If your temperature gauge zings off the charts and there’s steam pouring out from under your hood, you’re in trouble. Most likely cause is a blown head gasket.
If your engine overheats, your cylinder head gets lifted due to the expansion, and coolant leaks into the combustion chamber. That means your head gasket failed, and you’re coating your spark plugs and engine oil in coolant.
It’s not ideal at all.
What is a Head Gasket?
A head gasket sits between your cylinder head and your engine block. It makes sure that the oil passages are insulated and the coolant passages are insulated. It stops the two mixing, and the main concern is that it doesn’t mix in the combustion chamber.
They are usually made out of steel, a composite and even cork. They compress to fill in all the tiny imperfections in your cylinder head and engine block’s mounting surfaces.
What are the symptoms of a blown head gasket?
Now that you know what a head gasket is and what it does, you need to know what to look for. You can easily spot coolant leaking into the cylinders.
- If you remove your radiator cap and notice that the coolant level is dropping, that can often be a sign of a blown head gasket. It means that coolant is being consumed when the engine is running or leaking from a bad seal.
- If the engine is down on power and sounds like it’s running rough, that can be another sign. Coolant may be fouling the spark plugs.
- If you notice white smoke coming from the exhaust, that’s a telltale sign of a bad head gasket.
- If your engine suddenly goes kaput, and steam goes everywhere, there’s a chance that the head gasket has failed.
What to do if you have blown head gasket
Don’t sweat it, here at My Auto Shop, we can help get that fixed in no time. One of our garages can expertly and properly replace your head gasket, and do so at a great price. Head over to our booking engine and we can get you back on the road in no time.