Cylinder-Head Repairs in Tyne and Wear

The cylinder head bolts onto the top of the engine block. It holds the valves, the passages for air and exhaust gas, and channels for coolant and oil, and it seals against high heat and pressure with a gasket and tightly torqued bolts.

Head work is usually a consequence of something else, most often overheating. A head can warp or crack when an engine runs hot, and the damage may not show until the engine is stripped.

Signs the head may be damaged

These look like head gasket problems, because the gasket fails first. A damaged head will not be cured by a new gasket alone, so diagnosis matters before anything is taken apart.

If the temperature gauge climbs or a warning light comes on, stop driving as soon as it is safe. Carrying on is how a repairable head becomes a scrap one.

• Coolant disappearing with no visible leak
• White smoke that smells sweet
• Milky deposits under the oil filler cap
• Bubbles in the coolant expansion tank
• Misfiring or loss of power

What the work involves

At Banks of the Tyne in Hebburn the head is removed, cleaned and checked, not simply refitted. It is measured for flatness, inspected for cracks and pressure tested where there is doubt. Valves, seats and guides are checked for wear.

Skimming a warped head or refacing valves is specialist machining that may be done off site. A sound head goes back with a new gasket and the correct bolts; many makers specify bolts that must be renewed, so we follow the procedure for your engine.

What decides the outcome and the cost

The biggest factor is what inspection finds. A flat, uncracked head needs far less than one with cracks or damaged seats, and some cracks cannot be repaired safely. Access also matters, as does whether the timing belt or chain needs attention while it is apart.

We explain the estimate once we have seen the damage. Repair is never certain until the head has been inspected.

• Extent of cracking or warping
• Condition of valves and seats
• How much must come off
• Machining needed

Alternatives and when to stop

If the head is beyond repair, the options are a replacement head or, where the block is also damaged, a wider engine repair or replacement. On an older car we will say plainly if the work no longer makes sense.

Tell us when symptoms began and whether the engine overheated. Do not keep topping up and driving.