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NL Is your vehicle showing signs of a defective cylinder head gasket? You think you can just keep driving and you'll be fine? After all, a Replacing the cylinder head gasket in the workshop simply too expensive and is it no longer worth it for your vehicle?
Not a good idea! Because symptoms of a defective Cylinder head gasket should taken seriously otherwise this is the beginning of the end for your vehicle and it threatens to be destroyed within a very short time. Total failure of your engine.
In this article, we give you 7 reasons why you should not continue driving with a defective cylinder head gasket. At the end of the article, we provide you with a Simple, fast and cost-effective solution with which you can detect incipient cylinder head gasket damage. Repair yourself without tools can. This saves you not only thousands of euros in the workshop, but brings your vehicle back Fast and safe back on the road.
How long can I drive with a broken cylinder head gasket?
It becomes urgent recommended, with one burned out Cylinder head gasket not to continue, there this to heavy Engine damage lead can. Damaged Cylinder head gaskets can in addition lead, that Coolant in the Motor penetrates, what to Overheating, Motor failure and serious damage to the Motor leads. About this beyond can a more damaged Cylinder head also to one bad Motor power lead.
We recommend you therefore, yours Vehicle as soon as possible to repair, to the Cylinder head gaskets to be repaired. It becomes not recommended, the Vehicle more to drive, there this the Risk one serious Engine damage increased and to still more expensive Repairs up to the Total failure of the vehicle can lead.
Why it is dangerous to continue driving with a defective cylinder head gasket: 7 reasons
(1) Loss of cooling water without leakage
Is your engine burning coolant? A little cooling water always needs to be topped up after a journey. Perhaps you have also noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust when accelerating? The cylinder head gasket has probably blown and cooling water is entering the engine's combustion chamber. If you simply continue driving now, there is a risk of water hammer. In contrast to the normal fuel-air mixture, water cannot be compressed to the same extent in the combustion chambers of the engine. This leads to malfunctions and interruptions in the combustion cycle. As long as it is only a few drops, your engine will continue to ignite, compress and burn the cooling water together with the fuel-air mixture. You will recognize this as thick, white smoke when the water escapes from the exhaust in the form of water vapour. However, if a point is reached where the penetrating water can no longer be compressed in the combustion chamber, a so-called "water hammer" occurs. This means that the piston cannot complete the compression stroke to the end, while the crankshaft continues to rotate with the valves closed. There is a risk of serious engine damage to the crankshaft, connecting rod, piston or engine block.
(2) Cooling water in the engine oil
This is usually due to a light brownsometimes also yellowish-white creamy substance on the Inside of the oil cap or on Oil dipstick can be recognized. The lubricity of the engine oil is reduced and moving engine components wear out within a very short time. This inevitably leads to total engine damage within a very short time - once the moving parts of the engine are stuck and it blocks when trying to start, the only last resort is an expensive repair in a workshop specializing in engines or a replacement engine - both of which are expensive.
(3) Coolant leaking from the engine block or cylinder head
Is your engine leaking cooling water to the outside and can you detect water leaking in the area of the cylinder head gasket, between the cylinder head and engine block? The condition of the engine usually deteriorates rapidly with this type of damage too. Like a trickle of water that is initially small, this hairline crack expands and the cooling water leakage becomes more and more pronounced. The engine threatens to overheat briefly and without warning at any time and further damage to the engine is imminent.
(4) Motor overheats
Permanent loss of cooling water must be taken seriously and the cause identified and rectified as quickly as possible. Anything else is negligent. A loss of cooling water via the engine usually occurs via hairline cracks in the cylinder head or a leaking cylinder head gasket and leads to further damage as long as the condition remains untreated.
(5) Oil in the cooling water
Do you recognize oil in the coolant? When you open the expansion tank, do you see a colorful, shimmering substance on the surface of the coolant? The cylinder head gasket is also affected here. The engine oil reduces the circulation and cooling capacity of the coolant. Here too, there is a risk of engine damage due to overheating if the engine heat can no longer be properly absorbed and dissipated by the coolant.
"Very fast delivery! In the meantime I have used Steel Seal on a VW T5 according to the instructions and lo and behold, no more CO2 in the coolant! I'm going on vacation next week. I can only recommend Steel Seal."
(6) Pressure in the cooling system
Are your coolant hoses inflating and becoming hard or can you see bubbles rising in the coolant in the expansion tank when the engine is running? The following occur Exhaust gases enter the cooling system from the combustion chamber via a leaking cylinder head gasket and generate combustion pressure. You should not start your vehicle in this condition. Simply continuing to drive would mean accepting the risk of one of the coolant hoses bursting suddenly and without warning while you are driving, causing a massive leak of coolant. There is a risk of engine damage due to overheating. You should avoid this at all costs and only restart the engine once the cause has been rectified.
(7) Exhaust gases in the cooling water
CO2 in the cooling water? The same risks exist here as with pure cooling water loss via the engine. In addition, hot combustion gases that enter the cooling system via a leak between the cooling water channel and combustion chamber act like a catalytic converter and heat up the coolant even faster. The risk of overheating increases and the engine is threatened with failure within a very short time.
Is it worth changing the cylinder head gasket?
If the vehicle is within the manufacturer's warranty period and the cylinder-head gasket is damaged during this time, then the answer is quite clear: Yes!
The cylinder head gasket on 99% vehicles is covered by the manufacturer's warranty and is generally replaced within the warranty period without discussion. There may be exceptions if there is evidence of improper handling of the vehicle. In case of doubt, however, this would have to be proven by the manufacturer, which is unlikely to be easy. Our recommendation is therefore clear: Have the repair carried out during the warranty period at a specialist workshop.
What cylinder head gasket costs should I expect when having it replaced in the workshop?
If the vehicle is no longer covered by the manufacturer's warranty, you as the vehicle owner will be faced with high repair costs. Replacing a cylinder head gasket costs time and money. As a rule, a workshop specializing in engine repairs requires between 8-10 working hours for a mid-range car. Depending on the degree of difficulty and type group, the hourly rate in Germany varies between 95 and 250 euros, with an average of 130 euros (as of 2022). In many cases, especially for vehicles with a mileage of more than 200,000 km, replacing the cylinder head gasket alone is usually not enough. The cylinder head often needs to be reworked so that the new cylinder-head gasket can seal perfectly. This is known as "surface grinding" the cylinder head. This adds up to the Cylinder head gasket costs and can easily rise to 2-3 thousand euros or more.
Conclusion: The classic repair of the cylinder head gasket, i.e. replacement in a specialist workshop, is usually no longer worthwhile for most vehicles once the manufacturer's warranty has expired. The investment does not make economic sense.
Steel Seal® - Cost-effective smart repair solution
The good news? With all the symptoms of a leaking cylinder head gasket on the cooling water side described above Steel Seal® can be used as a cost-effective repair solution. Steel Seal® has been a proven and cost-effective alternative to the replacement of the cylinder block seal in specialist circles for years and can be used as a solution before further damage to the engine occurs.
Used in good time, preferably as soon as the first symptoms appear, Steel Seal® creates a permanent seal in the cylinder head gasket and produces the same result under the rope as the labor-intensive replacement of the head gasket in a specialist garage:
The vehicle returns to the road with no symptoms and an intact cylinder head gasket.
Our recommendationOrder today and save hundreds of euros in repair costs.
Do you still have questions or are you not sure whether Steel Seal® is the right product for your problem? Give us a call! We will advise you free of charge and without obligation at +4991019018160 (German landline) or +4319962116 (Austrian landline) from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 16:00.
