Proper Care for Porsche Broken Head Bolts in Santa Barbara

12 Jan, 20

Head bolts hold the head gasket of your Porsche’s engine in place. When one of these essential bolts becomes loose or broken, it can lead to head gasket failure, which will bring with it a variety of new symptoms to diagnose and repair. Because of this, you should always know how to find a problem with your Porsche’s head bolts as well as the warning signs that tell you failure has occurred.

Function of the Head Bolts

Head bolts are essentially long, thick screws which are designed to seal your Porsche’s cylinder in place. There will be a variety of head bolts used in several places around the cylinder to ensure a tight seal has been made. The role of the head bolts is to keep your engine together through the rigors of high pressure and high speeds.

Signs of Broken or Damaged Head Bolts

As we’ve established, head bolts are essential for your Porsche’s performance. Because of this, oftentimes, you can tell when these head bolts have started to break down or loosen. If you notice any of the following signs, you need to act quickly to make sure you aren’t left dealing with head gasket failure and costly repairs.

Engine Misfires

Because a broken head bolt can lead to gasket failure, it can also contribute to causing misfires, as it allows coolant to mix with your engine oil. This contamination can cause misfires when starting your engine, leading to other problems.

Engine Overheats

Because the head bolts will lead to coolant leaks, your engine won’t be able to stay at the correct temperature and will likely overheat. You may not notice this issue when taking short trips at low speed, but should you start to drive more quickly or over longer distances, the issue will become more apparent and potentially catastrophic to your engine.

Oil Leaks

Your engine oil and your coolant will be allowed to mix freely when the tight seal of a head bolt creates is lost. While in some cases these leaks will happen internally, external leaks may also occur, which will leave dark brown stains on the ground beneath your car. In the case of head gasket issues, the oil that leaks will likely be tinged milky white due to being contaminated by coolant.

White Smoke Emissions

When the head gasket fails, the coolant is able to run rampant throughout the systems of your Porsche. You are likely to notice signs and symptoms of it getting into a variety of places. One such example that drivers experience is while smoke emissions from your exhaust pipe. This happens when the coolant makes it inside your engine’s combustion chamber where it is burned up. The white tinge to your emissions can be faint, and you may mistake it for steam on a cold day, so rely on your nose. If you smell a sweet smell from the emissions, then you have a good indication that you’re looking at burning coolant and not simply steam.

Do Not Ignore Broken Head Gasket Bolt Problems

When it comes to part failure, burying your head in the sand and hoping it’ll go away should never be your response. In the case of broken head bolts, the problems that your Porsche will face will only get worse as time progresses. The longer you leave it, the more likely you’ll need other parts of your Porsche fixed too, instead of just one pesky bolt.

Some of the future problems you might face could include radiator failure. Coolant leaks will cause the corrosion of your Porsche’s inner workings over time and will take a particular toll upon the radiator. When the radiator ultimately fails, your Porsche will continuously overheat and break down. Where replacing a head bolt is cheap, radiator replacement will cost thousands of dollars.

Engine failure may also occur if you ignore head bolt problems. Coolant corrosion will also eat away at your engine, creating the worse case scenario, which is engine failure. No one wants to undertake this cost, especially considering it could have been avoided with a visit to a trusted Porsche mechanic to fix the underlying issue.

Santa Barbara Autowerks

Santa Barbara Autoworks of Santa Barbara, CA are your one-stop shop when it comes to expert Porsche auto repair and servicing. Call us today or stop by to talk to one of our technicians about your questions and concerns. We look forward to becoming your trusted Porsche service center.