ACL Cylinder Head Gasket - BW620MT

ACL Cylinder Head Gasket

With a rich pedigree in motorsport as well as constant research and development, ACL produce a range of cylinder head gaskets that live up to this well earned reputation. Utilising the highest quality materials as well as world class production techniques help create a cylinder head gasket that will handle the high demands of today's lightweight and compact engines. With superior sealing and OEM standard fitment you can be assured of having the right head gasket for the job when it comes time to replace.

Most metal on metal components in a vehicle's engine require the sealing capabilities of a gasket to ensure a tight fit between parts. In the case of the engine block and cylinder head these commonly use a metal head gasket to keep engine compression in the cylinders and coolant and oil in their required fluid galleries. A head gasket can therefore fail for several reasons whether through age, overheating or the rate of expansion between components. When this happens it can be seen and shown in a variety of ways and here are some of the tell-tale signs you may be able to diagnose a blown head gasket.

• Power loss - With a loss of engine compression in the cylinders this can be shown as a vehicle that is sluggish or runs rough at idle
• Oil Contamination - This can become evident through a milky residue that accumulates beneath the oil filler cap and is produced when coolant is mixed with oil.
• Overheating - When coolant leaks past the head gasket into the cylinders this will cause an engine to overheat due to low coolant levels and can be displayed as not just running hot on the vehicles temperature gauge but as steam out the exhaust or sometimes bubbles in the coolant when the radiator cap is removed.
• White or blue smoke - The presence of white smoke from your cars exhaust can indicate coolant being burnt and in cases where oil is being burnt this will show as blue smoke that is more pronounced when taking off from the lights or under engine load.

Once you have possibly figured out your issue, replacing a head gasket is usually a job for a qualified mechanic due to the complexity of many modern engines however, if you are a competent DIYer with the requisite tools this task can be undertaken at home. When replacing a cylinder head gasket, ensure that you are also replacing the head bolts, as many modern vehicles utilise torque-to-yield bolts which are designed to stretch as torque is applied, meaning that they can only be used once. Replace your head bolts to ensure that you don't suffer from premature cylinder head gasket failure. Other ancillaries such as the water pump should also be changed if inaccessible without major work.

Repco also stock a wide range of torque wrenches to ensure that all bolts and components are torqued to the require specifications, ensuring a tight seal of your head gasket and to get you back on the road.

Use our handy Rego search function to find the right head gasket for your vehicle and fix the issue properly before any further damage occurs. When it comes to keeping your car on the road it starts with the parts at Repco.