What gasket should I use?

[al 350i]

Just picked up a 2004 mgtf that had suspected snapped cam-belt, stripped down engine today and the Cam-belt is in tact but I believe it has jumped! Needless to say that most of the 16valves are bugged.

The car is the 135bhp version and has only done 19k, possible special edition as it has bigger brakes and
Wheels from 160 model. The problem I have is what gasket set should I use, the old gasket was in good condition and no signs of blowing, the car didn't over heat so don't suspect head to be warped! Should I fit an oem or a multilayered one? Will be using new bolts, water pump, thermostat, belt and tensioner.

[Ex X Power]

Use a multi Layer one from a recognised supplier such as FAI, You'll never need to touch it again then, does this car have the remote thermostat? If not i'd recomend drilling a 2mm hole in the plate of the current one, this just allows the water to bleed through that little bit more and helps aleviate thermal shocking.

Why did the old belt jump? Failed tensioner?

[SMGB]

The 2mm hole is not recommended now I have heard that it makes for a very slow warm up and engine wear
Locally here both specialists, Summit Maidenhead and MGRS have gone back to the later MG gasket after trying the MLS and having some failures. If the gasket is good and the engine hasnt overheated you should be fine. I know some people love the Ford gasket/oil rail fix. You can akways post on the MGF forum
http://www.mgfregister.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=8
Where you will get some input from people with a lot more knowledge than me,

[Ex X Power]

The Ford/Land Rover fix is the MLS gasket

As for the 2mm hole it works fine, sure it does slow warm up very slightly but it doenst accelerate wear, You only get a problem when people go overboard with the holes or remove the stat completely.

I run a fleet of ZR race cars with engine worth over £6k so I wouldnt do anything to jeopordise these and have done over 100 Headgasket changes, Not one has come back yet

[al 350i]

no tensioner didn't fail either but timing was out by almost 180 degrees, apart from valves the only other damage was the exhaust cam pulley had slight damage where the roll pin goes and very slight marks on 2 pistons. there was no obvious damage to belt either, will replace cam pulley a go for multilayered gasket, was worried that it would increase height of head!

i take it we're talking about a small hole being drilled in the thermostat body plate?

[al 350i]

what about valves? where is best place to get them, are any difference?

[al 350i]

quick question! i bought a fai gasket set and it came with 3 head gaskets, 2 joined together and one flat one, should the flat one go on top of the other 2?

[Ex X Power]

Should say in the instructions that come with it, but yes, thick one first with the thinner saver shim on top with the black side facing upwards

[al 350i]

instructions talked about everything but that bit!!!!

but figured that was they way it went! cheers

[Mr2Mike]

The MLS gaskets work well provided the liner heights are correct (liner height above deck should be 0.05mm to 0.15mm with maximum 0.05mm variation between adjacent liners). If the liner heights are outside tolerance then it's possible to shim the liners or use a quality elastomer gasket which will provide more reliable service than the MLS with bad liner heights.

[chris watton]

I am about to use waterless coolant after I've had my head ported and polished - this should suit the convoluted cooling system of the F better as there's no pressure.

I am sure the MLS gasket is standard now - there is also a 'Peyton' gasket, what's the difference?

[al 350i]

i've seen this waterless coolant too and my other cars are TVR's, which to be honest aren't exactly known for their ability to stay cool. i'd like to know peoples thought on it?

[chris watton]

al 350i said:

i've seen this waterless coolant too and my other cars are TVR's, which to be honest aren't exactly known for their ability to stay cool. i'd like to know peoples thought on it?

I have done a bit of 'research' on this, and the thoughts are quite positive - the only down side is cost. However, I ended up paying over £1600 (HG had to be done twice, as the first garage didn't skim the head enough), because of a £5 coolant cap failing. No pressure in the system at least means that this couldn't happen again. Plus, it is not water, so no rusty sludge in the engine (if properly cleaned out prior to adding the Evans coolant). it also (apparently) puts 75% less stress on the cooling system. I think it is worth the investment, especially if you need to change the collant anyway.

ETA - Oh yes, I was also told that there's less chance of the head warping, too, as the boiling point is 180 degrees (never gets that hot).

Edited by chris watton on Wednesday 5th December 13:37

[Mr2Mike]

chris watton said:

I am about to use waterless coolant after I've had my head ported and polished - this should suit the convoluted cooling system of the F better as there's no pressure.

I am sure the MLS gasket is standard now - there is also a 'Peyton' gasket, what's the difference?

You probably mean "Payen" which is simply the name of a gasket manufacturer. They make both the improved elastomer gasket and an MLS version.

[al 350i]

it is tempting and cost for 5 litres is around £60 and £40 for flush, do you know how long it lasts, does it need to be changed every few years or is it life time?

how much coolant fluid is in an mgtf?

[chris watton]

al 350i said:

it is tempting and cost for 5 litres is around £60 and £40 for flush, do you know how long it lasts, does it need to be changed every few years or is it life time?

how much coolant fluid is in an mgtf?

It lasts the lifetime of the car. Just make sure your coolant system is in top shape before using it. I think it's perfect if you have to change the coolant anyway (after a HGF perhaps, as the waterpump and insides of the pipes/engine will no longer be subjected by rust when the normal coolant starts to degrade and separate. I think you'd need about 12 litres to fill the whole system.

Here's some more info:

http://www.evanscoolants.co.uk/technical

[MGJohn]

al 350i said:

quick question! i bought a fai gasket set and it came with 3 head gaskets, 2 joined together and one flat one, should the flat one go on top of the other 2?

If you have a version of the MLS ( Multi-Layer-Steel ) K-Series Cylinder head Gasket then there are TWO parts. The main gasket of several layers and a shim, known as the Head Saver Shim.

The Gasket goes on the block and the Head Saver Shim goes on top of that.

Does your gasket look like this one I fitted to a K-Series engine? That's the Head Saver Shim still in its protective wrapper :~



The Saver Shim then goes on top of the Head Gasket as shown in this picture. Then the Cylinder Head is fitted onto the MLS gasket. This second picture shows the Shim on top of the main cylinder head gasket :~



I have now fitted about ten of these to K-Series and for each one I used the MLS version with the Head Saver Shim always fitted. Many thousands of miles since and still sound. My son once fitted a MLS to one of his project cars and did not fit the saver shim. 22,000 miles later the gasket allowed some oil-collant mixing. He has always used the Shim since on his and his friends' cars.

[MGJohn]

Having very recently fitted a MLS Cylinder Head Gasket to a project 2003 Rover 25, this informative instruction guideline came with the pack :~



Anyone sufficiently interested in these things might like to have a look at the illustrated thread I started about this car here on PH :~

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[al 350i]

cheers john, i'm glad i got it the right way round!! she's all back up and running now, really pleased with the way she goes still feels tight and sharp with only 19k on clock. i used some weld seal on the mounting surfaces to stop any movement as i've read that this can also cause leaks or breaks in the seal.