Intake Gasket Leaks: Your intake manifold has gas gets around it that help seal oil and coolant as well. Just like your head gasket, the valve cover gasket is prone to wearing down and breaking after exposure to heat, dirt and debris overtime. This is the most common cause of oil leaking down the sides of your engine that you might mistake for a problem with your head gasket. The oil from the valve cover will hit your exhaust manifold and cause it to burn. Valve Cover Gasket Leaks: If you have a valve cover gasket leak then you're going to have an oil covered valve cover and potentially the smell of burning oil as a result when you're driving your car. So, if you are suffering from an external oil leak make sure you check out those other issues first. Like we said, this can be very commonly misdiagnosed and even a qualified mechanic may overlook these problems. All that being said, it's not impossible that your head gasket is leaking oil externally, it's just very unlikely. These can often be misdiagnosed as the source of an external oil leak from a head gasket. Typically, when you think your head gasket is leaking oil externally the problem is actually related to a valve cover gasket, an intake gasket, the external oil supply tube itself, or a galley plug. Is Your Head Gasket Really Leaking Oil Externally? One thing that is worth knowing in this case that while there is a difference between when your head gasket is leaking oil internally and leaking oil externally, a head gasket leaking oil externally is actually very rare. The thing to remember here is that a blown head gasket typically causes oil and coolant to leak and mix together internally, not externally. Regardless of what caused your head gasket to blow, if it's no longer able to maintain a proper seal then you could start having oil leaking. Likewise, this can lead to problems with electrolysis wearing down your gasket as well. If your coolant becomes too contaminated overtime in from not being changed regularly, the pH balance will be off and the acidic nature of it can cause your gasket to wear down sooner than it should.
Since heat can cause a blown head gasket, it stands to reason there may be a problem with your coolant as well. When this is the case, you'll notice that your engine seems to be running very rough especially at start-up or when it's idle.Ĭoolant pH: You need to maintain the integrity of your coolant in your engine in order to keep it running at optimal temperatures. Just like excess heat, this excess of pressure can cause your gasket to fail as well. Pressure: If you're suffering from some pre-ignition problems and the timing of your combustion reaction is off, it can cause too much pressure to build up in the cylinder head. When this happens over and over again, it will eventually fail completely. Because a head gasket is made of metal, the heat will cause it to expand and it will contract again when the engine cools down. Although a head gaske t is designed to handle high temperatures, if the heat in your engine gets beyond what it was designed to handle, it will cause the head gasket to wear down much sooner. Overheating : There are a handful of causes for a blown head gasket but by far the most common cause is an overheating engine. A blown head gasket can no longer maintain a seal and that means it’s unable to maintain pressure and keep fluids contained.
When your head gasket starts leaking it’s often referred to as being blown. What Would Cause a Head Gasket to Leak Oil?
Although modern head gaskets are far more durable than old school graphite and asbestos ones, they can still fall victim to wear and tear or mechanical failure and end up failing. Harmful gases are forced into your exhaust rather than leaking from the engine into the air. Without a head gasket in place the combustion reaction will either not be able to take place or will be contaminated with too much air or not enough pressure preventing your engine from producing enough power to work properly.Ī functional head gasket also ensures a cleaner running car. When it seals in place it ensures the combustion chamber is sealed and prevents oil and coolant from leaking. In older cars this may have been made from graphite or asbestos. Typically, a head gasket is made from layers of steel and elastomer.
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