How to Know If You Need a Head Gasket

British Columbia is a beautiful place to live, and Metro Vancouver is one of the most sought-after places to call home. However, it doesn’t come without an expensive price tag. From rising gas prices to overly inflated grocery bills, living in the Lower Mainland can be expensive. And when you own a vehicle, unexpected repairs can make it extremely tough. Repairs like a head gasket replacement, for instance.

Head gasket replacement is one of the most common repairs that we see in our line of business. More often than not, an older vehicle gets scrapped because it needs a new head gasket. And with such a hefty price tag on a repair like that, most people opt to scrap their car instead of fixing it.

Fortunately, More Cash For Scrap offers MORE cash for scrap cars that need a head gasket replacement. And with our same day scrap car removal service and free towing from anywhere in the Lower Mainland, scrapping a car doesn’t have to be a pain in the you-know-what.

What Does Your Head Gasket Do on a Car?

The head gasket is a very vital component of your vehicle. It is essentially responsible for directing fluids throughout your vehicle’s engine. Without it, there would be no way to ensure that the fluids that run your vehicle are being directed to the appropriate channels. Additionally, the head gasket is also responsible for sealing the gap between the cylinder head and the engine block.

Furthermore, when your head gasket begins to malfunction or fail, you’ll notice a sudden decrease in your vehicle’s performance and behavior. Quirks that were previously noticeable on your car may become worse. Others may randomly disappear. And while that may seem like good news at the time that older issues vanish, it could mean that something else is about to kick the bucket.

If you suspect that your head gasket might be on its way out, give our scrap car removal team a call today. Even if you aren’t sure whether or not it’s your head gasket, talk to one of our dedicated scrap car removal team members and they may be able to offer some insight as to what is going on under the hood of your aging vehicle.

How Can I Tell If My Head Gasket Is Blown?

Aside from the fact that usually when your head gasket goes, it often blows off a lot of steam (hence the term, “blown” head gasket”), there are also other ways to check if your head gasket has failed.

1. Check Your Engine Oil

If you notice that your vehicle is running differently, and that there is some excessive or unusual steam coming up from the engine, be sure to pull over and check your oil. If you notice that your engine’s oil looks milky instead of the usual dark brown, light brown, or black colour, that could indicate a blown head gasket.

2. Check Your Exhaust

If you’ve noticed excessive smoke that has appeared suddenly when your vehicle is idling (or if it is present, but gets worse when you accelerate), it could mean that your head gasket has either blown or is about to.

Typically, when the head gasket has actually failed, you’ll see noticeable thick, white smoke billowing out of your tailpipes. If you are seeing new exhaust emissions, or the white is faint and combined with a minimal amount of smoke, your head gasket may be on its way out.

3. Check Your Sparkplugs

Now, unless you are mechanically inclined, a trained or practicing mechanic, or have a friend who is and can check your sparkplugs for you, it’s best to have this step done by a professional mechanic like out friends at NAPA Autopro in Coquitlam.

One of the best ways to tell if your head gasket is toast is if there is either coolant or engine oil on the sparkplugs. This is without a doubt much more difficult to do than looking at your tailpipe or checking your oil. Furthermore, it will incur an added expense if you get a professional to do it for you, but it is a foolproof way to know if your head gasket has blown.

As a professional scrap car removal company that has been serving Metro Vancouver since 2005, we see a lot of vehicles with various issues. However, blown head gaskets are a very prominent issue and are one of the biggest reasons people use our scrap car removal services.

If you have a vehicle with a dead engine, failed transmission, or blown head gasket, scrap it with More Cash For Scrap. We provide same day scrap car removal and always pay MORE cash for scrap cars than the other guys.

4. Check Your Radiator

Just to foreshadow this next step a little bit, when your head gasket actually “blows”, steam is released rapidly through your radiator. So, while we are advising that one way to see if your head gasket needs replacing is by checking your radiator, you’ll usually already know.

However, if you haven’t yet had a blast of steam coming from under your hood, checking the radiator is another great way to see what’s going on with your head gasket. If the fluid inside is frothy or foamy, that means that air is leaking into your cooling system.

Additionally, if the fluid is milky coloured (much like the potential colour of your exhaust), it could also indicate a failed head gasket because this is the product of oil and fuel combining inadvertently.

5. Check Your Coolant Levels

Another way to tell if your head gasket needs repair or replacing is if your coolant levels are low. While other things can also cause low levels of coolant, when combined with other noticeable problems related to your head gasket, it could indicate that it needs servicing.

Coolant generally never needs replenishing unless there is a leak somewhere in the system. It can fluctuate a little up and down because of varying temperature exposures. However, it should always remain around a certain level. If it doesn’t, it could indicate a serious problem with your head gasket.

What Happens When Your Head Gasket Goes?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Relax! Don’t blow a head gasket?”. If you have, you might be wondering why that reference is applied to someone who is angry. Well, when a head gasket blows, it quite literally, blows.

That’s why you’ll notice blue or white smoke suddenly coming from your tailpipe. Also, you may notice steam escaping from under your hood if other components of your engine’s cooling system have been damaged due to the failed gasket. Also, your engine’s compression is affected by a failing or failed head gasket, so steam and smoke only has one way to go… Out!

Getting your vehicle diagnosed promptly is imperative when it comes to a suspected head gasket failure. If you don’t get your head gasket looked at right away, it could lead to further damage to your engine and various other parts including your vehicle’s cooling system components.

What Are the Signs of a Blown Head Gasket?

Much like when anything goes mechanically on a car, there will definitely be signs when your head gasket has blown or is about to. Knowing what signs and symptoms to watch out for is key to getting your vehicle diagnosed quickly, and potentially preventing further damage to your car’s engine and components.

The biggest signs that your head gasket needs replacing are:

• Poor temperature control
• Your engine overheats (especially when it’s not summertime)
• Coolant loss when no coolant appears to be leaking from your vehicle
• White coloured or thick exhaust smoke coming from your tailpipe(s)
• Discoloured oil (particularly milky coloured)
• Bubbing within your radiator
• Noticeable loss of power and worsening performance overall
• Leaking fluids (not coolant, mainly oil)
• Rough running motor

While some of these symptoms can indicate other mechanical issues or failures within your vehicle’s engine, they are quite indicative that your head gasket needs professional attention. If you don’t want to put the time or money into addressing anymore mechanical issues on your older vehicle, talk to More Cash For Scrap today.

We can’t fix your car, but we can definitely offer MORE cash for scrap cars with blown head gasket and various other mechanical issues. At the very least, you can find out what your vehicle is worth, despite the problems it may be having.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace Your Head Gasket on a Car?

A head gasket replacement is one of the most expensive repairs on a vehicle, next to engine replacement and transmission replacement. This is probably why we scrap so many vehicles that need a new head gasket in Metro Vancouver.

As a professional scrap car removal company that has been buying junk vehicles throughout the Lower Mainland since 2005, we’ve seen it all. And we know that head gaskets are not only expensive to repair, but they are also time consuming.

As far as the cost of replacement goes, it varies from vehicle to vehicle. On average, you’re looking at a minimum of $1000 – $2000 just for the head gasket itself. Additionally, higher-end vehicles that need a new head gasket will usually cost thousands more because they need additional parts and components, which also increases the cost of labour.

For a late model vehicle, the average cost of a head gasket replacement (including all parts and labour) runs between $3000 – $6000. Truck head gaskets can run even higher because much like higher-end vehicles, they require many other parts and components that work in synch with the head gasket itself.

Cash for Cars with Blown Head Gaskets

Got a vehicle with a blown head gasket? Great! Because More Cash For Scraps loves buying cars in need of head gaskets. In fact, we love buying scrap cars, trucks, SUVs, vans, and buses in need of absolutely anything.

From vehicles with dead engines to junkers with no engines; you’ll get MORE when you scrap your car with More Cash For Scrap! We are the experts at extracting whatever value remains within your junk vehicle. No matter how scrappy it may be!

If you’ve got a vehicle that needs a new head gasket, or even a vehicle that needs a new engine, new transmission, or complete brake job, give our scrap car removal team a quick call today. We provide free auto scrap pickup, same day scrap car removal, and MORE cash for scrap cars than anyone in Metro Vancouver or the Fraser Valley!

How Much Cash Can I Get for My Car?

Every vehicle has a different value because every vehicle is being scrapped for a different reason. Our prices range from $50 – $1000, depending on what you’re scrapping and why. Vehicles that are still running usually command a higher payout. Whereas vehicles that are inoperable and are without wheels or keys are on the lower end of what we can pay.

To find out what your junk vehicle is worth, simply provide our scrap car removal team with the make, model, year, condition, mileage, and location of your car. Then, let us know of any recent repairs it has had, or any that it might need. We’ll make you an instant cash offer right over the phone once we’ve collected all the details.

If you accept our offer, we’ll arrange a day and time for our free auto scrap pickup service to come collect your vehicle. This can be done any day of the week, day or night. We provide scrap car removal 7 days a week from 7:00 AM-11:00 PM, and even work on many statutory holidays too!

Call More Cash For Scrap Today & Sell Your Car for MORE!

No one offers MORE cash for cars in Metro Vancouver or the Fraser Valley than we do. We know what junk cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans are really worth, regardless of what issues they may have.

Furthermore, we work with local salvage yards and junkyards to ensure that we get the most out of every vehicle we scrap. It’s through these strong partnerships that we are truly able to offer MORE cash for scrap cars than the other guys!

If you want MORE customer service, MORE flexible scrap car removal times, and MORE cash for scrap cars than with the other guys, choose More Cash For Scrap. We always offer MORE!