One of the most common repairs we address at DCE involves repair of cylinder heads. Besides the main combustion chamber, the engine contains the classic cylinders with a head that houses valves, springs, and lifters. The function of the cylinder head consists of controlling flow of oxygen and fuel into the combustion vehicle engine and exhaust gases out. Also, without a functioning cylinder head, coolant cannot get into the engine block to cool the engine mechanisms. A cracked or broken cylinder head will make itself apparent with the following issues:
Porsche engine cylinder heads passing through our shop this summer
The most common sign of a damaged or aging cylinder head is overheating. Coolant cannot pass through the cracked cylinder head so the components get more and more hot until they begin to distort within the engine. One way to prevent this from happening is to make sure your radiator is full and in good condition.
Poor engine performance can be identified by needing to restart your vehicle more frequently and is a sign your cylinder head needs to be replaced. This happens because a damaged head cannot burn fuel efficiently.
A cracked cylinder head will leak oil. Your vehicle will notify you of the leak. Because there could be multiple causes for an oil leak, you can check to see if there is any evidence of oil around the cylinder head on the engine.
If your coolant level drops, it most likely is because the cylinder head is cracked. This must be addressed right away because without coolant in your engine, overheating will happen quickly, causing even more extensive warping and damage.
The most obvious sign that your cylinder head is damaged in a severe way is smoke coming from the exhaust of the vehicle. If this problem is not addressed very quickly, there will be further damage to the vehicle’s engine. On performance vehicles this is not a risk you want to take.
With over 40 years of experience on all kinds of engines, but notably high performance and racing engines, we have seen it all. Cylinder head repairs range far and wide, but any damage to the cylinder head means strain and stress on the engine itself. A repair to the head will often save the engine. Contact us for custom solutions and repairs today!