Ford explorer 94 leaking water out of my catalytic converter

[Helpme00]

My truck started to get hot. Adding water ounce every 2 weeks. It has gotten worse. I have to carry extra water. It started acting as if my plugs were fouling out. The next thing was while putting water in it and running. It started to bog and almost want to die. I looked under the truck to see at the start of the exhaust water was dripping and at the catalytic converter . Leaving my truck to run it was obvious that the more I put in the more went out. It still has power and can idle. I understand the motor is shot or will be soon. Is there any thing I can add to the radiator to seal it, the crack in block or the warped head? It seems to leak out as fast as I put it in?. I am looking for a temporary fix. Nothing more.

 

[Ralston18]

Probably not. In past times it was viable to fix temporary radiator leaks etc. with some sort of sealent.

Depended very much on where the leak was located.

However those days are past and DIY auto repairs for even older models is becoming prohibitive for most folks as much as we would like to do so.

You may be able to forestall some major repairs but at the risk of doing more damage along the way and/or having some total failure (per Mr. Murphy) at the worst possible time and location. And, not knowing where you live per se, it is winter and a breakdown could leave you stranded.

All in all, a temporary fix is not worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[synphul]

If the coolant is in fact leaking from the catalytic converter (you should smell a slightly sweet scent from the coolant cooking), the issue isn't with the radiator. Radiator sealant won't help, likely a cracked head or block. Cracks like that can't be fixed by adding things to the coolant, they would need welded (engine tear down, inspection, professional repair) if possible, if not would need parts replacement.

It's also possible the intake manifold gaskets are leaking (upper or lower) but without inspecting it, very difficult to tell across the net. Unfortunately if you're getting coolant all the way through the cylinders, not only are you liable to be fouling plugs but will likely kill your o2 sensors as well. If it's been overheating and there's any warping of the heads (provided they haven't cracked) it would need machined flat or you'd end up with continued problems that replacing gaskets alone won't fix.