A blown head gasket can cause overheating in cars. This condition can pose a serious damage to your car. But what causes a blown head gasket in cars? What are some possible symptoms of a blown head gasket, and how can you prevent it? Let’s find out.
CAUSES OF BLOWN HEAD GASKET IN CARS
- OVERHEATING:
Overheating or too high cooling system pressure can be a cause of a blown head gasket. The cylinder head gasket burns out due to overheating which can be triggered by several causes. In the event of an incorrect closure of the cylinder head cover, the gasket is more subject to wear and burn because it is reached by high temperatures. Hence, blown gasket in cars is usually caused by extremely high temperatures or by a loss of water, causing the gasket to burn, deform and by not performing the sealing function, it ends up damaging the entire engine.
The engine may start to overheat too much. It is normal that when you notice this thanks to the temperature warning of the frame, you already have a fault in the engine. So the way to avoid a major breakdown is to find a safe place to park your car and call the tow truck as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, this symptom can mostly be detected by professionals who have the appropriate tools. The cases are very numerous, so a blown cylinder head gasket is a very common failure.
- NO LIQUID REFRIGERANT CAN COOL THE SYSTEM:
One of the main reasons for which the gasket may be blown is that no liquid refrigerant can cool the system so that the average temperature of the motor will rise and find greater difficulty in dissipating temperature and therefore the chances of a cylinder head gasket failure are higher.
- FAULTY COOLING PUMP, RADIATOR OR THERMOSTAT:
Related to the increase in temperature, we can also find other culprits such as the cooling pump, radiator or thermostat that do not work as they should.
Having come to know the main causes of a blown head gasket, let’s now consider some symptoms of a blown head gasket.
SYMPTOMS OF BLOWN HEAD GASKET
- CONSUMPTION OF LOTS OF COOLANT:
First of all, if the car consumes a lot of coolant water and you have to constantly top up the radiator coolant, in the absence of leaks, this high demand for coolant could arise precisely from localized overheating in the engine head. It is seen that the car “sucks” too much oil in engine and water.
- LEAKAGE OF OIL CAN BE A SYMPTOM OF A BLOWN HEAD GASKET:
When the cylinder head gasket leaks, it could mean that it is either damaged or burned. The heat causes the formation of a viscous and clear substance under the oil cap. If under the oil cap there is a creamy substance, similar to mayonnaise, you have a tangible indication that there may be a leak at the cylinder head gasket. In cases where there are leaks in the coolant, you can easily detect it by filling the tank with it and checking it every time you turn off the car. Very often you can also notice that it is stained brown, or we see it full of impurities.
In any case, the absence of this substance under the oil cap does not mean that the cylinder head gasket is intact, so remember to check all the symptoms.
- CLASSIC WHITE SMOKE FROM TAILPIPE:
Other obvious symptoms of a burnt cylinder head gasket include the classic white smoke from the tailpipe.
Regarding the pipe of exhaust, in a blown head gasket, smoke would come out gray or white, although this may also be due to other causes.
The white smoke that escapes from the muffler (exhaust terminal) is caused by the coolant that penetrates the cylinders and is burned along with the air and fuel. As the leak worsens, the smoke becomes whiter and whiter and you will have to top up the coolant in the special water tank faster and faster.
- DEFICIENCY IN POWER DELIVERY AS A SYMPTOM OF BLOWN HEAD GASKET:
If we notice a deficiency in power delivery, it is also possible that we have a failure in the gasket by losing the ideal compression of the engine. This usually leads to an increase in engine temperature, as indicated in the previous point.
- BAD ADJUSTMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD :
This is one of the biggest possible problems since they are due to a bad placement of the gasket in the engine. This will cause all kinds of breakdowns sooner or later either inside the engine or outside it since the liquid would come out of it causing burns in other parts of the engine.
As you may already know, this effect lead to the failure of the cylinder head gasket so we have two options, identify the failure in time and make it a lesser evil or end up destroying the engine and having to buy one.
These are basically the main symptoms to pay attention to in order to avoid a cylinder head gasket failure.
In conclusion, these are the symptoms of a broken head gasket that you should pay attention to. According to some researchers, the most important thing is to keep the engine coolant and to use the cylinder head gasket with the right material.
How to prevent the cylinder head gasket from burning If you have often burned the cylinder head gasket, something is wrong! Are you sure you have carried out all the necessary coupons and checks?
HOW TO PREVENT A BLOWN HEAD GASKET?
To prevent the cylinder head gasket from burning you can follow these simple precautions:
Frequently check the proper functioning of the fuses:
One thing you can do to prevent a blown head gasket is to check often the state of wear of the electric fan. When you change the engine oil, inspect it to see if there are traces of the radiator fluid. A leak in the cylinder head gasket allows the coolant to filter and penetrate to the oil. Since these are two substances with different consistencies, the refrigerant immediately stands out.
In this case the damage is already done and the cylinder head gasket already has a leak but, if it is minimal, it is possible to carry out a DIY (Do It Yourself) repair using an adhesive. Do-it-yourself repair of the cylinder head gasket is possible only in case of slight leaks but not when the entire gasket is damaged. In the event of a leaking gasket, it is possible to seal the leak with special mastics. Sealing mixtures can be an interim or even permanent solution when the leak is small.
WHAT TO DO IF THE CAR ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET IS BROKEN: PHENOMENON
Cylinder head gasket ablation failure manifestations include: (1) burning between the cylinder edges of the cylinder head gasket: insufficient engine power, weak vehicle driving, poor acceleration, remove the air filter, when the engine is idling, the intake port can be heard “Plap” sound. (2) The burned part of the cylinder gasket is connected to the hole of the water jacket: the water tank is bubbling, boiling, and the exhaust gas emits white smoke. (3) The burned part of the cylinder gasket is connected to the oil passage: part of the engine oil will be the inside of the cylinder is ablated, and the exhaust emits blue smoke. (4) The burned part of the cylinder gasket is connected to the external atmosphere: the engine is poor in power and economical, and there is a fierce “pop” from the damaged part of the gasket. .
Common cylinder head gasket ablation is caused by the impact of high temperature and high pressure gas on the head gasket, which burns out the mouth, guard ring and asbestos plate, causing cylinder air leakage and leakage of lubricating oil and cooling water. In the event of erosion of the cylinder gasket failure, the engine’s power performance will decrease, the cylinder pressure will be insufficient, the carburetor will backfire in severe cases, and the exhaust pipe will fire.
WHAT TO DO IF THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET OF A CAR ENGINE IS BROKEN: THE REASON
The main reasons for cylinder head gasket ablation are as follows:
- When the engine is working for a long time under heavy load, knocking combustion often occurs, causing local high temperature and high pressure in the cylinder to ablate the cylinder head gasket.
- When tightening the cylinder head bolts, the operation was not performed as required, and the uneven torque caused the cylinder head gasket to not smoothly stick to the joint surface of the cylinder body and the cylinder head, resulting in blow-by.
- The ignition advance angle or the fuel injection advance angle is too large, causing the circulation pressure and temperature to be too high.
- The cylinder head gasket is of poor quality and uneven thickness; there is an air bag in the mouth of the bag, and the asbestos is not evenly laid or the hemming is not tight.
- The cylinder head is warped and deformed, the flatness of the cylinder body is out of tolerance, and individual cylinder head bolts are loosened, resulting in a loose seal.
- Improper driving operation method, used to slam the accelerator pedal, rapid acceleration, and high-speed operation. Excessive pressure aggravates the erosion of the cylinder head gasket.
WHAT TO DO IF THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET OF A CAR ENGINE IS BROKEN
In addition to judging whether the cylinder head gasket is ablated by detecting the cylinder pressure, you can also remove the water tank cover, start the engine at medium speed, and observe whether there are bubbles in the water tank. If it is found that there are continuous bubbles from the water tank filling port, it is ablation of the cylinder gasket. If the water surface fluctuation increases with the increase of the engine speed, and water is sprayed out at the same time, it will be partly washed away around the cylinder head gasket waterway.
At this time, the non-working cylinders can be found out by cylinder-by-cylinder ignition. Remove the spark plug and observe whether there are water droplets on the electrode; start the engine and observe whether there is water or steam sprayed from the spark plug hole to determine whether the cylinder gasket is burnt. When the engine is working, move your hand around the cylinder head gasket. If you feel a gas rush, the head gasket is ablated. When the cylinder head gasket is seriously damaged, bubbles can be found at the joint between the cylinder head and the cylinder block.
When it is found that the water level in the water tank drops quickly during use, pull out the oil dipstick and check that there is water in the oil (the oil color is yellow or even white), which is a leak of the cylinder gasket; in addition, the temperature of the cooling water in the water tank rises too fast, and the pot is often boiled. The water inlet is overturned, and the water inlet pipe is not dented, the cooling water is not consumed, and the cylinder gasket is leaking. In case of the above phenomenon, the cylinder head gasket should be replaced with a new one.
The car’s engine is more important, so you should pay more attention to maintenance at ordinary times to avoid serious problems. There are some emergency measures. Remove the cylinder gasket and check carefully. If a small mouth is broken, you can fill the broken part with tin foil in the cigarette box, tin foil or asbestos thread in the waste capacitor, and knock it down carefully.
PRICE TO CHANGE THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKET IF BLOWN
Carrying out the repair of the cylinder head gasket is usually quite expensive since as it is a complex part, it needs a good mechanic to treat the engine, having to separate the cylinder head from the engine block.