Call us right away if you suspect that you have blown a head gasket. Don’t drive your automobile to our shop. Rather, pull over and call for a tow truck to bring your car, truck, or CUV/SUV to us. Continuing to drive the automobile can cause severe and unnecessary engine damage. The following problems are signs that you have blown the head gasket in your engine.
Bubbling Engine Coolant
When the head gasket cracks, the engine starts to lose significant amounts of coolant. Consequently, the engine is going to get very hot very quickly. The temperature of the coolant can get so hot that it will begin to bubble in the radiator and the overflow reservoir. This is why we recommend that you have your automobile towed to our shop. Driving it is going to damage the engine beyond repair.
Coolant Mixing With the Oil
Another reason why driving your automobile will damage the engine beyond repair is that the coolant will mix with the motor oil once the head gasket has blown. Consequently, as the motor oil circulates through the engine, it will be unable to protect the engine and draw heat away from it because it is diluted with coolant. This turns the motor oil milky and changes its color to a lighter brown.
Low Coolant Level
As we mentioned above, the coolant level is going to be reduced by the cracked head gasket. This being said, you may not notice a coolant leak underneath your automobile. Rather, as just mentioned, the coolant is going to mix with the motor oil and make its way into the cylinders. Naturally, the lower the coolant level the hotter the engine is going to get.
White Exhaust Smoke
The engine is also going to burn away the coolant as it sprays out of the cracked head gasket all over the engine. This will create white exhaust smoke that flows out of the tailpipe. You may also end up with steam coming out from underneath the hood.
Overheating Constantly
Finally, your engine is going to overheat constantly if the head gasket is cracked. There is no way around this due to the coolant loss.
Our team can partially rebuild your engine to repair the cracked head gasket. The work will be extensive but worth it if you love your automobile. Give us a call today to set up an appointment and have your automobile towed to our shop.
