You Have a Blown Head Gasket: Now What?
July 2, 2018
Photo: Blown head gasket, Morris Marina by John Shepherd (CC BY 2.0)BY ERICH REICHERT / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 5, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION /
Regardless of the type of vehicle you own, a blown head gasket ranks toward the top of the list of most-involved car repairs. Because of its complexity, you have to consider whether it’s worth doing or not.
We’ve already examined the signs of a blown head gasket, so let’s take a closer look at what you should do when it comes time to perform this repair. Here’s a rundown of the options you have when your engine’s head gasket fails.
What It Is
The head gasket is the seal between the cylinder head, where the engine’s valve train and a lot of other things are housed, and the lower block, where you’ll find the crank, cylinders and other moving parts attached. Because the head gasket seals the meeting point of the engine halves, you’ll find it located about halfway down the engine. This means that, in order to replace it, you have to remove half of the engine — the more critical half at that. Removing all of those parts, removing the intake, removing timing chains/belts, detaching sensors, and other various components is labor intensive and usually better left to a professional.
Replacing the Gasket
The most straightforward method of repair is to purchase a new cylinder head gasket and replace the failed one. As mentioned above, this requires not only the removal of the top half of the engine, but also a handful of specialized tools to remove and reinstall certain parts like timing chains or belts. When performing an entire head gasket replacement it never hurts to think about the nearby parts that can also be easily replaced while the engine is disassembled. Items like the water pump and timing belt are prime examples.
Stopping the Leak
If the leak is minor, however, you may be able to use head gasket stop leak. Stop leak is basically a liquid sealing compound that you pour into your radiator. From there, the coolant carries it to the head gasket, where it fills in any leaks and, once hardened, reseals the gasket. This can be an option to stop a minor leak without the headache of either tearing your engine apart or having your mechanic do so.
At first glance, a blown head gasket can seem like more than you can handle on your own. The standard method of repair involves taking most of the engine apart. If that isn’t an option, a stop leak product may be your answer but keep in mind that a proper repair is always the best choice.
Check out all the engine parts available on NAPA Online or trust one of their 16,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on blown head gaskets, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.
Photo Credit: Blown head gasket, Morris Marina by John Shepherd (CC BY 2.0)
This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more automotive tips and stories from NAPA, or here for more information on the next Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show.
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Your article seems to lean towards contradicting itself as it first advises “better left to a professional” but later speaks hopefully
“at first glance a blown head gasket may seem like more than you can handle” implying the reader should consider making the repair themselves. Within the context of the probable readership I’d like to simply suggest the mention that some of the appeal of classic cars are their simplicity to repair. I have done many head gasket repairs on what are now considered “classic cars”. They are truly much simpler than today’s over engineered computerized counterparts. In other words, though not as fuel efficient that classic car can save you thousands on repairs because you can do them yourself in many cases. I’d also like to strongly suggest anyone doing a head gasket repair include resurfacing the heads and having them magnafluxed, any cracks repaired, and resurfaced if not purchasing an exchange head and also do a valve job too. Today’s later model cars are much more complicated and in my opinion less sturdy in many ways. An import built even in the 90’s and newer can be a much bigger challenge to repair a head gasket compared to an older slant six so my advice would be a novice avoid attempting a head gasket repair on most newer generation OHC engines with front wheel drive either American or import without expert assistance. Lastly let me conclude my personal definition of truly “classic” cars does NOT include most vehicles built after 1975 . I see a great many cars being restored that shouldn’t be. Just because something is old doesn’t make it a “classic”or even desirable.Sadly, because many true classics have become so unaffordable many other cars have been touted as classics when at best only some could even be considered collectible. That 2005 Honda with 300,000 miles and has a blown head gasket most likely should be scrapped if you aren’t an experienced mechanic. Paying to repair it will likely exceed the vehicles value. On the other hand that ’63 Corvette is worth tens of thousands of dollars even without an engine!