A Head Gasket is a component located between the engine and cylinder head. This gasket helps in maintaining smooth working of engine’s cylinders and prevent leakage of coolant and oil into cylinders.
If there is a leakage and oil gets into the cylinder, then the engine can become damaged, and performance of the car will decrease. So, if your head gasket is sealed well, your engine is safe. This blog will guide in understanding the reason of head gasket failure, signs that you should not ignore and how much does it cost to repair head gasket.
Head gasket is made from a variety of material, but it should be durable and malleable to keep seal tight even in high temperature and pressure. If your car is not giving best performance and feels different while driving, it means it requires servicing. Contact Bromley Vehicle Test Centre. Call us at 020 8460 6666 or send us an email at and we will get back to you as soon as possible..
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Signs That Your Head Gasket is Failing
Early detection of head gasket failure can help you saving money and car’s engine. Here are some most common indicators that your head gasket is failing:
1. Overheating Engine
The most common indication of your failed of head gasket is overheating of the engine. The role of gasket is to maintain coolant flow and if that seal is damage, then engine will overheat frequently as coolant isn’t reaching on desired place.
2. White Smoke
While driving, if you observe white smoke coming from exhaust pipe that indicates coolant is leaking into combustion chamber and is being burnt. This smoke is thicker than your normal smoke and on a cold day you may also notice thin vapours.
3. Milky residue on Oil Cap
If coolant get mixed with engine oil, then it creates milky residue on the oil cap. In case situations the oil itself is turned into a milky colour. You can notice this change on cap or using oil level dipstick.
4. Loss of Coolant
If your coolant level is drooping frequently without any sign of leakage and break under your car. This indicates that there is a leak in combustion chamber because of damaged head gasket.
5. Bubbles in Radiator
If you see bubbles or more than normal frothing on the radiator or coolant box that means combustion gas is leaking into cooling system and you have a broken head gasket component.
6. External Coolant
If the coolant or oil is leaking between the gap of the engine block and cylinder head that is an indicator that your head gasket has failed and now your fuel is escaping externally.
7. Decrease engine performance
All of sudden if you notice a decrease in engine performance or face difficulty in starting the vehicle this can be an indicator that head gasket isn’t working properly.
Factors Influencing Price of Head Gasket
The cost of repairing ahead gasket can be influenced by many factors, some of them are:
1. Vehicle Make and Model
Different vehicle has different type of head gasket. Expensive and high-performance cars have more expensive parts and labours compared to affordable cars.
2. Engine Type and Size
Larger engine or cars with more cylinders have more complex head gasket which requires more labour, and it is expensive to buy, therefore increasing the cost.
3. Material of Head Gasket
The head gasket comes in various materials, most expensive is multi-layer steel gaskets. If you want high performance and durability, then opt for better material than traditional but that will affect the cost as well.
4. Extent of Damage
The extent of damage will affect the cost, if the failure of head gasket has also failed the engine and cracked cylinder head then the cost will increase as now three parts will be repair. Additional fix will require more labour, equipment and time.
5. Labour Cost
The cost of mechanic will influence the price, whether the damage requires a trained and professional experienced mechanic or standard mechanic can fix it. The time and skills of mechanic will have different valuation.
6. Additional Services and Parts
While repairing head gasket, if other parts of engine and car requires additional service then that will increase the cost. Sometimes the cylinder head, bolts, valves and timing belt also require a change or repair, all this will influence the cost of repair.
Average Cost of Head Gasket Repair
The average repair cost of head gasket can vary depending upon factors mentioned above. You can expect the cost around £500 to £1500 for a repair job. However, this cost is not fixed and can vary so contact your mechanic for exact pricing and cost analysis.
Conclusion
Head gasket is crucial component of your car. You should not ignore early signs of your damage or minor discomfort in your driving because this can lead to major issues and heavy bills. Replacement cost of head gasket depends on various factors and material, so choose what’s most compatible with your car and fits your budget.
How We Can Help
We are completely independent family run garage and MOT station in Bromley. We have experience of more four decades. We can help you in MOT, Car Servicing and Repair, MOT and Tax Status Check.
Call us at 020 8460 6666 or send us an email at and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
