How Do I Know It’s Time to Replace My Head Gasket?

The head gasket seals the gap between the cylinder head and engine block. When it fails, that allows coolant to leak inside the combustion chambers. A leaky head gasket can also allow coolant to seep out near the exhaust manifold, causing the engine to run hotter. A sure sign of a blown head gasket is steam – what looks like white smoke — coming out of the exhaust system and often from under the hood. Because the engine is rapidly losing coolant, it will quickly overheat and should be immediately shut off.