Have your car, truck, or utility vehicle towed to Ideal Automotive right away if you believe that you have blown the head gasket. A cracked head gasket can cause serious engine damage if you keep driving your automobile. In fact, you may cause irreparable damage. Below, are the signs that you have blown the head gasket. Stop driving your vehicle right away at the first indication of trouble.
The Coolant Will Leak/Spray
The head gasket forms a seal over the cylinder block. Also called the combustion chamber, the block needs this seal to produce compression for combustion. It also needs this seal to prevent the motor oil and coolant from leaking into the cylinders. When the head gasket blows, coolant will spray all over the engine and leak into the cylinder block. You may not be aware that this is happening until…
The Engine Overheats
Naturally, the engine is going to overheat because it is hemorrhaging the coolant out of it. Consequently, you will no longer have coolant circulating through the engine to draw the heat away from it. It won’t take any time at all for the temperature gauge to start to rise on the dashboard. Pull over to a safe space and cut the engine to prevent the engine from overheating.
The Coolant Will Overheat
If you fail to do this, the engine will get so hot that the coolant will start to boil. You will hear the coolant boiling in the engine. Specifically, the bubbling coolant can be found in the radiator and overflow reservoir. Do not allow your engine to get this hot, as the boiling coolant can also cause the radiator cap to blow. This will leave you with scorching hot coolant spraying all over the place.
You’ll See White Exhaust
The coolant is already spraying out of the blown head gasket, and as the engine burns away the coolant because it is too hot, it will produce white exhaust smoke that flows out of your tailpipe. Depending on how hot the engine is, you will also see smoke coming out from underneath the hood.
The Coolant Will Dilute the Oil
Finally, the other reason why it’s a very bad idea to drive your automobile with a blown head gasket is that the coolant mixes with the motor oil and dilutes it. Consequently, this combination circulating through your engine can damage it beyond repair.
Again, have your vehicle towed to Ideal Automotive in Blaine, MN, if you suspect you have a cracked head gasket. We are here to help.
