Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Signs of a Cracked Head in a Ford
The head gasket provides a tight seal between oil, coolant and the engines main cylinders. Regardless what type of car you own, the symptoms of a cracked or damaged head gasket are the same. Although your Ford engine requires both oil and coolant to run effectively, parts of your engine suffer if oil or coolant are allowed entry. If you diagnose the problem early enough, you can stop it before it causes you to have to replace the entire engine.
Blue Smoke
If you see blue smoke coming from your Fords exhaust, you most likely have oil getting through cracks in the head gasket and into the cylinders. As it burns in your engine, the car produces thick, blue smoke.
White Smoke
In a similar fashion, white smoke plumes coming from your Fords exhaust are an indicator that engine coolant is working its way through cracks in the head gasket to the cylinders. As it burns, the coolant produces white smoke.
White Paste in Oil
You should check your oil often using the dipstick. Checking your oil regularly ensures you are familiar with how normal oil looks. If you begin experiencing engine troubles, check your Fords oil to see if there is any foreign substance mixed in with the oil. A white, pasty substance in your cars oil indicates that your cars head gasket is damaged.
Visible Leaks
Check your engine to see if oil or coolant are splashed onto the engine parts. This indicates that they are probably leaking from the cracked head gasket. Large leaks will occur underneath the car when you park it.
Continuous Overheating
If your engine is continuously overheating no matter how much coolant you add to the reservoir, your head gasket may be cracked. Large leaks underneath the car may indicate a problem elsewhere in the cooling system, but you can perform a quick test to see if the more likely culprit is the head gasket. Remove the overflow cap and have a friend rev the engine. If you see air bubbles in the coolant when the engine revs, the problem is with your head gasket.
Rough Engine
If your head gasket is cracked, oil and coolant are able to get into places they should not be. As a result, the engine will start to sound and feel different than it normally does. Other symptoms present more quickly, but a rough-sounding engine will not improve on its own.
