Headers and Gaskets
The gasket seals the top of the cylinder to keep the compression contained.
The head gasket in your engine is the gasket that seals the cylinder head of the engine to the engine block. There are coolant and oil passages that transfer the oil and coolant from the engine to the head and back. The reason for these passages, is for the oil to lubricate the valve train, and the coolant to remove heat from the cylinder head. The other job of the head gasket is sealing the top of the cylinder to keep the compression contained.
Head gasket problems arise generally due to poor maintenance of the cooling system. Acidic coolant can begin to eat away or erode the sealing area of the coolant passages in the gasket. This can cause a weak area and a leak can start to form. The head gasket leaking can travel either internally or externally. An external leak is visible outside the engine, an internal leak means that coolant can seep into oil passages or erode the compression sealing ring in the head gasket allowing coolant to enter the cylinder or compression to enter the cooling system. This is what we call a “blown” head gasket.
While an improperly maintained cooling system can cause head gasket failure. There are some vehicles that are simply prone to head gasket failure, this is due to the composition of the head gasket material and overall engine design. A vehicle that has overheated due to coolant loss or a cooling system restriction or failure, can also accelerate head gasket failure.
The best way to prevent a head gasket failure is to maintain the cooling system in your vehicle. We recommend that you schedule a maintenance at our workshop to flush the coolant in your vehicle, this can be done approximately every 2 years or every 30,000 miles.
The other important factor, is to take care of cooling system issues as soon as they present themselves. Come immediately to our service centre and repair coolant leaks, restrictions or malfunctions as soon as they are detected. This will help prevent coolant loss and overheating. If your vehicle does start to climb in temperature while driving, shut it down immediately call us and have it towed to our workshop for diagnosis and repair.
Symptoms of head gasket failure can include:
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms we recommend having your vehicle brought to our service centre and checked out as soon as possible. A blown head gasket repair can be very costly, so preventing a head gasket failure is definitely in your best interests.
