How do I know if my Head Gasket is blown?

+1 vote
asked Apr 1, 2020 in Repairs/Maintenance by er5666 (330 points)
How do I know if my Head Gasket is blown?

1 Answer

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answered Apr 4, 2020 by Larry S (42,350 points)
When you have a blown head gasket you'll usually notice white smoke coming from the exhaust, coolant smell coming from exhaust, coolant in the oil, overheating of the engine, and white milky oil.

Sometimes you might have a small head gasket leak and not a huge head gasket leak and it may just cause your engine to not run or idle properly.

However if the head gasket is blown enough to allow coolant into the cylinders or even one cylinder then you'll notice coolant being burned through the exhaust.

If you're losing engine coolant and there are no other leaks then it could be your head gasket that is blown.

The coolant can also get into your engine oil which can damage your engine because the milky oil from the coolant mixing with the oil does not lubricate properly.

Driving with a blown head gasket will eventually leave you stranded and damage your engine further.

If you have a small head gasket leak then you can use some Bar's Head Gasket Sealer in a bottle to seal the leak.

I've used it myself with great results.

Drain the coolant out of the system, mix the head gasket sealer in a gallon jug of hot water and mix it up.

Then pour the mixture of head gasket sealer and hot water into the radiator.

Start the engine and let it run for a few minutes to allow the head gasket sealer to work it's way through the system.

Then shut the engine off and add more water to fill the radiator and then start the engine up again and run for a few more minutes and then take the vehicle for a 10 to 20 minute drive.

Then come back and shut the engine off and allow it to sit for awhile.

Then see if it held the water.

If so the drain the water out and flush the radiator and cooling system and fill back up with antifreeze coolant.

If the head gasket is seriously blown then you need to replace the head gasket.

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