The Head gasket is a small component located between the cylinder head and the engine block. It is used for sealing the internal combustion process by allowing coolant and oil to travel throughout the engine to cool and lubricate it. This basically means, if it “blows”, it could create big problems for the engine.

Symptoms of the blown head gasket are very easy to identify and understand the cause and this needs to be rectified very quickly to prevent damage to your engine.

We are discussing Blown head gasket that will help you to understand the head gasket, what it does, and how to know when it fails.

What is the Head Gasket?

The head gasket is a small and vital component located within the combustible engine and this allows the vehicle to produce enough power to move forward, as well as keep harmful gases from exiting the combustion chamber by directing them through the exhaust system.

In modern vehicles, the head gasket is made of several layers of steel material to make it more durable and long-lasting. It ensures the pressure created from the spark plug’s ignition of fuel vapors remains within the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber contains the pistons and needs a high amount of pressure to ensure the pistons continue to fire appropriately.

Moreover, Oil and coolant both have equally essential work processes, but they can not be mixed to make their tasks be performed efficiently. So, the head gasket keeps the chambers be separated to ensure there is no cross-contamination or mixing of fluid contents.

If we discuss more on this, we can find that the modern gaskets are much better than the previous gaskets made of asbestos material, as the modern gaskets are less prone to leakage and have very little or no health risks.

Reasons what causes a Head gasket to Blow

High engine temperature is one of the most common causes of a blown or damaged head gasket. The reason for the engine’s extra heat is caused by a lack of coolant within the radiator, usually due to a leak.

The strength of the gasket depends upon their metal quality and the metals that have a higher thermal expansion rate are more sensitive to heat. Increased temperature can cause the gasket to change shape and produce an unwanted result. Expansion and distortion of the cylinder head as a result of heat makes its integrity weak to prevent the head gasket from proper sealing.

If the head gasket is blown, it must be identified immediately as it is critical, and continuing use by operating a vehicle with a blown head gasket can lead to serious & fatal problems that can also cause irreparable damage to the engine.

Maintaining the pressure is an essential requirement for the power of the engine and the gasket works as a seal to the engine. If the gasket has blown or stops working, it will not be able to work as a seal and will allow pressure to escape, significantly reducing the engine’s power. If the coolant enters the combustion chambers, the coolant and engine oil might be mixed & dilute, and it will also decrease the cooling capability of the cooling system that may result in overheating of the engine.

Symptoms of Blown Head Gasket:

It is to be noticed that in order to run, the engine works with the help of the below-mentioned fluids:

1. Fuel
2. Coolant
3. Engine Oil

So, when the gasket blows, all or any of the above-mentioned fluids may enter into or out of the combustion chamber.

To identify it, you may notice a few or all of the following problems:

Engine Overheating – this can be caused either due to the lack of coolant or the entry of hydrocarbons in the cooling system.

Smoke in white, Blue, or Grey color – this indicates that either coolant or oil has entered the combustion chamber.

Reduced Power – this can be caused due to the requirement of compression resulting in sputtering, loss of power, and reduced fuel efficiency.

If the color of the oil is changed – If the oil’s color is changed to chocolate milk, this indicates that the coolant is mixed with oil in the engine.