How important is the proper work of the head gasket for the car

Internal combustion engines are a trademark of modern vehicles as they have been used for several decades now. Although most people are aware of this information, they still don’t know what makes combustion engines so special and which service parts they should look after nor when to have the engine checked and serviced. Hence, when an engine light goes on on a dashboard, most drivers have no idea what it actually means. Not that it is required to, but some knowledge on engine parts and their role can’t do any harm. That is why we would like to talk about one important part of the internal combustion engine – head gasket and head gasket repair methods.

What is a head gasket

A head gasket is a part positioned between the engine block and cylinder head in a car engine. A head gasket has a simple, but very important role – it is used to seal and compress the cylinder in order to prevent engine or any other oil leakages. Thus, it has to be in perfect condition because otherwise it can cause serous damage to the cylinder and engine functionality overall. It is made out of hard steel to achieve high strength that endures large compression force. Consequently, a blown head gasket can happen after many years of use.

Head gasket failure

To get a clear picture of how this small part can brake or become dysfunctional, it is important to mention the liquids which combustion engine uses in order to perform impeccably. Fuel/air mixture, air filter oil and engine coolant are the major three oils necessary for a car to start and continue working. Therefore, if any of these oils enters cylinders, you are going to have a big problem. Hence, we see how important head gasket actually is and how a blown head gasket can result in a broken car engine.

Head gasket repair

Replacing a head gasket is not something you can do in a garage. Don’t get fooled by the simplicity of the head gasket as you need to disassemble all parts of an engine to reach it. It is best to leave this job to professionals. What you got left is a responsibility of taking actions before something worse happens. In other words, preventing a blown head gasket and high head gasket repair cost can be done with regular service of the cooling system. Given the low price of cooling system parts, it is wise to replace them instead when needed then paying thousands of dollars for major repairs.