Can riding brake cause blownhead gasket

Jan 31, 2004 3 Replies

My nephew have a habit on riding the brake with his left foot on the brake pedal. Suddenly the engine temp is reading at 3/4 on the gauge. Its 15 degrees outside. He is also smelling antifreeze. The car is a 89 New Yorker



3.0 engine. He also had a 87 T-Bird and blew the head gasket. Can riding the brakes contribute this problem? Thank you

Putting a drag on the engine will make the engine work harder. Working harder means more heat. An overheated engine will tend to boil out the coolant. No coolant = blown engine. I would think that the amount of gas vs. brake would have to be quite a lot. It's unlikely the trans would last more than a few miles before melting down.

Not only does this give a false indication of stopping to the guy behind him, it does contribute to loading and heating the engine. Bitch slap him and tell him to smarten up or we'll all come over and beat him senseless with the left leg we'll tear off.

You forgot to mention that the converter comes out of lockup every time you touch the brakes. I raised hell at my 16 year old son when I saw him doing that. I told him how he was effecting the trans and in turn he raised hell at his mom (he he) and I don't know about the rest of you, but I want my dimmer switch back on the floor where it belongs. I hate colum mounted dimmers.

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