The cylinder head is a hugely important part of internal combustion engines. It seals the cylinders airtight, cools the engine by absorbing heat, and keeps the engine oil and coolant within the system. The latter, in particular, is very important. The engine oil cools and lubricates the engine and protects it from wear and tear. The coolant is also essential for cooling the engine.
Leaking head gasket symptoms
With a leaking head gasket, the engine oil and coolant can leak and mix. At first, you'll notice the engine losing power and running erratically because the temperature gets too high. The engine overheats quickly.
If coolant leaks, it burns, causing a lot of white smoke to come out of the exhaust. If the coolant mixes with the engine oil, this will result in milky-looking engine oil in the reservoir. The more coolant mixes in, the thicker the engine oil becomes. The result is often compared to mayonnaise. At that point, the engine oil and coolant can no longer cool your engine. In the worst case, the engine will seize due to overheating. This is often irreparable. In that case, the engine must be replaced or the car is written off.
Replacing the head gasket
A leaking head gasket can therefore be quite expensive. Fortunately, it doesn't have to come to that. A head gasket generally lasts about 6 years. Wear is usually a result of coolant that is not replaced or topped up on time. So, if you keep up with the maintenance of your car, there is little chance that you will have to deal with this.
If you suspect that you have a leaking head gasket, it is important to act in time. Check the engine oil and the oil filler cap for a white haze, this may indicate leaking coolant. You want to have a leaking cylinder head gasket replaced as soon as possible. At Winparts we offer a wide range of head gaskets from reliable brands. If you enter your registration number, we will show you the right one. This is how we make car maintenance accessible to everyone.