Cylinder head gasket: operation, maintenance and price

The cylinder head gasket is a central and important part for proper function. engine of your car... If you notice any signs of wear, don't hesitate and ask a professional mechanic to replace the cylinder head gasket to avoid much more serious consequences for your engine.

🚗 What is a cylinder head gasket?

Le compound buttock it is, as the name suggests, the seal that closes buttock located at the top of the cylinder block. It consists of 4 holes, the number of which is equal to the number of cylinders in your engine. Your car's engine works just like a human heart, except that the impacts here are small explosions.

In fact, in order to move forward, your car must create small explosions. combustion chambers which must be completely sealed to function properly. It is the cylinder head gasket that ensures the tightness inside these combustion chambers.

Thus, the cylinder head gasket forms the connection between the cylinder head (located on the top of the engine) and engine blocking... If the connection is no longer tight, there is a leak in the cylinder head gasket and there is no more compression in the engine. You have only one solution left: change the cylinder head gasket.

🔧 What are the symptoms of a faulty cylinder head gasket?

We have compiled for you a list of the various signs of cylinder head gasket wear:

• The first visible sign of cylinder head gasket wear issignificant emission of white smoke through the exhaust of the car. In this case, replace the cylinder head gasket as soon as possible.
• The second symptom is a direct consequence of the first: engine overheating your car. The engine is considered overheated if its temperature exceeds 95 ° C. Indeed, a broken cylinder head gasket will no longer guarantee the tightness of the engine and therefore lead to a drop in coolant level and excessive consumption of engine oil.
• Another fairly simple solution for determining if your head gasket is broken is to look at your engine oil filler cap. If you observe any mayonnaise on the cover it is necessary to change the cylinder head gasket.
• You can also look at the color of your machine oil : if it is very clear, then your engine oil has mixed with your coolant... All of these can have serious consequences for your car's cylinder block.
• Also don't forget to look at fire on the dashboard: If the engine oil, coolant, service or engine lights are on, there is clearly a problem with the cylinder head gasket.
• Finally, if your heating does not work anymore or your caloristat no longer cools down, it is likely to cause engine failure.

Symptoms that should alert you to a head gasket problem are mainly white smoke, engine overheating, low coolant and engine oil levels, as well as mayonnaise, oil level in the cap.

👨‍🔧 Can I change the cylinder head gasket in my car myself?

We strongly advise against changing your car's cylinder head gasket by yourself. Indeed, this is an important intervention that requires advanced mechanical knowledge and precision, since the slightest mistake guarantees engine failure.

Replacing the cylinder head gasket is a lengthy and complex operation that is often very expensive as it requires the engine to be completely disassembled and reassembled so that the failed part can be replaced. The price of the part itself is not very expensive (from 30 to 100 euros), but it is the hours of operation that quickly increase the bill.

However, it is very important to replace the cylinder head gasket at the first sign of wear at risk of scrapping your vehicle due to engine failure.

There are cars like the Citroën 2CV that do not have a cylinder head gasket. Indeed, for these vehicles, the engine is air-cooled and therefore a cylinder head gasket to ensure that the coolant is sealed is unnecessary.

?? How much does it cost to replace a cylinder head gasket?

The cylinder head gasket itself is not very expensive. Think from 30 to 100 € for the purchase of the part. Most of all, it is worth replacing it to a specialist, since it takes many hours of work to disassemble and assemble the cylinder head.

Indeed, the garage owner will need to disassemble the entire engine in order to gain access to it. So do the average 600€ to replace the cylinder head gasket from a professional.

We advise you not to wait if you notice the symptoms of HS cylinder head gasket on your car, because if the cylinder head breaks completely, you will have to rely on repairs from € 1500 to € 3000.

As you have already understood, the cylinder head gasket is a small item, but it is necessary for the proper functioning of your engine and therefore your car. Therefore, it is very important to take care of it and change it as soon as the first symptoms appear. If you find yourself in this situation, don't wait any longer and immediately compare the best garages near you for cylinder head gasket repair.