Call Getz Automotive right away if you suspect that the head gasket is cracked. Also, plan to have your SUV, car, or truck towed to our shop. It’s important that you avoid driving your automobile if it has a blown head gasket. The head gasket itself is severe and expensive damage. Continuing to operate the vehicle will cause additional severe and expensive damage. Let’s talk more about this below.
Coolant Loss
One of the first things that will damage the engine further is when the head gasket cracks, the coolant starts to leak out of the engine. Depending on the size of the crack, the coolant can drain fairly quickly. Unfortunately, the coolant drains into the cylinders where it is burned away. This leaves your automobile’s engine starving for coolant and the temperature rising.
Overheating
The greater the coolant loss the more your engine will overheat. Driving an automobile with an overheating engine can crack the engine block, the exhaust manifold gasket, or the exhaust manifold. There’s no point in causing additional damage to your engine. Rather, play it safe and have your automobile towed to our shop if you suspect that the head gasket is cracked.
Boiling Sounds
It may come as a surprise to you, but the engine can overheat to the point that the coolant will start to boil. You will hear the boiling sounds while you are driving your vehicle, especially when you are sitting at an idle. The more the coolant boils the more pressure builds up inside of the radiator. Eventually, you will end up with a blown radiator cap and spraying coolant.
White Exhaust
Another sign that you have a cracked head gasket under the hood is white exhaust smoke. As we mentioned above, the coolant will leak into the cylinders. When this happens, it is burned along with the fuel and air. Burning coolant creates white exhaust. If you see a blue tint to the white exhaust, you also have motor oil leaking into the cylinders.
Milky-White Oil
The additional fluids being burned away by the cylinders can damage your vehicle’s combustion chamber. As we mentioned above, the overheating engine can also cause serious damage. Finally, you should not drive your automobile with a blown head gasket because the coolant will mix with the motor oil and dilute it. This diluted oil can severely damage the engine.
Getz Automotive in Fuquay-Varina, NC, is here to help, so give us a call today if you believe there’s a crack in your vehicle’s head gasket.