The previous owner of the Chili (when it was a 22RE) tried to fix a slight cooling system leak with similar stuff. He also put off doing the timing chain. He also tried to squeeze as much life out of the coolant as possible.

He did detail it twice a year though.

All of this led to a head gasket slowly failing, and the block deck corroding, all of which could have been avoided had he simply replaced the coolant when it needed to be replaced, fixed the radiator properly when it developed a pinhole, and done the timing chain (the factory way: new HG) when it was due, too.

Shame, too: the hone marks were still visible in the cylinder walls. But a rebuild was required nonetheless.

Do it right. It is actually easier, though it doesn't seem so at the time.