Common head gasket related questions

Q. I have to keep topping up the water in my engine - what could this be?

A. Providing that there are no visible external leaks, it may be your head gasket leaking.

Q. How can I tell if the Head Gasket is leaking?

A. Normally if the gasket is leaking an obvious "telltale" sign is water in the oil, this is where the water from the cooling system has gone into the engine mixing with the oil and looks brown white in colour. Condensation in the engine sometimes causes a "smutty" build up in the rocker box area but if the oil in the sump is contaminated with water it normally means that the head gasket has gone.

Q. The temperature gauge tends to go into the red very quickly, what could this be?

A. There could be one or two reasons, the cooling fan may not be working therefore as the engine warms up the fan should kick in to cool it down but it doesn't. The water pump impeller ( The inside part of the pump) may have disintegrated or become insecure. The thermostat may have stuck in the closed position and not allow the coolant to flow freely in the engine. Finally it may be down the the head gasket leaking causing the combustion gases of the engine to leak into the cooling system.

Q. What can be done to check if the head gasket is leaking?

A. A simple "colour change" test can be carried out in a matter of minutes, This is done by removing the expansion cap and positioning the tester tube containing the test fluid over the neck of the header tank/radiator cap. The engine is then run hot and if the head gasket has gone the liquid will change from blue to a green/brown colour. The test fluid detects exhaust fumes in the cooling system which indicated that the head gasket has gone.

Q. Is it a big job to change the head gasket on a car

A. Some cars are easier then other, some cars take 3 to 4 hours, others can take a lot longer.

Q. What is the process behind changing the head gasket.

A. The cylinder head is removed from the engine block and in the majority of cases it is sent to the engineering shop to be "refaced" this is where the face of the head is machined to make sure that it is perfectly flat before rebuilding to the engine block.

It is good practice to check at the same time for any visible cracks but to also check for an internal crack. An internal crack can only be checked by having a pressure test or crack test carried out. This is where the head is put under pressure and any internal cracks are detected by the visible leakage of air after the head is submerged under water. At the same time a visible check of the cylinder bores can also be carried out.

Q. Can my local garage reface and pressure test my cylinder head?

A. Normally garages that take on cylinder head jobs have to send the heads to the engineering shop to have the work carried out as they will not have the necessary specialist machinery on site.

Q . Will I need my cylinder head to be refaced and pressure tested?

A. Under no circumstances after the gasket failure should an aluminum cylinder head be fitted back to the engine block without be skimmed or pressure tested as there is a high risk the cylinder head will be distorted and leak again.
 

Q. Where can i get my head gasket checked in Nottingham?

A. R B Lindley & Son will do a free check on your head gasket or any other engine fault you have, just pop in and we will do our best to help.

Any questions please call us on 0115 979 0818