Head Gasket

Nearly all the fuel injectors are at the head of the engine, at the intake manifold that was located near the intake valve. The intake manifold is located nearer to the dashboard, in the middle of the car.

The head gasket is installed as an protection from leakage into the cylinders to the engine fluids. Of the most critical components is the head gasket for the combustion chamber. The head gasket also blocks the oil and water pipes as a barrier to the cylinder.

A head gasket must screen the oil ways between the head and block to allow the oil to flow freely within the engine. It also has to do the same with waterways to allow coolants to flow freely around the engine, too. However, it must also seal the cylinder to prevent the engine from losing compression which makes the head gasket different from any other gasket. There is a piston inside an engine, going up and down in a circle. The cylinder head is above the cylinder, which allows the fuel and air to be combusted in and the exhaust gases to leave through inlet and exhaust valves. If the piston rises on compression strokes, the air / fuel mixture will escape, causing a lack of friction between the cylindrical head and the cylinder without sufficient sealage. The head gasket contains steel rings, known as fire rings, forming a strong seal around the cylinder's rim. As the cylindrical head is pushed against the engine base, these are essentially smashed to have a shield that matches the high temperatures and pressure. That's why you always have to lock with the head bolts to the correct torque levels: you can compress too tightly and the gasket will be crushed too much to form the correct seal, and it won't seal enough.

The head gasket is a ringed panel in between the automotive engine head and engine block. Due to its location between hot and cold engine components, the head gasket experiences various temperatures, from high temperatures of the combustion chamber to the sometimes cold temperature of the cooling system. Finally, the head gasket can bear marks across the surface, as the temperature changes take their toll over time.