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Tech Tip: How Can You Tell if a Head Gasket is Leaking or Has Failed? Boston MA

Depending on the application and how much labor it requires, the repair bill might run $1,500 or more for parts and labor. The parts required to replace a head gasket include not only the head gasket itself, but also all the other gaskets that have to be replaced to disassemble the top of the engine.

Boston Neighborhoods

This page also contains providers and other information for the following Boston neighborhoods: Back Bay, South End, South Boston, Downtown, Charlestown and for the following zipcodes: 02129 02128 02113 02114 02108 02111 02210 02118 02127 02116 02115

Autozone
(617) 666-5416
160 Washington Street
Somerville, MA
Autozone
(781) 231-0024
1160 Broadway%2C %23 1
Saugus, MA
AutoZone
(617) 282-1515
756 Gallivan Blvd
Dorchester, MA
Autozone
(617) 787-3090
55 Brighton Ave
Allston, MA
Maaco Auto Body Shop and Collision Center
617-282-3400
1030 Morrisey Boulevard
Boston, MA
Autozone
(781) 396-6600
337 Mystic Avenue
Medford, MA
Autozone
(781) 848-5416
120 Ivory Street
Braintree, MA
Maaco Auto Body Shop and Collision Center
617-666-4882
444 Somerville Ave.
Somerville, MA
AutoZone
(617) 787-3090
55 Brighton Avenue
Allston, MA
Autozone
(617) 822-2271
1404 Dorchester Ave
Boston, MA
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Tech Tip: How Can You Tell if a Head Gasket is Leaking or Has Failed?

By Larry Carley   email
Technical Editor
November 10, 2009

The first symptoms of a head gasket that is failing are usually a slow loss of coolant with no visible leaks, engine overheating and/or a Check Engine light with cylinder misfire codes.

The first symptoms of a head gasket that is failing are usually a slow loss of coolant with no visible leaks, engine overheating and/or a Check Engine light with cylinder misfire codes.

The Onboard Diagnostic II system should detect any misfires that occur due to a loss of compression or spark plugs fouled by coolant seeping into a combustion chamber. So if a vehicle has a Check Engine light on and a cylinder misfire code, the spark plug in that cylinder should be removed and inspected for coolant fouling. A compression or leak down test should also be done to see if the cylinder is losing compression. Internal coolant leaks caused by a leaky head gasket can usually be diagnosed by pressure testing the cooling system.

Regardless of the cause, a head gasket failure is bad news for the vehicle owner.

Depending on the application and how much labor it requires, the repair bill might run $1,500 or more for parts and labor. The parts required to replace a head gasket include not only the head gasket itself, but also all the other gaskets that have to be replaced to disassemble the top of the engine. This includes the intake and exhaust manifold gaskets, too, plus new cylinder head bolts if the applicat...

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