The quick answer? No! A blown head gasket is a major problem for any engine, and one that costs quite a bit to fix mechanically. The head gasket is responsible for creating a seal between your engine block (the lower portion that houses the cylinders) and the head (the upper portion that contains the valves). Your head gasket also acts to channel engine coolant to keep your engine cool during operation. A blown or cracked head gasket can cause one of two problems:

• It can allow coolant to escape from your engine. The result is a loss in coolant, which can lead to overheating of your engine if you drive it for any length of time. Hot escaping coolant can also cause burns if you’re checking under the hood and can also start a fire, which is why a blown head gasket needs to be treated quickly.

• It can allow coolant to enter your cylinders. If coolant is mixed in with your engine oil and fuel, the result is the characteristic white smoke you see coming from the tailpipe of a car with a blown head gasket. Too much coolant in your cylinders can lead to severe engine damage quickly, as it keeps your engine oil from lubricating properly.

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It’s easy to assume that engine oil leaks will be more prevalent when the engine is running. When an engine is running, oil pressure increases, which makes it more likely that engine oil will leak. Quite often, however, we can see engine oil leaks that occur when a vehicle is parked and the engine is cold. Here’s why. Read More

Depending on the cause and location of an engine oil leak, you may not detect it all the time. Sometimes an oil leak will only present itself when you’re parked on an incline. Even if this kind of leak doesn’t appear all the time, you need to take action once you notice it. Any engine oil leak means you’re losing oil and you risk running your engine without enough oil for lubrication and cooling. Oil leaks are bad, and we’ve seen what happens when they’re ignored for too long. Hint: nothing good. Read More

Power steering fluid leaks are relatively common on older cars. Power steering leaks often start small and only occur when you’re driving your car, so they’re often difficult to detect. You don’t always get a noticeable puddle on your garage floor like you do with other automotive fluid leaks, which is why it’s important to check your power steering fluid level on a regular basis and watch for a drop in the fluid level.

But aside from puddles and other visual evidence that something is wrong with your power steering system, there are some telltale signs that you have a power steering fluid leak: Read More

Stopping a transmission leak sounds like a complicated task. Many car owners think that a transmission fluid leak automatically means an expensive and costly visit to the mechanic. Thankfully, there’s a much faster and more affordable solution. At Bar’s Leak, we offer a range of industry-proven transmission leak repair products that are designed to make quick work of stopping your transmission fluid leaks, so you can get back on the road. We know – we’ve been in the leak business for over 70 years.

Transmission leaks can come from several places:

• Leaking gaskets or seals (including transmission fluid pan)
• Transmission cooler or cooling line leaks
• A hole or puncture in your transmission casing

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