What is a Head Gasket? And Is your Head Gasket Going Bad?

When we talk about auto service at Avondale Nissan, we often talk about maintenance items that are easy to detect and relatively simple to fix. Today, however, is not one of those days. When we talk about your vehicle’s head gasket, we are discussing something that can be a challenge even to the most thorough and gifted mechanic. You know, like the ones we have here at Avondale Nissan.

What is a Head Gasket?

For anyone operating a combustion engine — so pretty much everyone who doesn’t drive a Nissan LEAF — the engine is enormously complicated. It’s made up of an engine block on one side, the cylinder heads on the other, and then a lot of parts and pieces that contribute to all of the individual pistons, valves and more that are needed.
The head gasket is the part responsible for joining the two main engine components — the block and cylinder heads — in a way that creates an air- and water-tight seal. The gasket has molded metal rings to house the cylinders, and promotes this all-important seal.
Read More: Getting to Know Your Spark Plugs

How do I Know if a Head Gasket is Going Bad?

There are four main ways to know that a head gasket is blown:

Engine Overheating: While engine overheating can certainly portend many problems, a blown head gasket can be one of them. That said, you shouldn’t assume that overheating always means it’s the head gasket.
Dropping Coolant Levels: If you notice that your radiator or coolant reservoir always needs filling but that there aren’t any visible leaks, you might be dealing with a head gasket issue.
Engine Misfire: While there are other reasons an engine might misfire, one common cause is that coolant is leaking into the cylinder due to a faulty seal.
Excessive Exhaust Smoking: As the leak gets worse, you’ll have more and more coolant seeping into the cylinders and getting burned up in the combustion process. It will look like smoke coming out of your exhaust.

If you’ve come this far and believe that a blown head gasket is affecting your vehicle, then this is a problem that needs immediate attention. Visit us at the Avondale Nissan service department today, and we’ll get you back on the road in a hurry!

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