Do I have a blown Head Gasket?

“Your timing chain broke.” “You need a entire motor overhaul.” “You blew your rear key seal.” “Your mother-in-regulation is coming to remain for a number of months.” These are between the scariest phrases for any motor vehicle proprietor. Incorporate a single more to that listing: “You have a blown head gasket.”

When it comes to an car, a blown head gasket is on the Mount Rushmore of problems you do not want to have. The explanation is this: Head gasket maintenance is a incredibly highly-priced proposition. It can easily expense $1,200. Even for an expert DIYer, it is a big ache in the neck. Restoring a blown head gasket oneself can preserve most of that $1,200, but just be conscious that it will need location apart a total working day.

The Lifetime of a Head Gasket

The head gasket’s work is to do nothing. Just stand there. But where by it stands is an important spot, and just standing there is a difficult position.

The head gasket’s spot is at the interface between the motor block and the cylinder head. In the cylinder sits the piston, pumping up and down hundreds of periods each and every minute with the support of lubricating oil. The motor is household to the inside combustion technique in which sparks ignite fuel and air for explosions that go the pistons.

Complicating matters is this: Explosions don’t occur, at the very least not efficiently, if motor oil receives into the ignition house. And pistons don’t shift inside cylinders if the oil is leaking out.

So on one facet of the head gasket is fire and immense air force. On the other side is limitless vibrations and heat. Standing there is rough function. The head gasket ought to be ready to withstand warmth, pressure, chemical assault and the pounding effect of all that goes on around it. It have to in no way crack, corrode, shrink, slip or consider a holiday vacation day.

Head gaskets are built to previous the life of the auto. But in some cases they do not. Then, they need to be taken treatment of quickly.

Changing a head gasket is unbelievably effortless. Eliminate the previous head gasket and insert the new one particular. The trouble is receiving to the head gasket. It is like the honey you stuffed in the back of the pantry someplace that you have not opened in two years. Applying it is effortless, but initially, you have to clear away all the things else from the pantry to get to it.

It’s the identical with the head gasket. So let us get commenced.

How to Correct a Blown Head Gasket

Commence by placing the car or truck on a raise or by participating the unexpected emergency brake so the vehicle does not move. For included security, don gloves to shield your hands and goggles for your eyes. It is a great plan to have the vehicle’s repair manual on hand in advance of commencing. If you never have a person, manuals for most popular vehicles can be downloaded from the Online.

Drain the motor oil and coolant, disconnect the battery and get rid of the admirer shroud at the front of the motor. The radiator can be taken out quite effortlessly, but it doesn’t have to be. Everything that is eradicated comes with screws, nuts and bolts that will have to be accounted for. One particular trick is to use tiny baggies for every established of screws. Label every so it is obvious which products belong alongside one another.

Clear away the plenum chamber that is hooked up to the throttle entire body. The supporter should then be removed, which at times demands a distinctive, large wrench.

That exposes the serpentine belt, which routes all over a series of pulleys. Acquire a photo of the pulleys and the routing pattern to expedite reattachment of the belt later. Get rid of the belt, the pulleys and the h2o pump. Unscrew the air conditioning compressor and transfer it out of the way. It is unwanted to take away it fully.

Unhook the spark plug wires and drag them out of the way. The very same for all the hoses and wires. The throttle system might also have to be taken off. If anything at all is oil-covered or if not soiled, clear it up with a rag.

It may possibly be important to eliminate the gasoline line. This can be completed by holding the line and pulling the connector forward to launch the other end of the line, or by working with a special resource.

The intake manifold and cylinder head need to also be removed. They are hefty, so be very careful with them.

Subsequent get rid of all the bolts holding the valve go over and eliminate it. The valves are now exposed, so be thorough about preserving debris from acquiring into the device.

The spark plugs should be eliminated subsequent. Use a spark plug wrench for that. Then, unscrew all the bolts holding down the cylinder head and preserve keep track of of their purchase. They are heading to have to be re-put in in the identical destinations they arrived out of. Immediately after making certain there are no further wires or hoses connected to the cylinder head, raise it out. It is large and there is not a great deal room to maneuver, so a next established of palms can be beneficial.

That tiny slice of steel sitting atop the cylinders is the head gasket. Pull it off and examine every little thing close to the cylinder block. If anything is cracked or corroded, there may well be one more challenge. Clear the major of the cylinder head and make confident no warping has occurred. Talk to the mend handbook for warping tolerance.

If anything passes muster, cleanse up the cylinder heads with a toothbrush and the cylinder walls with an oil-soaked rag. Then install the new head gasket with the correct facet struggling with up.

Next it is just a issue of changing all the things that has been taken out. Creating certain anything is clean up, connect almost everything in reverse order. In the cylinder head, it is vital to follow the repair service manual for the sequence of bolt installation and the quantity of torque to apply. More than-torqueing the bolts will cause cracking and under-torqueing will not secure the include.

As soon as almost everything is re-put in, new oil and coolant should be extra. It is generally a fantastic strategy to flush both equally the oil and the coolant before adding new, due to the fact oil and coolant leaks were very likely the tipoff that the head gasket experienced blown.

When Alternative Is not an Choice

For about $40, many head gasket concerns can be rectified. If changing the head gasket isn’t an selection, attempt a bottle of BlueDevil Pour-N-Go Head Gasket Sealer. It is formulated for simple use and a single 16-ounce bottle is adequate for a 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder engine.  We also have a “Mechanic Approved” model that is far more concentrated – BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer

BlueDevil Pour-N-Go Head Gasket Sealer offers long lasting leak repair and sealant for head gaskets and other parts like cooling program leaks, heater cores and freeze plugs.

How to Use BlueDevil Pour-N-Go Head Gasket Sealer

With the engine chilly, drain 16 ounces from the radiator. Begin the motor and convert the heater on max. With the transmission in neutral or park, slowly pour the sealant into the radiator in excess of the training course of a minute. Substitute the radiator cap and make it possible for the car to idle for 50 minutes so the sealant can circulate.

That’s it! 1 hour and $40 typically solves the difficulty straight away and completely. If the difficulties that led to the diagnosis persist, resolve the blown head gasket or convey the automobile to a experienced mechanic. When sealant does not get the job done, that is an indication that the difficulty runs deeper than a simple problem with the head gasket.

BlueDevil Products can be identified at AutoZone, Advance Automobile Pieces, O’Reilly Vehicle Parts, Amazon and other key auto elements shops.