8 Symptoms of a Cracked Engine Block
Do you think the engine block in your car might be cracked? What signs might point to an engine block crack?
Unfortunately, broken engine blocks are uncommon but typically provide some challenging circumstances. By carefully maintaining your car at all times, you wish to avoid it at all costs.
If your car overheats frequently, search online for car garages in Reading and make an appointment with a mechanic to identify and resolve the problem. A broken engine block will show signs of overheating, poor performance, leaks of coolant and oil, and indications of these fluids combining.
What should you do if you discover or believe that your car has an engine block crack? Is it safe and will it affect performance in any way?
This page provides answers to each of these queries. Without saying more, let’s get started.
Notably, only because you experience one of these signs does not imply that your engine block is cracked. There may be additional underlying factors, which are typically more likely. Because of this, you should leave the examination and repairs to a qualified technician. To do this, look online for garages in Reading and make an appointment as soon as you detect anything unusual while driving your car.
As already stated, cracked engine blocks most often result from overheating. Fortunately, the dashboard warning gauge makes it easy to detect overheating.
Here are a few things to be on the lookout for, especially overheating.
Keep in mind that while they might, these symptoms independently do not always point to a broken engine block. The in-person analysis of your problem by an experienced mechanic is incomparable to anything you can find online.
If you experience any of these signs, take it cautiously to the nearest car service and repair garage. If at all feasible, have a mechanic come to your house or place of business:
1. Overheating — The coolant temperature sensor is attached to the engine temperature monitor on your dashboard (CTS or ECTS). Always be sure to pay attention to it when driving. The needle shouldn’t typically indicate a temperature increase until the engine has had a chance to warm up. In the heat, it might just take a few minutes. It can require ten minutes of travel time during a hard winter. The majority of engines operate between 85 and 100 °C. On the gauge, anything that is deemed “too hot” for your engine will be displayed in red.Your engine is overheating if you see the needle beginning to move toward this spot. Stop the car and turn off the engine to let it cool. The main causes of engine overheating are the head gasket, coolant, and oil. According to the internet service “check MOT history,” overheating is a typical cause of a car failing the emissions test during a MOT.
2. Issues With Coolant — Coolant can leak from a number of places in the system, with rubber hoses, clamps, the water pump, and the radiator being some of the most prevalent. Additionally, leaks could develop through fractures or within the engine block. When the engine is cold, check the header tank to see if the coolant level is low and top it off with the appropriate coolant. Check to see if the temperature is still rising after your next car run. If it does, there is a more serious issue at hand.
3. Low Oil Levels or Dirty Oil — Engine oil is responsible for lubricating the metal components. This maintains them friction-free and stops them from producing heat through friction. As a result, none of the pertinent components ought to enlarge beyond what is reasonable. The interior of the engine block will become overheated if the oil level is too low. On the coolant temperature gauge, this will be visible. It is advised to check MOT status and have this problem fixed because a vehicle with low or dirty engine oil will fail the emissions test. Pull over and check the oil levels if your engine begins to overheat. A top-up may be required. It is usually a good idea to keep extra oil on you at all times. The same goes for oil, which accumulates contaminants from the engine over time by absorbing carbon and other impurities. It will eventually solidify into sludge, preventing the lubricant from flowing. Regular oil and filter changes, at least once a year or every 10,000 miles, can help you avoid this. Sludge is also resisted by high mileage and entirely synthetic oil.
4. Head Gasket Issues — If your vehicle starts to overheat, it may also have a blown head gasket and a broken engine block. You’ll likely experience poor performance, a Check Engine light, Limp mode, and oil and coolant mixing if your head gasket blows. In other words, you’ll either see oil in the coolant or an object that resembles milk in the oil. This is a sign of a fractured engine block as well.Because the gasket no longer restricts the liquid flow to their respective channels, oil and coolant mingle. As they pass between the block and the head, they are free to splash around and land in the wrong spots. Similar to a break in the block, a burst head gasket is most usually a by-product of excessive heating. The two can occur separately from one another (and usually do). However, it’s important to make sure you don’t also have a fractured block if a mechanic determines that you have a burst head gasket.
5. Oil and Coolant Mixing — If an engine block fracture occurs in a channel that carries either oil or coolant, the two substances may begin to mix at that time. You might initially be unaware of any performance impairment, but it will only get worse. The key distinction between the signs of a broken engine block and a blown head gasket is this.
6. Oil or Coolant Leaks — Your car could cause a little or significant puddle to appear. It’s never a good sign if the fluid is coolant or oil. The most likely place for an oil leak is at the oil filter or drain plug. It might, however, originate from any location where oil flows. This might refer to a channel located inside the cylinder block. Similarly, coolant leaks could occur from anyplace. The channels in the engine block might be included in this. However, a fractured rubber hose or the radiator are more likely sources than other places.
7. Smoke from Under the Bonnet — Oil spilling onto a heated component could occur if it leaks from an engine block crack that is higher up. Smoke from this would be greasy and blue in colour. Don’t open your bonnet if you see smoke coming from underneath! Turn off the engine and wait, if you can get a hold of an extinguisher. Examine the problem’s root when the smoke ultimately goes away (which, ideally, it will do when the vehicle cools without catching on fire). You might determine that the oil comes from an engine block that is fractured.
8. Poor Performance — The engine won’t function properly if it overheats and has low amounts of coolant and oil. If the issue is really bad, it can potentially enter Limp mode. For comparison, a cylinder wall crack within the engine block would undoubtedly result in poor performance, Limp mode, and a Check Engine light and among other symptoms. A compression test can be used to check (or solve) this issue.
