What Does It Mean If You Have A Blown Head Gasket?

As most people know their car’s engine is an integral piece of their car which is responsible for providing power to move the car forward and backward.  That’s why it’s important to make sure that your engine is working properly and doesn’t have any underlying issues keeping it from performing to the best of its ability.  Your engine’s head gasket plays a large role in making sure that the fluids within your engine stay separated from one another and combustion gases don’t go where they shouldn’t be going.

But what does it mean to blow a head gasket? A blown head gasket means that the head gasket in your engine has a crack in it that is allowing combustion gases to escape from the engine or allowing coolant to mix with the oil in your engine.   Some engines have may have two head gaskets which means one or both head gaskets may be blown.

But how do you know if you have a blown head gasket?  Can you drive with a blown head gasket? How much does it typically cost to fix a blown head gasket?  Is it worth replacing your head gasket if it is blown?

What Does A Head Gasket Do?

The head gasket in an engine is responsible for providing a seal between the block of your engine and the cylinder head of your engine.  Head gaskets are also an integral part of ensuring that coolant flows through your engine through the coolant channels and doesn’t get into the combustion chambers of your engine.

What Does It Mean If Your Head Gasket Is Blown?

When your head gasket is blown combustion gases can mix between cylinder walls causing your engine to run rough. A blown head gasket can also cause engine coolant to get into the engine cylinders or cause oil to get into your engine coolant.

Head gaskets can also be blown and cause a leak between your combustion chamber and coolant passages.  This can cause coolant to get into your engine cylinders which will manifest itself as white smoke coming out of your exhaust.

A blown head gasket can also cause engine oil to get into your coolant which you can check by inspecting your engine coolant to see if you notice that it looks milky and brown.  Coolant is typically blue, green, or red so if you see brown coolant you know that you have an issue with oil getting into your engine coolant.

How Do You Know If You Have A Blown Head Gasket?

There are three signs to watch out for that indicate that you have a blown head gasket.  Those three signs are a rough idling engine, engine coolant in your engine oil, or oil in your coolant.  While having your engine run rough can stem from a multitude of reasons oil in your coolant or coolant in your oil is usually a clear cut sign that you have a blown head gasket.

You can also have your head gasket tested with a test kit that can test your engine coolant to determine if there are any combustion gases that are being mixed into the coolant.  If there are combustion gases getting mixed into the coolant this would indicate that your head gasket is blown.

Can You Drive With A Blown Head Gasket?

You can drive with a blown head gasket but doing so isn’t good for the engine or coolant system.  Engine oil is specifically designed to lubricate the internals of your engine. Engine coolant not designed to be a lubricant but is meant to cool down the internals of your engine by means by transferring the heat from the coolant throughout the fins of the car’s radiator.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix A Blown Head Gasket?

The replacement head gasket doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (since it’s really just a thin layer of steel made in the shape of gasket) but having a mechanic replace your head gasket can be very expensive.  According to repairpal.com, it can cost anywhere from $1,170 -$1,496 to have your head gasket replaced.

How Hard Is It To Replace A Head Gasket?

The vast majority of people will not be able to replace their head gasket themselves because of the work required to break down the engine to access a head gasket.

To replace your head gasket you have to take off the whole top of your engine to be able to access the engine block. Once you have access to the engine block you would then be able to remove the old engine gasket and then install the new one.

As you can imaging removing the whole top of your engine is no easy task and is something that is best left up to professionals if you don’t know what you are doing.

If you want to know what the level of difficulty it would be to replace a head gasket search for Youtube videos that will show how to change the head gasket on your specific car.  That way you know step by step what would need to be done, you could then determine if you were up for the job or not.

Is It Worth Replacing Your Head Gasket If It’s Blown?

Since it costs so much to have your head gasket replaced you want to weigh your options before opting to have your head gasket replaced.  If you currently have a blown head gasket chances are that your car has somewhat high mileage on it.

Before you decide to have your head gasket replaced I would recommend checking out the current value of your car on KBB.com to determine if it’s a smart move to replace your head gasket.  If your car is only worth a few thousand dollars you may want to think about selling your car in its current state to get as much as you can out of it instead of replacing your head gasket.

Because in most cases it doesn’t make sense to spend $1,500 to fix a $3,000 car (unless the car is very special to you or you want to keep the car running as long as possible.

What Should You Do If Your Head Gasket Is Blown?

So say that you know that your car’s head gasket is blown the first thing you should do is stop driving it to prevent any further damage to your cars engine or coolant system.

After checking out the current value of your car on KBB.com you would then want to start weighing your options to determine if you want to replace your head gasket, replace the engine with a new one, or sell your current car.

If you plan on having your head gasket replaced you would want to start calling local mechanics to see which ones will work on your car and more importantly what prices they will charge you to work on your car.  After getting multiple quotes from local mechanics you would want to pick the mechanic shop that has the best reputation while also providing the service at a reasonable cost.

You also have the option of replacing your engine altogether instead of having your head gasket replaced.  If you plan to go this route you would likely want to buy a used replacement engine at your local junkyard, as a brand new engine would cost way more than the cost to replace your head gasket.

There is also the option of not replacing your head gasket and selling your car and then putting that money towards a new car.  Obviously you don’t have to buy a brand new car (used cars are usually a better value). If you plan to go this route you may want to look at selling your car to a private party instead of trading it in to a dealership as a dealership is likely to low ball you on the trade-in value if your car is not working properly.

How Do You Fix A Blown Head Gasket Without Replacing It?

Before you decide to replace your head gasket you may want to try to use a head gasket sealer that is designed to seal your head gasket and stop any leaks.  While this product is not super cheap it makes sense to try to repair your head gasket with a sealant before having your head gasket replaced.

You may get lucky and have the head gasket sealant fix the blown head gasket. If you’d like to learn more about how head sealer works check out the video in the section below.

Does Head Gasket Sealer Work?

Like I mentioned above some people have been lucky and have been able to postpone having their head gasket replaced by using a head gasket sealer to repair their blown head gasket.

In the video above, Scotty shows how a head gasket sealer would be used and which head gasket sealer he recommends which is Steel Seal (link to Amazon).

I checked the reviews on Amazon and found what looks to be a higher reviewed and cheaper product than Steel Seal called Head Seal (link to Amazon).  Check out the prices and reviews for both and make your own decision.

Related Questions

Does A Blown Head Gasket Ruin An Engine? Yes, allowing oil and coolant to circulate throughout your engine is not good for it.  If coolant is allowed into your individual engine cylinders your pistons will have a hard time compressing it to allow for full combustion.  Coolant can definitely ruin an engine if it’s allowed to get into areas it’s not designed to be in for a long enough period.

Where is the head gasket located? The head gasket in your engine is located in between the block of your engine and the cylinder heads.  With an inline 4 cylinder engine, you will only have one head gasket separating the engine block and cylinder heads.  On V-shaped engine configurations such as V6 and V8, there are two head gaskets in the engine as there are two separate sets of cylinder heads.

Why is head gasket replacement so expensive? Head gaskets are so expensive to replace because of the extensive work needed to be able to access the head gasket.  As you can imagine taking off the top half of your engine will be very labor-intensive and can take hours to take apart and hours to put everything back together.

Is it better to replace your head gasket or your engine? Depending on the costs of a used engine in your local area you would want to think about having your engine replaced altogether.  You may be able to find a lower mileage used engine at your local junkyard for about the same price as it would cost to replace your head gasket.

If you can find a used engine that you know works for about the same price as it would cost you to have your head gasket replaced I would definitely think about having a new engine installed.

But you should only look to replace your engine if you don’t have any other mechanical problems on your car and you plan to keep the car for a long time. Otherwise, you likely won’t be able to recoup the cost it would take to replace the engine in your car.

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Featured Image Source: “Lancia Beta Blown Head Gasket IMAG0325” by tonylanciabeta is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0