5 Signs That You Have An Inflated Head Gasket (And The Best Ways To Prevent It)

Gaskets that leak from the head are bad news. This is very unfortunate news. Take action immediately in the event that you suspect that your gasket might be failing. You've been warned that a head gasket may fail in seven different ways. Each of them is dangerous for your engine. If you notice a pleasant smelly white cloud that is following your vehicle at all times then you might have an issue with your head gasket.

Head gaskets are known to fail.

Typically head gaskets fail when engines and heads expend at different rates, and the gasket isn't able to seal the gap that has expanded. The problem is exacerbated on some motors which use the cylinder block made of iron and an aluminum head. Certain motors are designed with weak clamping force from the headbolts or have heads that are prone warping. They have a bad reputation for failure.


When a head gasket is failed it can create a myriad of issues that include:

1) Overheating

The head gasket's failure could have been caused by an engine overheating one too numerous times (as due to a clogged radiator, leaky coolant and faulty fans, etc. A blown headgasket can also cause an engine to overheat. Hot exhaust gas or coolant could leak out of the engine and burn off into steam.


The blown head gasket cost could increase significantly if the vehicle is excessively heated. The steam can cause harm to catalytic converters, or the heads of the alloy cylinders.

2) Loss Of Power

If the head gasket fails in such a way it lets the fuel or compressed air escape, the compression in the cylinder decreases. It will be rough to operate and power levels are reduced. It is a common occurrence that is accompanied by a sounds that could be a sign of it is a leak in the exhaust.

3) Oil Contamination

The most well-known symptoms of a head gasket failing is the milky sludge on the inside of the oil filler cap or on the dipstick sometimes referred to as a "milkshake". The reason for this is that coolant getting into the oil and the reverse. It isn't a definitive evidence that the gasket in the head has failed, but it is an indicator. The engine must be disassembled to determine where contamination has come from.

Any driving can quickly damage the bearings on the engine if the antifreeze within the oil has been contaminated. Blown Head Gasket Repair requires at least an engine oil flush as well as a replacement oil filter, and often times complete disassembly from the base of the engine to ensure that bearings won't be damaged and then clean the contaminated oil.


4) White Smoke

This is caused by the gasket being defective. The cause is antifreeze leaching past the gasket, and then into tanks, which are turned to steam as part of the combustion process. Less common, but still feasible, is the possibility of a leak from an oil passage into the cylinder. This can cause blue smoke.

This kind of malfunction can cause combustion to enter your cooling system, or the oil breathing system. When a radiator's hose abruptly blows off its water outlet, or the dipstick won't remain in place, it could be the reason.

5) External Leaks

If a head gasket failed between the water or oil passage and the outside of the engine, it can result in straightforward leak of coolant or oil. The least serious version of a blowout in the head gasket, it is still a concern.

Thermogasket Head Gasket Repair Kit may not be a issue right away (other creating an mess) However, should you let the volume of coolant decrease, this can cause serious engine problems. Leaking oil can also cause acrid fumes and even fire in the event that it touches hot exhaust.

Preventing Head Gasket Breakdowns

The cost of a few dollars for preventative measures is far more effective than a tens of thousands dollars cure to head gaskets. Head gasket replacement itself is not expensive, but it is labor-intensive, and consequently raises the blown head gasket cost cost, particularly for newer cars.

The main cause for head gasket issues is frequent overheating or driving after overheating. To prevent this, make sure your cooling system works correctly. If your car starts to overheat, you should immediately stop the engine, then wait for it to cool for a while, and replenish the radiator.

Checking the cooling system is simple: Make sure that there is no leakage, that the radiator operates efficiently, the thermostat opens in a proper manner, and the coolant is topped up to the correct amount. Also make sure you have a fan (mechanical or electric) is working, has all its blades a,nd has a shroud around it, which will increase its effectiveness.

If you think there is that your head gasket has failed then the test performed by a scientist is to test for gasses that are combustible in the cooling system. This test will reveal whether the leakage of compression is through the cooling systems, and consequently, if the head gasket is blown. The old mechanic's trick is to remove the cap on your radiator, then start the car, and look for bubbles in the coolant.

But, they are not able to tell the existence of any problems with the head gasket, so the absence of gasses within the cooling system will not ensure a good head gasket.

Gaskets for older head models can not work due to a weakening of the material and a poor design. It was more problematic with older style, metal gaskets which would be used for only a few years that went from hot to cold with each start-up before they would fail. Today, modern MLS (multiple layers of steel) gaskets for replacement are accessible for all kinds of applications they are more reliable than the original gasket design.