Yes, but it isn’t a good idea! Your car will lose power almost immediately when the combustion pressure is lost. The primary function of the head gasket is to channel the engine coolant. If you keep driving with a cracked or blown gasket, your engine will overheat. This can cause the coolant to get into the cylinders mixing the engine oil and fuel, which will cause severe damage to your engine.
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How Long Should You Drive with a Blown Head Gasket?
The recommended amount of time you should drive with a blown or cracked gasket head is very short. A car rarely lasts a month and usually takes less time before you need expensive repairs or a replacement. Failing to get your head gasket repaired is usually expensive, depending on your cart’s year, make, and model.
Failed Head Gasket Signs
- Overheating (Causes damage to the cooling system, Failure of the radiator, Erosion of the hoses)
- Coolant in the oil (Causes corrosion which can damage the engine, radiator, and heater)
- Coolant Leak/ Excessive need for coolant (Can damage the catalytic converter)
- White exhaust smoke
- Milky-colored motor oil
- Engine Misfiring
Cost to Replace a Blown Head Gasket
All of these indicate a problem and should NOT be ignored. If you choose to keep driving your vehicle with any of these going on, you will end up paying some big bucks to replace or purchase a new motor or transmission, and we are talking about in the thousands. Although it will cost just as much to fix the Head Gasket, typically in the range of $1500- $3000!!
Quick Fixes for a Blown Head Gasket
However, there are some proven quick fixes that have been pretty successful thus far and recommended by certified mechanics, such as:
*These are, as I stated, quick fixes and should be utilized upon the first instance ANY of the symptoms above occur. But know that these will not get rid of the overall issue, which could resurface in three weeks or even three years. It is totally unpredictable and also depends on the severity of the damage to the Head Gasket.
Bottom Line? DO NOT IGNORE THE SIGNS!!!