Head Gasket Repair - Get an online auto repair estimate

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The head gasket is situated between the flat surfaces of the cylinder head and the engine block. The head gasket can consist of a composite material, a multi-layer metal "sandwich" design, or a one-piece, copper-like material.

The head gasket is critical—it must contain intense combustion pressure and temperature, extremely hot engine coolant, and equally hot engine oil under pressure. The head gasket must prevent both internal and external leakage. The clamping force applied to the head gasket is extreme by design—the cylinder head and engine block must be flat and true. In addition, the cylinder head bolts must be correctly installed or "torqued" as specified. An "inline" engine design requires one head gasket. "V" and flat engine designs require two head gaskets.