The head gasket plays a very significant role in the functions of an engine. The head gaskets are actually seals fitted between the engine block and the piston cylinder head. The role of the head gasket is to contain engine compression, separating liquids in the engine. In case the head gasket is blown; that is, if it fails in purpose, it may lead to serious consequences and an action must be taken to correct the situation. The cost of the head gaskets is not much but the labor here is quite costly since accessing the head gasket or the engine is quite time-consuming.
There are several vehicle owners who are not aware of the risks of the blown head gasket or choose to ignore the problem. This often leads to serious consequences where nobody can help apart from a medical practitioner and an attorney.
How to Know if the Head Gasket is Not Working Properly?
A blown head gasket may need huge repairs.
Here are a few signs of blown head gasket.
Contaminated Oil
Contaminated oil is a surefire sign of blown head gasket.
To check for this, inspect the oil cap of your vehicle. If there is a milk like ring around the cap, the oil is contaminated.
The ring indicates that the coolant has mixed with the oil.
Faulty Exhaust
The faulty exhaust is one of the many indications of blown head gasket.
Water leaking from the exhaust pipe signals a blown head gasket. You are probably dealing with the same cause in case a sweet smell emanates from the vehicle's exhaust or if white smoke comes out of the tailpipe.
Radiator Problem
In case the head gasket has a leakage, the air bubbles are bound to find their way into the radiator.
To confirm the presence of air bubbles, remove the radiator cap. Next, give the engine of the vehicle adequate time to warm up. Rev the engine a few times.
Engine Issues
In case the engine of the vehicle is unresponsive and slow, a blown head gasket is probably the cause here. Your engine will experience a loss of compression in case the head gasket is damaged.
If your vehicle witnesses any of these symptoms, make sure to address the problem as soon as possible since overheated engines lead to major safety issues.
Replacement is one of the best options in case there is trouble with the head gasket. It is also possible to repair it. Though this is not a permanent fix, good repairs are bound to keep your vehicle operational for some time and are also cheaper than replacing the whole head gasket.
Here are some steps to repair the head gasket.
Drain the Coolant
Before beginning with the head gasket repair, you need to drain the coolant from the engine. The engine block sealant and the coolant are volatile if mixed and thus, they can never be in the engine, together.
Drain the coolant into a pan till the engine gets empty. Pour coolant from drainage pan into a container. Make sure to dispose it of properly. If you cannot dispose it properly, you can take it to a mechanical workshop.
Use Sealant
The engine block sealant is chiefly made of sodium silicate. When it dries, it fills in the cracks in the head gasket, forming a hard seal eventually. You may mix the sealant with water and pour it into the radiator. As soon as you add it, turn the engine on, allowing it to idle for half an hour.
Fix the Seal
You must form a hard seal to ensure the efficacy of head gasket. For this, you need to drive with just the engine block coolant in the cooling system. This will help it to get into the cracks of the head basket before it dries to a hard finish.
The engine may run hot at daytime but if you are not overdoing things, this will never be a problem. Do this at least for one day to help the engine block sealant dry completely.
Blown head gasket is a serious concern and must be addressed as soon as possible. Also make sure to take care of the vehicle so that issues like this do not crop up.
The head gasket problems may cause engine failure or damage to the engine components and this situation needs to be addressed as soon as possible if you don't want costs to add up.
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