Blowing the head gasket in your MINI Cooper’s engine is devastating. This is serious damage that takes rebuilding a part of the engine to repair it. Do not worry; we can do that here at our shop. The important thing is to have the MINI towed to our shop so you do not damage the engine further. The blown head gasket creates a ton of damaging problems that can wreak havoc on the engine.
Low Coolant Level
The head gasket is the seal above the cylinder block or combustion chamber. This gasket keeps the coolant and motor oil out of the cylinders. A blown head gasket is a cracked head gasket. Consequently, the seal is broken and coolant is free to leak into the cylinders. This reduces the coolant level in the cooling system. The motor oil is also free to leak into the cylinders, which reduces the motor oil circulating through your MINI Cooper’s engine.
Overheating Engine
It makes sense that your MINI is going to start to overheat. In fact, there’s no way to avoid this. The MINI will not have enough coolant or motor oil in the engine to keep the temperature below 220 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the crack in the head gasket will release the heat that is trapped inside the combustion chamber.
Consequently, the MINI’s engine will get too hot and remain too hot until you turn it off and allow it to cool. The engine’s temperature can rupture the radiator cap, leaving you with boiling coolant spraying all over the place. This is why we seriously recommend that you avoid driving your MINI until the head gasket is replaced.
White Exhaust Smoke
In addition to the above problems, the MINI will start to release white exhaust smoke out of the tailpipe. The color of the exhaust smoke could also be blue. As we mentioned above, the coolant and motor oil will leak into the cylinders. Once they are in the cylinders, they will burn away with the fuel and air. Consequently, they will create white or blue exhaust, respectively.
Milky/Diluted Oil
Finally, if you check your motor oil after the head gasket has cracked, you will see that it looks milky. This is a sign that coolant is mixing with the motor oil. Consequently, the diluted mixture could damage your MINI’s engine further if it circulates through it.
Again, we can help. Call us today to set up a service visit for your MINI Cooper.
