What is a Head Gasket?

A head gasket is a vital part of the engine. In an internal combustion engine, it is employed to seal different processes so that oil can properly move throughout the engine to cool and lubricate the engine.

It prevents the engine from many problems such as a leak. A minor head gasket leak may cause the failure of your car engine. When the head gasket goes bad, it produces different signs to alert the driver. This article mainly describes blown head symptoms, causes, and replacement cost.

A head gasket is a part of an IC engine that provides a seal between the cylinder head and engine block. The main function of the engine head gasket is to stop the leakage of engine oil or coolant into the combustion chamber and seal the combusted gases in the combustion chamber.

The cylinder head gasket makes sure that the pressure generated by the spark plug, which ignites the air-fuel mixture, is held in the combustion chamber.

The head gaskets allow the vehicle engine to generate adequate energy to move the vehicle as well as direct the toxic gases through the exhaust system and stop them from leaving the chamber.

The latest cars or other vehicles have head gaskets made of multiple layers of steel interlinked with elastomer, which increases its durability and life cycle. In the past, the old vehicles had graphite or asbestos gaskets.

However, the latest head gaskets are superior than asbestos gaskets because they are less leak-proof and pose a minimal health risk.

The combustion chamber has a piston that requires high pressure to burn normally, and the gasket helps to maintain this pressure.

What is a Blown Head Gasket?

The blown head gasket occurs due to the seal failure between the engine block and cylinder head. It is also known as a head gasket leak. This gasket is sited between the oil return passage, sealing the coolant passages, piston, and cylinder.

As the gasket goes bad, your vehicle starts to produce different issues such as escaping toxic gases from the chamber, oil leaks and coolant leaks, etc. The blown head gasket may also lead to damage or complete failure of your engine.

The head gasket is blown due to different reasons such as engine overheating, detonation, or using an old gasket. In most cases, it goes bad due to overheating problems because the engine overheating increases the thermal energy, which applies high strain on the gaskets.

Causes of a Blown Head Gasket

The most common reasons for a blown head gasket are given below:

Engine Overheating
Age of the Head Gasket
Warped or Cracked Head
Engine Detonation or Pre-ignition
Excessive Engine Load
Poor Engine Management

1) Engine Overheating

An overheated engine is one of the major causes of a blown or faulty head gasket.

The manufacturer of your car fixes the highest heat bearing capacity of the engine. As this heat exceeds than normal level, the engine overheats and it may damage different engine parts such as a blown head gasket.

Your head gasket is damaged due to overheating because extreme heat can cause the cylinder head and engine block to expand too much, which can cause the cylinder head gaskets to fail.

Read More: Engine Overheating Symptoms and Causes

2) Age of the Head Gasket

Over time, the seal of your head gaskets can damage and may not function properly to stop leaks and other issues.

The ultimate age of a gasket is written on your vehicle’s manufacturer’s proposal. You must replace it according to the manufacturer’s instructions before facing any big trouble.

3) Warped or Cracked Head

The engine block is a structure that contains the cylinders and other components of the internal combustion engine.

An engine that has overheating problems can cause to crack or warp the engine block or cylinder head. This may alter the sealing method of the head gaskets, which can lead to a leak.

4) Engine Detonation

Engine detonation occurs when the air and fuel mixture in the engine cylinder ignites too early. This early combustion of the air-fuel mixtures produces a knocking noise and may lead to excessive pressure in the engine cylinder. This excessive pressure in the engine cylinder may ultimately lead to the head gasket failure.

5) Excessive Engine Load

This can occur if your car is designed to tow heavy loads regularly, particularly if it’s not manufactured for that job. The increased heat and pressure may strain the head gasket, causing it to go bad.

6) Poor Engine Management

Poor engine management includes problems such as using the wrong engine oil, using the wrong fuel type, or improper engine maintenance. Any of these may produce situations that can force the head gasket to blow.

Symptoms of a Blown Head Gasket

A damaged or blown head gasket produces one or more of the below-given symptoms:

Engine Overheating
Loss of Power
White Smoke from the Exhaust
Contaminated Engine Oil
Low Coolant Level
Bubbles in the Radiator
White, Milky Oil

1) Engine Overheating

Engine overheating is one of the clear symptoms of a damaged head gasket. The gasket is a part of the engine that keeps your engine cool by circulating oil and coolant throughout the engine.

As your engine cylinder gasket fails or is blown, the engine can’t properly circulate oil and coolant through the system.

Due to the failure of the gasket, the engine starts overheating. The engine overheating may damage the different parts of the engine.

As soon as you observe that your vehicle’s engine is overheating, you must immediately complete your traveling and ask a technician for its inspection so that you can prevent facing any worse engine damage or failure. The overheating may totally fail to engine, and this will be too costly for you.

2) Loss of Power

When the head gasket is blown, the compressed air-fuel mixture starts to escape from the engine cylinder, and the compression pressure of that cylinder reduces.

Due to insufficient compression pressure, the engine won’t produce sufficient power to run a vehicle, and the engine will move poorly and idle roughly.

As you observe such symptoms in your vehicle engine, this may be due to a blown head gasket, and you need to inspect the gasket.

3) White Smoke from the Exhaust

Your engine’s gasket regulates the proper flow of the coolant throughout the engine and stops it from entering the combustion chamber. As the head gasket is blown or fails, the coolant starts to enter the combustion chamber, where it mixes with fuel and burns.

Due to the burning of the coolant, the engine starts to produce grey or white-colored smoke and emits it from the tailpipe. If you continuously observe this problem, it is definitely due to the gasket, and you need to replace it.

4) Contaminated Engine Oil

As we discussed earlier, the head gasket stops the coolant (water) from mixing with the oil. As it fails or is blown, the coolant starts to enter the engine oil system and try to mix with it.

As we know, coolant and oil can’t mix with each other. Therefore, when the coolant enters the oil system, a frothy, thick mixture starts to collect below the oil filler cap of the engine. This is a very easy and common symptom to identify whether your engine head gasket has gone bad or not.

Read More: Low Engine Oil Symptoms and Causes

5) Low Coolant Level

As your engine’s head gasket is blown, it won’t stop the coolant from entering the combustion chamber. Due to this, the combustion chamber will start to consume coolant. Due to low coolant, the vehicle engine may overheat.

Because of the engine overheating, your car will start to show a temperature warning light. This overheating problem may be due to gasket failure. In such a situation, you need to inspect and replace the gasket immediately.

Read More: Coolant Leak Symptoms and Causes

6) Bubbles in the Radiator

If the combustion gases start to enter the cooling system, bubbles may start to be produced in the coolant overflow tank or radiator, even if your engine is still off.

7) White, Milky Oil

A white, milky mixture is usually produced when the coolant is mixed with the engine oil. You can easily observe this mixture on the dipstick or on the underside of the oil fill cap.

Read More: Why Your Car Burning Oil?

How can I prevent a Blown Head Gasket?

One of the best methods to prevent a blown head gasket is to maintain the normal level of the engine coolant according to the manufacturer’s recommendation.

The normal coolant level is essential because, in the case of low coolant, the engine may overheat which can cause a blown gasket. In such conditions, the coolant leaks into the combustion chamber and increases the internal temperature of the engine. This increase in temperature overheats the engine badly.

Therefore, keep an eye on the temperature gauge and immediately contact a technician in case of the engine’s high-temperature indication.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Head Gasket?

The gasket is a very vital part of the engine. When your head gasket is failed or is blown, you should replace it as soon as possible. If you do not replace a damaged or failed gasket and ignore it, it may completely fail your engine which will be too costly for you.

The replacement cost of the blown head gasket varies according to its material, the brand which you want to buy, and the region where you live.

The average replacement cost of the head gasket is from $1620 to $1980. If you are not replacing it yourself and hiring labor, the labor costs can vary from $920 to $1150. In this way, the final cost for the head gasket replacement varies from $2530 to $3130.

National Average Cost	$1620 to $1980
Labor Cost	$920 to $1150
Total Cost	$2530 to $3130

How to fix a blown head gasket without replacing it?

One of the best ways is to use a head gasket sealer to fix a blown head gasket without replacing it. This sealer will prevent your gasket from leaking up to the next one to two years.

Bluedevil sealer is one of the best gasket sealer products. It makes a chemical weld layer at the leakage placed in the cylinder gasket, seals the leak, and allows you to drive your vehicle on the road without replacing the gasket. This gasket sealer is easy to use, safe, and ensures leak sealing.

FAQ Section

What is the function of a Head Gasket?

The main function of the head gaskets is to provide a seal between the engine head and the engine block.
The gasket regulates the proper circulation of the coolant throughout the coolant system.
It prevents the engine from overheating.

Where is the head gasket located?

The head gasket is located between the engine head and the engine block.

Can You Drive with a Blown Head Gasket?

No, you shouldn’t drive your car with a blown head gasket. This is because if you drive your car with blown head gaskets, your engine may fail completely, and it will be too costly for you to replace your engine. If you don’t want to replace your gasket, then use a head gasket sealer to prevent your gasket from leaking up to the next 1 to 2 years.

What Are the Signs of a Bad Head Gasket?

White, milky engine oil
Engine overheating
White smoke from the exhaust
Contaminated engine oil
A reduction in the engine power
A quick reduction in the coolant level
Bubbles in the radiator

How long do head gaskets last?

In most cases, the life of the head gaskets is 321868 kilometers.

How can you prevent having to pay high head gasket repair costs?

When you observe that your vehicle head gasket is creating problems, immediately buy a bottle of K-seal and insert it into the leakage point. K-seal helps to fix many head gasket problems permanently, such as:

Coolant to the oil leak
Blown head gaskets
Cylinder to coolant leak
Coolant to cylinder leak

What are the symptoms of the head gasket leak?

White, Milky oil
Engine overheating
White smoke from the exhaust
Contaminated engine oil
Loss of engine power
Low coolant level
Bubbles in the radiator
Poor acceleration
Poor fuel economy

How much does it cost to repair a blown head gasket?

The repair cost of the head gasket varies according to the type of gasket repair and the area where you live. The average repair cost of a head gasket varies from $1,090 to $2,200.