When somebody says a blown head gasket, they mean a cracked head gasket. When the head gasket cracks, auto fluids can leak into the cylinder block. Unfortunately, this can create serious problems for your car, SUV, or truck’s engine. In fact, if you continue to drive the vehicle, you can damage the engine irreparably. The cracked head gasket is enough of a problem.
Low Levels of Coolant
The first fluid that is going to leak into the cylinder block is the engine coolant. It’s important to note that the motor oil will also leak into the cylinder block. The head gasket forms a seal above the block so that nothing can get into the block except what is supposed to be in there. The only thing that should be inside of the cylinders is fuel and air. The coolant leaking out of the engine reduces the coolant level.
An Overheating Engine
Consequently, your engine is going to start to overheat if it wasn’t overheating already. One thing that can crack a head gasket is excess heat in the engine. The engine will overheat for two reasons. The first one is obvious; you don’t have enough coolant in the engine to keep it cool. The second reason is that the heat inside of the combustion chamber can now escape through the head gasket and into the engine.
Boiling Hot Coolant
In fact, your engine can get so hot that the coolant that is left in the radiator will start to boil. Unfortunately, this can cause the radiator to explode. Specifically, pressure will build up inside of the radiator until the cap blows off the top of the radiator. If your engine is getting this hot, avoid additional damage by pulling over and calling for a tow truck to our shop.
Milky/Diluted Motor Oil
We mentioned above that the motor oil is going to leak through the cracked head gasket. This is a bad enough problem on its own because it reduces the amount of oil that circulates through the engine. An engine without motor oil can die in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately, it gets worse. The coolant will also mix with the motor oil and dilute it, further disabling its ability to protect the engine.
White Engine Exhaust
Finally, you probably have a cracked head gasket if you see white engine exhaust flowing out of the tailpipe or white smoke coming from underneath the hood. This is a sign that engine coolant is being burned in the cylinders during the combustion process.
Have your vehicle towed to our shop right away if you suspect the head gasket is blown. We can replace the gasket.
