An engine’s head gasket is a rather important piece of any engine’s hardware. The head gasket sits between the engine block and the cylinder heads. This gasket has a critical function: to seal the combustion gasses within the cylinders, while preventing coolant or oil from leaking into them. Leaks of this nature can cause poor engine performance and eventual overheating. It’s important to sort out a faulty gasket as soon as you can, so here are the five main steps in the head gasket repair process:
1: Removing the head gasket
Any serious engine repair or refurbishment project starts with some engine dismantling. To get to the head gasket, a mechanic will carefully deconstruct the engine until having access. Then it’s a case of carefully lifting the gasket, taking care not to bend or buckle it.
2: Ultrasonic cleaning
The next step involves giving the head a thorough cleaning. We’re not talking about your average soapy cloth wipe down here. Using an ultrasonic cleaning machine, automotive machinists can remove all debris and dirt from the gasket surface, revealing its condition.
3: Checking for flatness
Phase three involves checking the cylinder head for ‘flatness’ or if it has become overly warped. A warped cylinder head is bad news and indicates that something is out of specification. In some cases, this might be the point a call is made to replace the head. But, if it’s still salvageable, your automotive machinist will move forward with the repairs to the cylinder head.
4: Preparing the surface layer
It’s not just the head repair that is required to extend the life of your engine. What about the surfaces it comes into contact with? Part of the cylinder head repair process is to ensure that where the head gasket sits there are no potential dangers that could cause further damage to it.
5: Repositioning and installing
The final leg of a head repair process is to reposition and install the newly cleaned, refurbished cylinder head. An automotive machinist will use an accurate bolt tightening sequence. Then all that’s left is to reconstruct the engine and test it to see if the gasket-related issues are still present.
We can repair and refurbish any engine
Eagleharm Engineering is a family-run engine repair and refurbishment workshop that has been in operation for over 50 years. We have the equipment needed for actioning repairs and rebuilding any engine, from small automobile engines to huge earth-moving equipment engines and everything in-between. Contact Ryan or Todd Harmsworth, owners of Eagleharm Engineering, to have your engine booked in.