3 Things You Must Know About Your Car’s Head Gasket

A car’s head gasket sealer is one of those crucial parts in the engine that only makes its importance felt once it starts acting up. It is placed in between the cylinder head and cylinder block and is an important part of the puzzle that helps maintain compression and leakage prevention of coolant and oil. It may cause serious and expensive problems that demand to immediately be dealt with once it obtains a crack or leak.

Head Gasket Problems

Any car that’s travelled an average of 75,000 miles can be susceptible to hiccups within the head gasket. An evident symptom may be the constant occurrence of overheating, that may even escalate to the presence of white smoke from the exhaust. The oil may also start to look milky, and some bubbles may also appear in the cooling system. More major problems such as a blown head gasket from extreme engine temperature or severe overheating as frequent as every 15 minutes may need more than just a sealer to fix them and may really require having to replace the head gasket. Replacing a head gasket may cost a car owner somewhere around a hefty $1500-$3500. Fortunately, several head gasket sealers are present in the market and can be used to fix the problems in the present instead of resorting to a replacement right away. While not everyone can attest to the effectiveness of head gasket sealers, sparing $50 or so to try it out is still worth a shot, as compared to dropping thousands of bucks right away. A good amount of car owners say that it’s worked for their engines and has definitely helped in prolonging the life of their vehicle even if the sealer did not completely turn the problem around.

Using a Sealer

According to Automobile Remedy, purchasing a head gasket sealer would not pose as a struggle for it is widely used by car owners and is available in a variety of brands. The key here to achieve the desired effect is to choose the right sealer that would complement and fix the specific problem at hand. In applying the sealer, a thin coat should be applied to all sides of the gasket until it air dries and becomes tacky. The gasket should be aligned, pressed into place and assembled. Lastly, it should be tightened to the specified torque values. Make sure not to over apply the product, as this may cause some problems. Using a sealer may help car owners evade heavy mechanical work from getting done, and since the process takes only about an afternoon’s worth of labor to complete, cars are usually ready to go right after. Using this may require more frequent check-ups to make sure that the car stays in shape, but with the benefit of having them in satisfactory shape for longer without breaking the bank.

Head Gasket Sealer Recommendations

BlueDevil Head Gasket Sealer

BlueDevil can easily be found in online stores and is highly rated by most of its users. This product requires raining the coolant and removing the thermostat to allow the sealer to flow through the engine.

Bar’s Leak Head Gasket Sealer

This would be a good pick for those who wish to skip removing their thermostat or flushing the coolant. It only needs to directly be added to the radiator, and claims to work with wrapped heads, blown head gaskets and leaks.

Steel Seal 8 Cylinder

Steel Seal is the best option for those 8-cylinder cars, as it is easy, affordable, and can get cars back and running in less than a day. This works fast, and its effects claim to last for a very long time. At the end of the day, you wouldn’t want to spend an extra cent for problems that you could’ve prevented. A gasket sealer will help maintain the performance of your car without breaking your bank.