This article is aimed to help you extract the maximum performance, economy, and reliability from your off-road vehicle. For some, these may seem like a no-brainer, for others, it may be just what you've been looking for. In all, we hope to add a few bits to your brain that will be of use, and perhaps even entertain you a little in the process. So without further adieu…. Lets take a look at some of the chemical products in use on today's automobiles.

Silicone Sealer

For the shade-tree mechanic it's the stuff of the gods. For the professional that has to follow his work it's the stuff of nightmares. Red, blue and black RTV have likely combined to cause as many problems as they have cured. While silicon sealers have their rightful place on your vehicle, the problems begin when too much, or the wrong type for the job is used.

How much is too much? Well Buckwheat, if you end up with more of the stuff outside the part to be sealed than on the sealing surface itself, you've used too much. While a lot of people think "No biggie, I can just use a bunch and wipe off the overkill….WRONG!

Lets take an oil pan as an example. If you go bug nuts and get crazy with the silicone, you'll squeeze just as much "into" the oil pan as gets squeezed "off of" the gasket face. Sure you can wipe the outside excess off, but what happens to your engine when the cubic globs of blue goo end up sealing off your oil galleys along with the oil pan gasket? Excess silicone "WILL" find its way into some small and very important passages, blocking them off and starving bearings, lifters, rocker arms and more for oil. The result? Baked engines and big repair bills.

Today's modern gaskets are a world above their counterparts of yesteryear and don't need a 360 deg. Application of silicone to do the job they were intended for. Multi piece gaskets will of course need a little of the sauce but only at the points of connection. Use only enough to do the job. Here's an area where less is more!

If you simply "must" coat your gaskets in something, try a simple layer of grease. This serves two purposes. First, you'll gain some added sealing in marginal areas, and next, you'll be able to remove gaskets so coated (when the time comes) without aid from three men, a boy, his dog, and a bucket full of scrapers. And what if you get carried away? The grease will do nothing but thicken the oil by a minute amount.

The last point with silicon is that some of today's cars require the use of "O2 sensor safe" silicon. The chemicals in the regular stuff are murder on several engine sensors and can lead to poor performance - even a non-running vehicle. Read the labels, read the owners manual and choose wisely.

Anti-Seize Compound

Sure the book calls for it. Sure your grandpa used it. Sure you've seen it on the shelf at AutoZone but is there any in your workshop? Nooooo…..

Well, a few of you have it but lets face it. Most of us don't. then we wonder why we were so stupid when trying to get that cheap steel header bolt out of that expensive aluminum head. Suddenly you remember the science lesson about "dissimilar metals" huh?

Anti-Seize is a good idea on just about every nut and bolt that doesn't require the use of thread locking compound. Of course, be sure to check the books on the item you're working on to make sure there isn't a compelling reason "not" to use the stuff. But in general, Anti-Seize is every bit as important as say….

Thread Locking Compound.

We all call it by the trade name of Loc Tite, but threadlocker is manufactured by several different companies and in several levels of strength. For most automotive applications, "blue" threadlocker is the stuff to use. While providing great resistance to vibration induced loosening, it's still weak enough to break free with simple hand tools. Use this sparingly, as more won't really do a whole lot more than "less".

Red threadlocker has higher shear strength and often requires copious amounts of both heat and brute force to break free. Red threadlocker often finds a home in setting studs, or retaining nuts and bolts prone to experience high vibration. If you don't need it, or think you'll need the kind of strength that red threadlocker can provide, use the blue instead. If you experience loosening hardware even with blue threadlocker in use, then it may be time to go to the red. If you experience loosening bolts with red, you've likely got a problem on your hands.

The last common "stage" of threadlocker is "green". In general, green threadlocker is used for retaining cylinder sleeves and like applications. While it's technically "stronger" than red, it's poorly suited for general usage, and has a hellaciously long cure time. Leave the green to the pros and stick with blue or red for 99% of your thread locking needs.

"Miracle Cures"

Oh baby…here's a category that will cause no end of debate. Today's market is filled with "cure in a can" for everything from cracked heads to "super additives" that promise 50% increases in horsepower, mileage, and even assist in the growth of new hair. All kidding aside, most are snake oil and need to be avoided like the plague.

There are a few though that actually works as advertised. You'll notice them by their distinct "lack" of advertising. For radiator leaks, Both BarsLeak and AlumiSeal are two very effective products that will usually seal up small pinhole sized (and even larger) leaks in your cooling system. Granted, there are limits. If you put a fan through the radiator, your trip to NAPA should be for a new radiator, not a case of BarsLeak.

When using either product, make sure you don't have an inline coolant "filter" in place or the only "leaks you'll be stopping ate the passages through the filter. Plug that puppy and get ready for a hot time in the old town tonight. Perhaps even more damage than you started off with…

Just in case you forgot to pack some product in your emergency supplies, but somehow remembered your picnic basket, pepper, yes "pepper" as in "salt and pepper" will do the job extremely well. The downside? Too-much will clog coolant passages right along with any leaks it encounters. Don't use any more than about a Dixie cup full - max!

When using either product, make sure you don't have an inline coolant "filter" in place or the only "leaks you'll be stopping ate the passages through the filter. Plug that puppy and get ready for a hot time in the old town tonight. Perhaps even more damage than you started off with…Like blown head gaskets or cracked heads.

What about the products that claim to seal cracked heads, cracked blocks, and cracked everything else? Do they work? Well…. yes and no - mostly no. While many such products can and will seal very small, Very" small cracks, there's nothing to stop the crack from growing into a much larger version of it's former self. Then the "sealers" are unable to keep up and are no longer effective.

When it comes to "cracked" parts, think about it logically. If a piece of cast/forged metal is cracked and leaking, it's likely cracked to the point where such "sealers" will be ineffective in the first place. Will it hurt to try them? Most of the time, no it won't. But when you end up bringing the part to the mechanic/machine shop for a real repair, you just might learn a few bad words you never heard before. Depending on the type, these wonder cures can leave a real mess behind.

"Miracle Lubes"

Let's face it. Adding