We won’t lie here at Tri Valley Auto Repair & Diesel. If your car’s head gasket cracks, you are in for some extensive repair work. The head gasket forms a barrier over the combustion chamber or cylinder block. This allows the engine to produce the compression it needs for combustion. It also prevents the coolant and oil from making their way into the chamber. If you end up with a cracked head gasket, the following things are going to happen.
You’ll Lose Coolant Out of the Engine
Once the head gasket blows, coolant will flow out of the cooling system and into the combustion chamber. This is a coolant leak that will not leave spots on the garage floor. Rather, the coolant will be burned with the air and fuel that are in the chamber. Unfortunately, this reduces the coolant that is found in the engine. Naturally, your engine is going to overheat.
The Exhaust Will Turn White
We will talk more about overheating below, but another problem that you should note is that your exhaust will turn white. That’s right. You will see white exhaust smoke flowing out of the tailpipe and coming from underneath the hood. This, again, is because the coolant is being burned in the combustion chamber. When this happens, the exhaust smoke turns from invisible to white.
You’ll Hear the Coolant Bubbling
As the engine starts to get hotter and hotter due to the coolant loss, the coolant temperature is going to increase. Consequently, you will start to hear the coolant boiling in the engine. The coolant will boil into places: the radiator and the overflow reservoir. We cannot stress enough how crucial it is that you do not drive your automobile if any of the above is happening or the coolant is bubbling.
The Engine Will Overheat
It makes sense that the engine is going to overheat because it no longer has coolant circulating through it. Rather, the coolant is spraying throughout the engine and leaking into the combustion chamber. Consequently, there is no way your engine will run at a normal temperature if you have blown the head gasket.
The Coolant Will Mix With the Oil
Finally, another reason why it is unsafe to drive your automobile with a blown head gasket is that the coolant and oil are going to mix. Consequently, you will have deluded motor oil circulating through the engine that can seriously damage it.
Tri Valley Auto Repair & Diesel in Limon, CO, is here to help, so give us a call today if you believe that you have a blown head gasket in your automobile’s engine.
