jon burrows Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I've attached a picture of my replacement head gasket for my MK2 Vitesse. The gasket material is approx 50 thou but areas with metal work around and between the cylinders are about 62 thou. The faces of my block and cylinder head are flat with no recesses for the thicker bits. Have I got the wrong gasket? Would my head have originally had the required recesses? If it is the correct one how will it seal the water and oil ways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon burrows Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Sorry, I should add that I put it all together and torqued the head down correctly, but as soon as the coolant (water) went in, without any heat or compression etc. it began to weep from the gasket joint. I've pulled it apart and there is no debris to foul the seal. The head gasket was fine prior to the strip so I'd be surprised if the head is warped, just wondered whether normal torque pressure is supposed to overcome the 12 thou difference in the level of the gasket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 There are two gaskets.The earlier one is for the flat block, which is what your car would have had and presumably still does if you can't see circular machined recesses about 1mm deep around the bores in the block.The later one is for recessed blocks and is identical apart from the fire-rings around the bores being thicker to fill the recesses. These gaskets are identified by having a tab on the narrow rear edge which sticks out from the head/block joint enabling it to be seen with the engine assembled.If a fire-ringed gasket is fitted with a flat block then you get good compressions, but oil and water going everywhere as the fire-rings don't compress enough to allow the rest of the gasket to seal. If the error is made in the opposite direction then you don't get much compression and if the engine runs at all it soon stops as the gasket fails between cylinders and into the water jacket.Sounds like you have the fire-ringed gasket with flat block. The correct gasket will sort it.CheersNick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon burrows Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Cheers Nick. Thanks for your help. Since I posted I've dug out the packaging for the gasket kit from the and it says 'unrecessed'. Also there is no tab on the end as you describe, but I can't see how the gasket will seal the oil and water in. Maybe a bit of Hylomar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 No tab should be pretty definitive. Is that pic taken after it was fitted and removed? It looks very uncompressed......The fire rings should squash under the pressure of the clamping nuts as as 12 x 65 lb/ft is a fair old tonnage. Are you using the original studs, nuts and washers? I ask just in case you are using new and the studs are too long so the nuts are bottoming before the head is properly clamped.Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon burrows Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Yes, but of course it's actuallly x 14! I have reused studs and nuts and all the studs were sunk to the bottom. My measurements and the picture were taken after it was fitted albeit briefly. Torquing done was to 65lb. I got the kit from MEV Spares on ebay. I'll give them a call tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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