Head Gasket Blown Symptoms You Need To Watch

A blown head gasket is a serious car problem and you want to take it seriously
One way to tell if the head gasket is leaking is to check for water leaks under the hood and gasket
The head gasket is the part that seals the engine block and cylinder head together, so if it has blown then you’re leaking oil into the coolant reservoir
The most frequent causes of a blown gasket are incorrectly sized gaskets or poor sealing at the gasket

Can You Still Drive A Car With A Blown Head Gasket?

Driving your car with a blown head gasket can bring no positives to the state of your car. You may get to work on time, or you may not be late to that appointment, or you won’t be inconvenienced too much, but this will be a minor setback compared to what may happen to your vehicle. There is a very good chance you have to replace your engine if you do not pull over immediately and tow your car to a mechanic.

A blown head gasket is a serious car problem and you want to take it seriously. Do not drive your car with a blown head gasket unless it is a life or death situation.

You may have already heard or maybe experienced, the devastating consequences of a blown fuse in your car. Blown fuses are very dangerous to both the safety of your vehicle and also the safety of others who could be driving on the same road with you.

Although a lot of cars include the necessary factory fuse protection, it is strongly recommended that you replace your own fuse. It is possible to find high-quality replacements in most auto parts specialty shops. You do need to know what you’re replacing and why. Otherwise, it might be the wrong fuse, which might cause an explosion while driving!

Is it possible to still drive a car with a blown head gasket? There is no need to panic. If your car did not encounter a crash, the problem might just be a blown fuse or bad wiring.

The problem cannot be repaired without replacing the whole fuse assembly. If the car came with a new head gasket, this problem should be easily solved. If the car did experience an accident, you will need to acquire a new fuse meeting.

Unfortunately, sometimes a blowout is unavoidable. If you can determine what caused the blown fuse, then you can easily correct it yourself. You may want to consult with an automobile mechanic, especially if the problem appears to be beyond your current skill level. If they are unable to help, then you might need to obtain a new fuse assembly for your vehicle.

Is It Worth Fixing A Blown Head Gasket?

For those who have an auto parts store nearby, the staff ought to be able to easily repair your blown head gasket. Or you can go online and look up instructions for a specific brand or type of gasket.

But, I believe that paying a few hundred bucks or more for a replacement is more than worth the hassle and cost of having to repair it yourself. The most frequent causes of a blown gasket are incorrectly sized gaskets or poor sealing at the gasket. It’s not so difficult to get the ideal size gasket. Just be sure that the gasket is actually too large.

You might be tempted to take your car to a mechanic, but this is in fact not a fantastic idea. A damaged head gasket can prevent the remainder of the engine from functioning properly.

Rather than fixing the gasket, why not just buy another one? Even if you get another gasket, it probably won’t be as badly damaged and will seal and fit properly once the repair is done.

So, is it worth fixing a blown head gasket? Well, most people would say yes. It’s better to fix the issue in the beginning rather than wait until it is too late. But if you are like me, and you don’t know a lot about cars, you may want to consider calling a professional to perform the repair.

A professional can save you time, money, and even sometimes provide more advice on what to do than you could ever learn from reading through dozens of repair manuals.

How Long Can You Drive With a Blown Head Gasket?

With the number of auto insurance claims skyrocketing it is important that we get more precise answers for the question, How long can you drive with a blown head gasket? There are numerous variables that can impact the life expectancy of your airbag.

It’s wise to consult with your car insurance company before taking any steps to protect yourself or your passengers. The time limit will depend on the brand and make of vehicle you drive, as well as other circumstances including the mileage and driving history of yourself and your automobile.

Blown airbags have their share of horror stories about people who have had their lives wrecked because they weren’t careful enough when selecting and installing their airbags. While these kinds of incidents are all too common, fortunately, you won’t see too many cases of someone blow a big gasket like the B GMC HONDA through an incident.

This is a blown head gasket. That hole should not be there

The reason these kinds of airbags are so expensive is that they’re custom-made to withstand intense force. That means in case you don’t select the best airbag on the market for your precise needs you could be putting yourself and everyone around you in danger.

The fantastic thing is that in most cases there’s an option for replacement airbags that are cheaper than purchasing a new one. So you should always have the ability to obtain a reasonable and inexpensive substitute for your airbag without compromising your budget.

However, even if you do purchase a less costly airbag there’s still a chance that it won’t do its job properly. You should inspect the airbag’s installation manual to find out if you need any special tools or skills to install it correctly.

If you’re not confident enough to handle installation on your own then take it to a reputable auto parts dealer and get it done there. Not only will it cost you but you will also be able to rest assured knowing your airbag is going to work properly when you need it the most.

Main Takeaways – Head Gasket Blown Symptoms

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your mechanic right away to get the problem diagnosed and fixed before it becomes more expensive or serious.

Here are some signs that may indicate a head gasket has blown on your car:

Strange noises coming from the engine bay
White smoke billowing out of the exhaust pipe when you start up the vehicle
Steam coming out from under the hood after driving for 20 minutes in cold weather conditions
Oil leaks around the intake manifold, valve cover gasket, etc
Excessive wear on spark plugs and ignition coils (which can also be caused by poor gas quality).
You might even notice coolant leaking onto hot surfaces like near heat sources such as radiator hoses, exhaust manifolds, etc.

If all the above symptoms manifest themselves, you most likely have a blown head gasket, or your engine is suffering from some other type of combustion-related issue such as piston ring wear and wear on cylinder walls which can also be detected by excessive noise and compression loss.

If these problems occur, it might be better to look at putting your car out to pasture.

Thanks for reading and stay dirty

Sources

Holts Auto
LS1 Tech Forum
Engine Builder