Topic: reading a copper head gasket

[KirkBurner]

Copper head gasket...

I dont know how to read them propperly, I had a major leaks all around the top..... I had a broken oil ring on piston 1

but is that enough to cause a leak all over?


I am goning to anneale the gasket tomorrow...

[bjbuchanan]

It was probably the rubber pucks under the cam towers, it usually is the main leaker

[Patrick]

Looks to me like the last person who rebuilt the top end could have used some enlightenment in the mystical ways of the torque wrench.

Patrick

[bwaller]

The surfaces have to be very flat and I found Gasgacinch sealed as well as anything. But copper is hard to seal perfectly. If it's a race engine that's one thing, if it's a street engine you might want to consider an MLS (multi layer seal) head gasket. They do seal better than copper.

[bjbuchanan]

The surfaces have to be very flat and I found Gasgacinch sealed as well as anything. But copper is hard to seal perfectly. If it's a race engine that's one thing, if it's a street engine you might want to consider an MLS (multi layer seal) head gasket. They do seal better than copper.

I would think he would be better off with just about any other gasket if it is gonna be a street motor. Like you said, copper is a pain if the surfaces aren't great. Just keep in mind MLS needs different surface treatment to get it to grip.

How easily/expensively can you source parts there, you aren't stateside...

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

I'm also throwing in loose nuts on the studs. Use heavy duty studs so you can get more torque on them. My standard studs stretched and my head was somewhat looser than anticipated. The 812 kit got flogged quite a bit in 25,000 miles  I'd also speculate that a copper head gasket may need to be re-torqued more so than a standard style gasket due to it's soft nature. Here's to hoping you have a frame removal kit so you can re-torque after it's been run for some miles.

[flybox1]

Don't forget the cam tower studs being removed, and not sealed when they are reinstalled.

[Nic]

Don't forget the cam tower studs being removed, and not sealed when they are reinstalled.

Yes, make sure you seal those studs and put some sealer on the pucks.
I mentioned in another thread recently that I had 2500Ks on my engine and had to pull it down for a series of reasons, I had not re-torqued the head at all and when I got to taking the head off the 4 x 6mm bolts under the pucks were doing nothing along with the two centre 6mm bolts outside the cam cover, the 8mm nuts wouldn't have had 5lbs on them. So I won't be making the mistake of NOT re-torquing the head after some Ks, I have Frank's frame kit so it's not a huge deal but it's still a bit of work if you want to re-torque ALL the bolts and nuts and after seeing how little torque was on the nuts and bolts it drives home the importance of re-torquing.