Cylinder Head Gasket Service

The cylinder head gasket seals the cylinder head (combustion chamber) to the engine block.  It must isolate the exhaust from each combustion chamber from its nieghbors.  The cylinder head gasket also has passages for motor oil to be pumped up into the cylinder head and for the engine coolant to be pumped through the cylinder head for cooling.  The cylinider head gasket must keep the exhaust, oil and coolant from mixing.

A "blown" cylinder gasket just means that the gasket has failed or has broken.  As the engine warms up, the parts expand in all directions, but not evenly because some parts heat up faster that others.  As the engine cools off, the parts contract in all directions, again, not evenly.  The cylinder head gasket is designed to tolerate these expansions and contractions.  But, like anything else, sometimes it just breaks.  If the engine if overheated, the engine parts can expand more that the cylinder head gasket can tolerate breaking the gasket.  Today's engine are made as light as possible and as powerfull as possible for improved fuel economy.  This makes them fragile. Just one overhead is enough to break the gasket.

A failed cylinder head gasket can let the exhaust, which is under tremendous pressure, to bleed off into one of its neighbors causing rought running, allow hot exhaust gas to enter the cooling system causing coolant to blow out of the radiator causing cronic overheating or let the exhaust blow into the inside of the engine and thus pressurizing it causing motor oil to leak out of every seam.  It can also let oil leak into the cooling system where it contaminates the coolant, into the combustion chamber where it gets burt up, or allow oil to leak out the side of the engine.  Additionally, a failed cylinder head gasket can allow coolant to mix with the engine oil contamating the oil, to leak into the combustion chamber where it gets burnt up, or to leak out the side of the engine.

Here is a link on another web site that has a very good list of the symptoms of a failed cylinder head gaset.  To replace the cylinder head gasket, almost everything on the top half of the engine has to come apart.  If your vehicle needs spark plugs, spark plug wires, a new thermostat, cooling system service or oil change service, doing these things at the same time can save labor dollars.  Also while the cylinder head is off, it's a good idea to have a machine shop check the head for warping, cracking and leaking valves.

If you think you need a new cylinder head gasket, bring your vehicle to Clearview Tire & Auto Service for a correct diagnosis and professional guaranteed repairs which includes our Certified Auto Repair Nationwide Warranty.  We're in Hopkinsville, not far from Ft. Campbell and we've been here since 1952. Most repairs include one year FREE towing and roadside assistance, good 24/7 coast-to-coast.