Cadillac Repair: cadillac engine... please help..., engine oil leak, cadillac seville

Question
How hot does a engine block get... my friend has a 94 cadillac seville and he has a small engine leak and he thinks he can put puddy that works up to 500 farenheit to stop the leak for a part time fix... do you think that will work... i say no because its a crank case leak... i dont think that will help i think it will damage the motor... can you give me an answer...

Answer
Hi Gilbert,

      The engine block might get to between 200 and 240 degrees F. Where the exhaust comes out of the cylinder heads it does get alittle hotter but should still be under 500 degrees. So if the engine in question is a Northstar with a lower engine oil leak then what I would do is warm up the engine and then use brake clean to wash all the oil off after the engine has been turned off. It is worth a try using the putty but it might not seal or seal for too long...only time will tell. However I don't feel that any will get into the engine and cause a problem once it has hardened up.

     If this is a coolant leak again he can give it a try but monitor how the engine is running because it might be a temporary fix. The other thing that he could try is to put 3 seal tabs into the cooling system and see if it will seal the leak either with of without using the putty.

     Good luck. Hope it works for him. Bill