Have you ever felt your car vibrate as you drive down the road? If so, you could possibly have a cracked head gasket. This can cause a lot of problems so it is important to determine where the crack is as soon as you can. If you let this issue go on for too long, your engine can suffer major damages and result in expensive repair costs. It is crucial that you are aware of the symptoms so you can react quickly.
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The head gasket is an essential component of your vehicle’s engine. If you have a cracked head gasket, your total engine system will not function properly. It is important that every part of the engine system is working correctly to ensure your car drives smoothly and nothing is damaged. If you think you might have a cracked head gasket, take your car into your local mechanic to get it checked out.
What Does A Head Gasket Do?
So, you might be wondering what exactly does the head gasket do for your engine system? The head gasket’s primary function is to seal in the internal combustion process. This happens so that coolant and oil don’t mix with one another. If they mix, worse problems will occur. This mixture could eventually break your car engine leaving you with expensive repair costs.
When combustion occurs, the fuel and air can generate about 700 psi in gas engines and 2,000 psi in diesel engines. The head gasket plays a very important role here. The head gasket needs to be robust and installed properly so that the pressure will stay in the combustion chamber. The pressure needs to stay there so the system works properly. The head gasket will prevent all of the liquid and gases from escaping.
The coolant is surrounding the cylinders so that it will maintain the proper temperature. It will also need to flow into the cylinder heads so it can cool down the combustion chamber and spark plugs. It is crucial that they can reach these parts so that they do not overheat. The head gasket will monitor where the coolant goes so it does not enter into places that it shouldn’t be. For example, it should not go between cylinders and power strokes. If the coolant reaches there, it can cause some serious problems for your engine.
Additionally, the head gasket will prevent oil from entering the cylinders and coolant in the engine system. Oil is very necessary for your engine to function properly. It has three different functions which include lubrication, hydraulics, and cooling. How does this work? Your oil pump will send pressurized oil throughout the engine so it can lubricate all of the different parts. It will also drive the hydraulic actuators. All of this needs to occur so your engine functions correctly. If you have a cracked head gasket, the oil could leak into places that it shouldn’t be and damage your engine.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Cracked Head Gasket?
There are a few things to look out for if you think you might have a cracked head gasket. Any time your car makes a noise or does something strange, it is trying to alert you that there is a problem. Always try to pay attention to the signs that your car is trying to tell you. It can be difficult to diagnose a cracked head gasket. The main problem starts with just a leak within the cooling system. As you can imagine, this will turn into a much larger problem if it goes unnoticed.
One symptom of a cracked head gasket is an overheating engine. How does this happen? When the head gasket isn’t working properly your cooling system won’t work. This means that your engine won’t be cooling off correctly. For example, metal components of your engine system could enlarge causing cracks. This will ultimately damage your entire engine.
Another thing to look out for is if your coolant levels start to drop. If your coolant levels are dropping faster than they normally do, this should alert you. One of the first things you should look at is your head gasket. You could have a cracked head gasket causing a leak to occur. You can check this by testing your cooling system with a pressurizer and watching for pressure loss. If you notice a loss in pressure, you know that you could have a cracked head gasket.
Have you noticed excessive exhaust smoke coming from the back of your car? This could also be a sign that you have a cracked head gasket. As mentioned above, it is important to look out for these signs. This means your car is trying to tell you something. So why does this happen? If coolant leaks into your cylinders, the smoke yielded by the combustion process will come out of your exhaust system. You will notice that this will occur over time if you don’t fix your cracked head gasket.
Lastly, if you ever notice a milky color in your engine oil you have a big problem. Your oil should not look milky. But if this happens, you know that the root problem could be a cracked head gasket. Why does your oil become a milky white color because of this? The coolant will leak into your combustion chamber and eventually get into your oil. This mixture will turn a milky white color. You can check this on your own by doing routine oil checks. All you have to do is take your dipstick out and you will be able to notice if the oil is a milky white color. You can also look around the oil cap to determine if the color is off.
It is crucial that if you notice any of these symptoms, you go see your local mechanic as soon as possible. They will be able to inform you of a cracked head gasket and help you fix the problem. If this goes on for too long, you could damage your entire engine system. This could result in expensive repair costs or you could damage your engine past repair. If that happens, you will have to look into purchasing a new car. Don’t wait to seek help if you notice any of these symptoms listed above.
What Will Happen If My Head Gasket Fails?
If you have a cracked head gasket and it fails, your car engine is in trouble. Many issues will arise due to a failing head gasket. Your coolant could leak into the oil causing problems in your engine system. You could also experience a cylinder misfire which will cause your engine to malfunction. Lastly, your entire engine could overheat and eventually break down. If that happens, you will face very costly repairs or you might need to invest in a new car.
How Can I Avoid A Cracked Head Gasket?
So, now you know that a cracked head gasket can lead to some serious problems you might be wondering if there is a way to avoid this problem. The best way to try and avoid a cracked head gasket is to perform regular maintenance checks on your car. If you don’t do this, you could have a cracked head gasket and not know it for a long time. This will drain your wallet quickly.
There are three methods that you can utilize to lower your chances of a cracked head gasket. This first one is to check your combustion chamber to make sure it is kept under low pressures. The next thing is to avoid carbon build-up within the engine. Lastly, don’t downshift to slow down your car if you have a manual transmission.
If you don’t want to keep up with this maintenance on your own, you can always take your car to a mechanic. They will be able to do routine check-ups for you and make sure that you don’t have a cracked head gasket.
Cracked Head Gasket Repair
Although it can be difficult to determine a cracked head gasket, it is an easy repair if you catch it early. If you detect the leakage in the initial stage, there are many sealing products to stop the leak from occurring. These are available at your local auto repair shops. If you are going to do this, you will need to add a sealer to the radiator and then the leak will be sealed.
There are many different types of sealers so it is important that you get the correct kind for your type of engine. A mechanic will be able to help you determine which one you need for your car. Ultimately, the type will depend on the size of the leak and the engine cylinders you have in your car.
Unfortunately, if you do not detect the cracked head gasket in the early stages, you will need to get it repaired. If you drive for a long time with a cracked head gasket, you could face an engine block repair or a complete engine replacement. It is all dependent on how much damage is done to the car.
The head gasket repair itself is not too expensive but it is a very labor-intensive job. This means you will have an expensive repair bill due to the high labor costs. Repairing a head gasket is one of the most costly engine repair jobs performed. The reason for this is because you need to remove a lot of parts in order to repair the cracked head gasket. So first, a mechanic needs to remove a lot of engine components, and then putting them back together is a whole other process. When putting these parts back together, there needs to be specific torque settings used to ensure a proper installation.
Conclusion
Once you get a proper diagnosis about your cracked head gasket and engine from a reliable mechanic, you might start to wonder if fixing the car is worth your money. Also, if you have an older car then it probably is not worth the money. It can be stressful to continue to put money into your car that keeps breaking down. The engine is one of the most expensive parts to fix, so you could be facing a very expensive repair if your cracked head gasket damages the entire system.
So, let’s say you just found out that you have a cracked head gasket and you need to repair your engine. You decide that you don’t want to put any more money into fixing your car. Well, you don’t have to worry, you have other options.
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