5 Signs You Have a Blown Head Gasket (and How To Prevent It)

08 Feb.,2023

 

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A blown head gasket is bad news. Very bad news. If you think yours is going it requires immediate attention. A head gasket can fail about 7 slightly different ways, which we told you about recently, and all of which are bad news for the engine. If there is a sweet smelling white cloud following behind you at all times, you may have a bad head gasket.

Typically head gaskets fail when the head and the engine expend at different rates, and the gasket can’t seal the newly expanded gap. This issue is made worse on some motors which use an iron cylinder block and an aluminum head. And some motors are just designed with poor clamping force from the head bolts, or have head prone to warping, and have a reputation for failure.

Once a head gasket has failed it can cause all manner of problems, including:

1) Overheating

A head gasket failure may have been caused by an engine overheating one too many times (as a result of clogged radiator, coolant leak, faulty fan, etc.), but a blown head gasket will also cause the engine to overheat too. Hot exhaust gases can leak into the cooling system, or coolant can leak into the cylinders and be burned off as steam, either way the end result is an overheating engine. 

If the car is driven with while overheating it can also result in the alloy cylinder head warping, or steam can damage the catalytic convertor, adding significantly to the cost of repair.

2) Loss of power

If the head gasket fails in such a way it allows the compressed air/fuel to escape, the compression of that cylinder is reduced. This loss of compression results in a rough running engine and a notable reduction in engine power. This sort of failure typically is accompanied by a sound like an exhaust leak.

3) Oil contamination

One of the most famous signs of head gasket failure is the milky sludge on the underside of the oil filler cap or on the dipstick, sometime jokingly called a “milkshake”. This is caused by coolant getting into the oil, and vice versa. Although not conclusive proof of head gasket failure this is generally a good indicator, and is a sure sign your engine needs to come apart to find the source of contamination. 

With antifreeze contaminating the oil, any driving will quickly ruin the engine’s bearings. Repair requires at least an engine oil flush as well as a replacement oil filter, and often times complete disassembly of the bottom end of the engine to ensure the bearings aren’t damaged, and clear out all contaminated oil.

4) White Smoke

A faulty head gasket most often results in large clouds of sweet smelling white smoke coming from the exhaust. This is caused by antifreeze leaking past the gasket and into the cylinders, where it is turned to steam as part of the combustion process. Less common, but still possible, is a leak from an oil passage to the cylinder, which would cause blueish smoke.

Either of these types of gasket failure will also allow combustion pressure into the cooling system, or oil breather system. If a radiator hose suddenly blows off its water outlet, or the dipstick won’t stay put, this could be the reason.

5) External leaks

If a head gasket has failed between the water or oil passage and the outside of the engine, the result can be a simple coolant or oil leak. This is the least dire version of a blown head gasket, but still serious.

This may not manifest itself as an immediate problem (other than causing a mess) but if the coolant level is allowed to drop too far, it can lead to serious engine issues. The other issue is that leaking oil could get on the hot exhaust leading to acrid smoke, and possibly fire.

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