A car engine functions excellently when every part functions as designed. For instance, the oil, water and gases have their designated paths inside the engine. In case any of these passes through a wrong passage, then the engine will not function at 100%. A blown head gasket can lead to an engine that lubricates itself with coolant and attempts to cool itself with hot exhaust gases or at times it breathes oil. The work of the head gasket is to ensure that fluid and gasses are properly routed in-between parts without mixing with one another. If you want to know if your head gasket is blown and not functioning well, here are various symptoms to note.
Overheating and loss of coolant
Overheating and loss of coolant take place when there is a failed head gasket between the combustion chamber and the cooling system. This might vary drastically. The first situation is when the car just overheats after being driven. This is really damaging as the overheating signs of progress to be worse, combustion gasses are corrosive and they may badly harm the cooling system. So, when you notice such an occurrence, you should go and see your mechanic fix the problem right away.
Engine misfire
When your car misfires, this may be a result of a blown head gasket. If a head gasket fails between cylinders, this might cause misfiring. A failure between cylinders causes compression from one cylinder leaks to another cylinder. This is normally hard to detect as it has no outward sign and people may confuse about another problem. If you undergo such an issue, visit your expert mechanic to carry out a scan and determine if it’s a blown head gasket or any other issue.
Contaminated oil
This is among the major signs of a blown gasket head. Oil contamination is a direct outcome of a head gasket that has sprung a leak. To inspect this issue, cautiously examine your car’s oil cap. In case you discover a ring-like around the cap, just know that your oil has been contaminated. This ring shows that your coolant has been combined with your car oil. Take your car to a mechanic to change your head gasket if it has contaminated oil.
Tinted spark plugs
This usually applies to cars with a green coolant. When you see a tinted spark plug, you should know that your head gasket has a problem. The hue that forms on the spark plugs is normally greenish and is the most probable cause for damaging the head gasket. This situation should be handled quickly and have a mechanic replace the head gasket.
Faulty exhaust
Another great place to note if your head gasket is blown is the exhaust pipe. There are various signs that may indicate that the head gasket is blown through the exhaust pipes. These are as follows: when you see white smoke coming from your car’s exhaust pipe, water leaking from your car’s tailpipe, or a sweet smell emerging from your car’s exhaust, these are signs that you have a blown head gasket.
Engine issues
In case you notice that your car’s engine has become unresponsive or very slow, this might be an indication of a bad gasket that needs to be changed. This is because the engine losses a lot of compressions when the head gasket is damaged. This may as well make the engine overheat
These are some of the signs that can show if you have a blown head gasket. Be on the lookout and if you notice one of the above symptoms, you should visit the mechanic right away.