kashkash7867 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Hi guys, thought i'd ask for some advice Basically, my headgasket has gone on my car, i'm really disappointed as i wasn't driving reckless or anything. Can anyone shed some light on how to prevent head gasket failure for the future? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Socks Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Biggest Killer is Age... If you experiencing a headgasket failure. Remember the car is going to be at least 15 years old! They do wear out.... MLS Gaskets are usually better. Make sure you use a DECENT company for the head skim too! Don't overheat your engine is the other main one. If you have a water leak, sort it out! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikey4410 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) heat is an enemy of head gaskets for sure.people needlessly leaving there car to idle for ages when theres no absolutley no need (trafic situations are unavoidable i know) isnt exactly a great thing to do especially on a turbo engine other thing that probably doesnt help things is lean fueling situations etc and as above with water temps or lack of water/coolant. Edited January 29, 2014 by mikey4410 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdamB Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The biggest killer to headgaskets is detonation. Ways to prevent are to O-ring the block, this exerts a greater compressive load on the gasket when the head is clamped down.Use a gasket which is able to deform under load, something like a composite made up of steel, copper and asbestos. Something with a steel fire ring is recommended.Another option is to have slots milled in the block, although this is a fairly crude way of doing things any gas that gets past the gasket will not show any symptoms of headgasket failure. There are a few other more complex methods such as sleeving the block, or welding the cylinder head but for road applications virtually all of these is not worth being used. Take the fact that the headgasket is designed to fail, if it didn't you would have to replace the entire engine at more costly expense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zeldoz Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Is leaving your car to idle unnecessarily a factor to HG failure? Never knew this and sometimes in mine i'll let it idle for ages if im chatting to people etc.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdamB Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Is leaving your car to idle unnecessarily a factor to HG failure? Never knew this and sometimes in mine i'll let it idle for ages if im chatting to people etc.. No, unless there is a problem with your cooling system, ie the fan not cutting in. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zeldoz Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 No, unless there is a problem with your cooling system, ie the fan not cutting in. Thanks, i read the above comment and was thinking that couldn't be correct. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AdamB Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) Thanks, i read the above comment and was thinking that couldn't be correct. If heat was a major factor with the engine at idle, think of what would happen with the engine at full load with 124 bar/1800psi of pressure being exerted on the gasket with combustion temps getting to 1000 degrees. You'd be blowing headgaskets every time you went over 1400rpm lol. The gasket will age and fatigue going through various cycles for sure though. Edited January 29, 2014 by AdamB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) a thinner HG coupled with a low comp piston(turbo) or thinner HG with crowned pistons(NA) keeps the direction of ignition/combustion away from the gasket seal. (flat tops with thick hg being the least ideal scenario) But as said above if your experiencing detonation (no matter your sweet bum AFR) your HG will poop itself. Phil Edited January 29, 2014 by Philm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kashkash7867 Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Fantastic advice from everyone, thanks guys Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.