Head Gasket #3
 

I found this color liquid in a couple cylinders today.


Ever since I did my head gasket last September, the cooling system has run at a higher temperature than normal, from minimal to excessive, due to a broken plastic heater hose connector, a leaking water outlet, a bad coolant tank/cap. But the Cometic gasket may have been leaking all along, ever since the install, working its way up until the point where I have a puddle of coolant in cylinder 2, and minimal amounts in 1 and 3.

Now it may be that other small things breaking making my car run at high temperatures caused the head gasket seal to fail. I can't be absolutely sure, as referenced in my Head Gasket #2 thread, quite a few people have torqued their heads to around 85 ft-lb with Cometics without issue.

When it's put back together, the water outlet leak, my intake manifold vacuum/boost leak will be all solved, so everything should be perfectly buttoned up in my car. What I need to know are suggestions for what gasket I should use...

• Cometic steel, head torqued to only a little above the stock spec of 40 ft-lb
• Cometic steel, head torqued to 80 ft-lb
• GM composite/fiber (torqued to _?_ )

Now the Fel-Pro blew with stock bolts on a small turbo. The GM blew with studs on the GT3076R, all the main studs were torqued to 75 ft-lb, although the small ones near cyl 1 were torqued to the stock spec of 40 ft-lb. The Cometic leaks at 88 ft-lb on studs.

This effing sucks.

Doesn't the Cometic head gasket require special block prep to seal correctly?
40RA rings a bell.

Yes... the head was prepped to a perfect finish, but how do you suggest I prep the block, in-car? I simply used a mildly abrasive pad and brake cleaner and got it to be as smooth as I thought I could. Most people and the shop that did my head recommended using copper spray on the gasket. In fact that's how a lot of people got their Cometics to seal.

Should I re-use this gasket? Should I order a new Cometic and use copper spray? Or should I use the GM one, torqued to like 65-70 ft-lb? That's where I'm at.

I would probably call Cometic to see what they recommend.
I don't know what you'd use to get an acceptable surface RA in-car, but I don't think a Scotch-Brite pad will cut the mustard.

Ya that's what I used, takes off the old material very well.

I remember now that I read the other thread:

That the GM one still blew on this turbo even though it was torqued high. Although the small studs around Cyl one (which failed) were torqued far less... which could've led to that failure. So I'm iffy to trust a GM one with everything at 75, because I can't be sure it failed solely due to me weakly torquing those small 2 studs or because it's a composite/fiber gasket in general.

So I'll probably use a Cometic (probably new... doubt I can trust this used one, especially since it failed, although Cometic claims they are re-usable. I guess it depends on how it failed, I'll have to look) I'm going to use copper spray for sure. The question is, what torque spec to use..

I'll have to look at the gasket, but I assume it either failed by seeping through the multi-layers, or that my excessive torquing flattened the embossed areas of the gasket, allowing coolant to go by with ease. I'm pretty sure Cometic recommended someone against going beyond 60 ft-lb on their LD9...

What I did to my l67 with the cometic I used the copper spray and the recommendec torque was 90lbs... you have to use copper spray, but per the instructions... and you can't reuse the gasket..... gotta order a new one and what are the stock specs fot the studs/bolt maybe better get new if they are stretched

They're ARP studs, they won't be a problem. I posted on J-Body to see what the recommended torque I should use is.

Ordering a new Cometic tomorrow.

Hondabond

/thread

Haha jk man I would have the block reprepped also have you checked that the deck hasnt warped? I would check thats its level all across.

X2 it's obvious that you have to check the block deck for warp with a straight edge even if the block is not alumimium.... and the head too... personally I would get the head resurfaced again...

Should I start a pool on when you're going to be doing head gasket #4 :lol:

Really man, IDK why you rush these jobs so much. The end result isn't fun

The last one took 3 weeks to do, I don't consider that rushing. I had the head prepped perfectly, the block was done the best you can in-car. It's a matter of using the right gasket, using or not using copper spray, and having the ideal head torque.

So I'm ordering another Cometic and using copper spray. The only other variable to determine is what to torque the head to. I will find out when I take the head off and look at the existing gasket to see if the embossed areas are flattened, if so, I'll torque everything to 55 or so instead of 85-90 like the three successful mid-high boosted guys have.

I've never used it on a head gasket (only HGs I've done have been on stock motors). The copper spray is definitely FTMFW!

what is "copper spray"?

copper spray, cometic gasket, arp studs, torque the bitch to 85-90..... and torque everything down gradually in a series.

Yep I'll be using 3 steps to 85 ft-lb as recommended by ARP and countless others. Last time I used like 6 steps, and not as much lube as I should've. And I'll be using spray as recommended by every single performance shop there is and every person who's ever used an MLS gasket...

So I got it nearly down to the head gasket yesterday, all that's left to take off are the cam towers and turbocharger, very easy.

But I got a call from my friend today saying I might want to move my car out of the parking lot. His $3,000 car trailer was stolen last night. So even though my car doesn't run, now they have a trailer to take it away on... I personally don't think pulling my car back to my house is reasonably feasible.

Suggestions? Should I just make it as hard as possible to move? All ends on jack stands, no wheels? I don't feel like camping out every night until it's driveable...

go to a local p.d. and let them know that your friends trailer just got stolen cuz im pretty sure if it did he wouldve told them n they would know and u can let them know you are doing something and need the car to stay there til you are down and have them patrol it every once in a while or something since they would want to catch the criminals to help the stolen trailer case anyways. Your car is like perfect bait.

You don't have a hidden battery kill switch? You should have one for the track anyways.....