Programming My Car

Let us talk about engines today shall we?  Well, do you know that it is composed of the cylinder head and the cylinder block although the oil pan is sometimes mentioned in the same sentence?  Anyway, let us talk about that thing which you can find between the cylinder head and the cylinder block.

If you take it apart, you will see that it has a cylinder head gasket.  The purpose of that thing is to keep a tight seal between the head and the block.  It is important that it does not blow as it will be very expensive to replace.  Apart from that, a blown head basket also means that your engine has other problems.  And of course, you will have to repair those problems apart from replacing a head gasket.

But why do head gaskets suddenly blow?  Well, one reason is if the engine continues overheating.  If an engine operates at an abnormally high temperature, the head gasket has the tendency to break in its thinnest part.

The result of this is that the compression will be reduced as air will escape through the crack on the gasket.  What that means is that the power that will be produced upon combustion will drop.  While the engine will still run, it will not be running smoothly and it will be producing far less power than it would if you have a perfect head gasket.

Another result of a blown head gasket is coolant seeping into the crankcase or the cylinder.  You do not want coolant on these parts as it will dilute the oil which is needed for lubrication.  If oil is diluted by the coolant, it will be less effective in protecting metal parts from too much wear.  Thus, it would be a very good rule to prevent your engine from overheating.