A gasket is a thin sheet of metal. Cylinder head gaskets are located between the cylinder head and the engine block inside an engine. Your truck will exhibit several signs when a head gasket has blown. This article discusses some of those warning signs that you should look out for as you drive your truck.

Dropping Coolant Levels

Have you noticed that you need to top up the coolant in the radiator more often than you used to? This may be a sign that there is a blown cylinder head gasket in your truck. You can rule out other causes by checking underneath the truck to find out if there are visible signs of a coolant leak. If no spill is present, then the coolant is finding its way into the engine chambers through a blown head gasket.

Thicker Exhaust Fumes

You may be having a blown cylinder head gasket if you observe that the exhaust fumes from your truck are thicker than they were before. This is because as the coolant from the radiator leaks into the engine chambers, the water is heated and it turns into vapour. That vapour mixes with the normal exhaust emissions. The result of this combination is that the exhaust gas will come out as a thicker plume.

Engine Misfire

Has your truck had false starts lately? That misfiring may be due to a blown cylinder head gasket. The damaged gasket may be allowing coolant to leak into and accumulate within the cylinders of the engine. That coolant can prevent the spark plugs from igniting the air and fuel mixture inside the engine chamber. This engine misfiring is most likely to occur early in the morning or during cold weather. This is because such periods cause the moist air inside the engine cylinder to condense. As it gets warmer, the coolant vapourises and the engine may stop misfiring until you try to restart it after it has cooled down.

When the Engine Overheats

A damaged or blown cylinder head gasket may cause the engine coolant to leak into one cylinder of the engine. At the same time, a nearby cylinder may not be cooled because the blown gasket has disrupted the flow of the coolant. The result is that the engine will overheat.

You should take the warning signs above seriously because any delay to repair the blown gasket may cause irreparable damage to your truck's engine. It is better for a mechanic from a place like Bob Wade Fleet Maintenance to inspect the truck so that he or she confirms that the cause of those symptoms that you have observed is a blown cylinder head gasket.