Symptoms of Head Gasket Failure and its Solution

We all know about a head gasket which is a thin cork/steel gasket. It is located between the cylinder and main block of an engine. The main functioning of a head gasket is to prevent the mixing of a coolant liquid with the lubricating oil. And so, it a vital part of your engine. Sometimes due to a run of thousands of miles or a lack of care of your engine creates a problem of head gasket failure. This issue should be corrected quickly, as it can create serious problems and can lead to a significant expense if ignored. Read through this post for analyzing the symptoms of a head gasket failure and the solution to fix it.

How a head gasket failure occurs?

In most of the occasions, this happens due to the general age of the engine which has a history of frequent overheating problems. The lack of regular maintenance of your car can also be a possible reason for it. If your radiator does not have enough coolant or have a coolant leak, then it results in a high temperature of your engine. However, the different head gaskets have various levels of falters, the longer duration of high temperature is the most common and possible reason of a head gasket failure.

Symptoms of a head gasket failure

Check the below symptoms to detect the head gasket failure in your engine.

  • Let’s start with the morning conditions. There may be an often occasions when you start your car in the morning, and the white smoke starts appearing from the exhaust. This issue is not a worrying thing until it continues even after a 20-minute drive of your warmed up car. The water must be making the way to the combustion chamber from the coolant system.
  • If your thermostat dashboard is reading high unusually or showing the warning light, then it means your engine has an exceptionally high temperature. This problem can be caused because of a possible head gasket failure.
  • If your fuel system has issues or you drive with too many poor timings, then you may see flat spots whilst drive. Water or oil in a combustion chamber or in the way of ignition system can also cause this issue.
  • If you have an old car which has run faithfully over 100,000 miles for you, what can you better expect from it? It may often show you blue smoke from the exhaust now due to the piston ring wear. Though it does not lead to quick breakdown, this problem should be solved quickly to prevent the head gasket failure.
  • Some other symptoms of a head gasket failure you can notice are the lack of coolant in your radiator, discolored oil if your car is not running smoothly, or a white or yellow mixture inside your oil filter cap.

All these symptoms are a warning of a possible head gasket failure that you should prevent by taking some necessary actions. Now, let’s see some options for fixing it.

How to fix a head gasket failure?

Use a good-quality head gasket sealer – By pouring the head gasket sealer in radiator cap, you can continue to drive your car without doing a heavy mechanical work. The best head gasket sealer flows through the coolant system, discovers the leak in it and seals it.

Re-tightening the head bolts – if you have got service from an inexperienced or lazy mechanic, then may he has not tightened the head bolts properly. Re-torque the head bolts with a quality wrench and see whether it works or not.

Change the head gasket – This is the last option to choose. If nothing else works, then you should modify the head gasket by dismantling the chain system and remove the head properly.

Conclusion

The head gasket failure doesn’t occur straight away. Often the failure happens in a section of the gasket. In such situations using a head gasket sealer is the most recommended option to choose. It is always advisable that you regularly check your engine system and maintain it properly to prevent any unnecessary problems. Enjoy your ride!

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