ENTIRELY gone! In addition & serendipitously, the oil light shut off, for the FIRST time in over a year & 10,000 miles! I reset the Check Engine light & passed NY State Emissions Inspection with no further leaks or oil or Check Engine Lights in over a year & additional 10,000 Miles. A miracle in a bottle!

The product Art is talking about is our Bar's Leaks Engine Oil Stop Leak (p/n E10L), which is easily one of our most popular in the engine category.

Art, thanks for writing! We appreciate you taking the time!

The Happy Secret to Better Work

Jeff Ventura — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Here's a talk by Shawn Achor that everyone should give 12 mintues to. It's SO worth it.