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Reusing Headgaskets
See post #9 (stevebfl) in this thread.
..but read the first post very carefully, first. And this exchange I found online by race engine rebuilders. http://yarchive.net/car/head_gasket_reuse.html " From: Dave Baker Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech Date: 25 May 2002 11:52:50 GMT Subject: Re: Stupid question, but I gotta know... Message-ID: <20020525075250.05334.00000421@mb-mm.aol.com> >From: "Edgar Montrose" edgarmontrose@techie.com_nospam > >Yep, they're trash now. Once the fire ring has been crushed, it can't be used >again. Nonsense - If the engine hasn't been run and the gasket isn't damaged in an way then torqueing it back up again puts it into exactly the same state as it is now. The fact that the fire ring has been crushed is neither here nor there. It isn't being crushed any further second time round. The only reason not to resuse a head gasket after running the engine is because they are usually coated with lacquer that melts to seal imperfections and then comes away as it sticks to the head or block when you strip the engine. However there are plenty of non coated gasket types that are quite happy being reused even after the engine has been run. The high performance metal layer gaskets you can buy for VW Golf engines for example - I think they were std on the G60 supercharged engine. We used to reuse those time and time again on race engines. Dave Baker Puma Race Engines (www.pumaracing.co.uk) From: Dave Baker Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech Date: 25 May 2002 13:13:40 GMT Subject: Re: Stupid question, but I gotta know... Message-ID: <20020525091340.03037.00000707@mb-da.aol.com> >From: Dean Dardwin dd@dxd.com > >Dave, > >Nonsense yourself. I can see you don't install many Fel-Pro gaskets! >They come with a set of installation tips. For this type gasket, reuse >is forbidden. 1) You can be damn sure any manufacturer is going to cover their arse about installation procedures, especially somewhere as litigation prone as America. It also helps gasket sales no doubt ! It's a bit like Peugeot specifying that you cannot skim their cylinder heads by more than a few thou and they even list a slightly thicker gasket for skimmed heads. But the heads can be skimmed by 60 thou without the slightest hint of a problem and for race engines that's exactly what you do to get the compression ratio right. In fact if everything a manufacturer said was gospel then no one would modify any engine in any way because supposedly the manufacturer would have got it perfect to start with. On many modern engines you aren't even supposed to recut the valve seats if you believe the official word. You're meant to throw the cylinder head away and buy a new one. Yeah right. 2) Reuse after the engine has been run is not the same as reuse just because the head has been clamped down once. Composite type gaskets like OE stuff and Felpro quite often leave half of themselves stuck to the head and block when you take an old one off and of course you can't reuse them if they are in multiple pieces. I repeat - if the gasket hasn't yet been exposed to temperature and is not damaged in any way then clamping it back down to the original torque puts it into exactly the same state as it was to start with. That's just engineering common sense. Sadly common sense isn't a common commodity I find these days. If you think you can tell me how applying the same torque twice changes anything then I'll be fascinated to hear your reasoning. Dave Baker Puma Race Engines (www.pumaracing.co.uk)" Last edited by jt20; 02-07-2010 at 01:28 PM. |
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aaaand...
I also received this response from Clevite / Mahle / Victor Reinz: http://engineparts.com/inquiry.asp?m=10165&uid=2514851 |
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Down here in Tennessee.
Down here we are poor as dirt.But Southern sense tells us to do a job right.Never reuse a gasket unless you like being broke down.Criminals like stranded motorist.
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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran |
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Answer
There is only one time where it is theoretically possible to re-use a head gasket.
* Clean all mating surfaces, how to clean cylinder head surface, how to clean cylinder block surface * A new gasket has just been installed. * It has been torqued to the two pre-load levels, NOT the final angle setting. * The engine has not been run, (some people fail to angle torque the head bolts, run and blow the new gasket). If the gasket has been fully torqued = it can not be removed and re-used. Once the engine has been run, the bolts can be re-torqued, but the gasket can never be used again. FYI general web data: how to torque a cylinder head http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us&q=how+to+torque+a+cylinder+head&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&oq= Have a great day.
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ASE Master Mechanic asemastermechanic@juno.com Prototype R&D/testing: Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH). Dynamometer. Heat exchanger durability. HV-A/C Climate Control. Vehicle build. Fleet Durability Technical Quality Auditor. Automotive Technical Writer 1985 300SD 1983 300D 1984 190D 2003 Volvo V70 2002 Honda Civic https://www.boldegoist.com/ |
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Good catch, Roy... I just read read the first post of that thread again.
I certainly did NOT realize the head in question was not fully torqued yet. I may change my mind after inspecting the gasket. This changes things... thank you. |
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