If your car is still fairly new and has no other issues, then it might make sense to spend the money on the repair. In this case, you might be able to make the repair and get several more years of use from your vehicle. Hence, it probably is worth it to get it fixed. Some examples of those situations include:.
You are likely to experience other part failures soon such as the thermostat or water pump, and the money from the head gasket replacement cost could be better spent on a new vehicle. In this case, why not get some money for your old car instead of pouring a ton of money into it.
You could attempt to sell the car on your own, although finding a buyer for a car that needs a new head gasket can be difficult. Another option is to sell the working parts off the car to people who need them. Again, it can be difficult to line up buyers for all those parts, plus you have to do quite a bit of work to remove them. A better option is using a buyer who will buy your vehicle in its current condition without any work on your part.
Get an instant cash offer today to find out how much your car is worth, even with a blown head gasket! The answer is yes! However, this will only apply in certain situations where the damage is not extensive.
That is why you should stop driving the car immediately if you experience any of the symptoms of a blown head gasket. These symptoms can include coolant leaks, white smoke from the tailpipe, fouled spark plugs, misfires, loss of compression or engine performance, or a check engine light. Since a leaking head gasket no longer seals the combustion chambers of your engine properly, a loss of compression is almost always a tell tale sign of a head gasket leak.
White smoke can signal a head gasket problem, especially if it has a sweet smell to it. Antifreeze can enter the combustion chamber and get burned off, resulting in the white smoke and sweet smell from the tailpipe. Misfires and fouled spark plugs can be the result of oil entering the chambers and not allowing the spark to fire properly. Overheating can be another common symptom of a head gasket issue. Since the coolant does not flow through the engine properly, heat cannot be removed as efficiently as it should.
This leads to heat building up in the heads and blocks and causes the temperature to rise higher than it should. If you have noticed any of these symptoms, then it may be time to consider a fix while there is still time! If you are going to attempt to fix the head gasket without replacing it, you must do so before further damage is done or the gasket is completely blown out!
If you catch it early, there are commercial sealants available that can fix damaged head gaskets without the need to completely tear apart the engine! Using these types of sealants is pretty straightforward. Generally, you will simply add the sealant to your radiator or your coolant expansion tank.
This will allow the sealant to circulate through the passages in the engine and seal any possible leaks, even at the head gasket.
If caught early enough, this can be a great option to replacement of the head gasket. It is also a much less expensive option, so it really saves the pressure on your wallet! The repair or replacement of a head gasket is an expensive repair, so in some cases it might not make sense to put that much money into your vehicle. Need further assistance? Please call Member Services at This pricey problem can have the engine and the driver blowing a gasket.
By Jeff S. Bartlett and Steven Elek. Last updated: June 06, Sharing is Nice Yes, send me a copy of this email. Send We respect your privacy. Oops, we messed up. Try again later. When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. Learn more. Photo: Getty Images. More From Consumer Reports.
Jeff S. Bartlett A New England native, I have piloted a wide variety of vehicles, from a Segway to an aircraft carrier. So, if you own a tuned vehicle or you're planning to modify your engine to produce much more power than a stock engine can, be sure to invest in high-performance head gaskets. When the head gasket is broken or blown, the first sign is the loss of compression and power. Simply, the seal between the engine block and the cylinder head is no longer as tight as is should be, so the engine is not able to produce compression needed to deliver declared power and torque.
The second sign is the possible overheating of the engine because the exhaust gasses are forced into the cooling system. Also, with a blown head gasket, coolant can enter the combustion chambers causing possible hydro lock and extensive engine damage.
This only happens if a large amount of coolant enters the engine. Sometimes, a blown head gasket allows coolant and oil to mix which is noticeable by the presence of mayonnaise-like residue on the oil cap. Finally, a broken or blown head gasket can result in increased oil consumption and damage to the exhaust systems, catalytic, and cylinder heads.
As you can see, the problems caused by a faulty head gasket can vary and we strongly recommend you check your car every time you experience something like this.
Taking your car to the shop can save you a lot of money if the blown gasket is diagnosed on time. Not to mention, it can save your engine from early demise if you notice any of those symptoms and react in a timely manner.
As we already mentioned, the head gasket is a simple and cheap part. However, the head gasket repair job can be very expensive because of the labor involved. In order to repair an engine with a head gasket problem, you must disassemble the motor almost completely and take the cylinder head off the block to get to the broken gasket. The worst-case scenario is when the blown head gasket causes some serious damage to the cylinders, cylinder heads, or other components, requiring you will need to replace them as well.
Replacing or repairing an engine with a blown head gasket is a costly and time-consuming job and can take up to several days of work to get it done. Also, you will have to remember that if you own a V6, V8 or V12, or a boxer-type of engine it is double the work since there are two cylinder heads that need attention. However, the price for this job is somewhat lower if your engine only needs a replacement gasket. In that case, there is no repair work involved, just replacing the faulty part and putting the engine back together.
It is still difficult and time-consuming labor, but it's still cheaper and faster than repairing the damage caused by the broken head gasket.
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