head gaskets?

[dillenger1]

ive recently started a build ,and was curious as to the hg sizes.I took the engine apart i have standard pistons and a 3 notch hg.the question being did VW use the 3 notch standard because of the thickness?I should have measured before i dropped the pistons,but i didnt.I was wondering if they just used the three notch to be safe?Or if my head has been removed before,it seems all original,untouched, of course i guess it would be hard to tell.

[burn_your_money]

If you removed the pistons I'm assuming it's because you are putting in new bearings? If so you need to measure the piston protrusion of all the pistons once you are done and then find the proper thickness headgasket. It's all in the bentley

[dillenger1]

Right,what i was asking was if the head had never been removed would vw have used the three notch standard?

[jtanguay]

Right,what i was asking was if the head had never been removed would vw have used the three notch standard?

you need to measure the piston protrusion of all the pistons once you are done and then find the proper thickness headgasket. It's all in the bentley

so vw didn't just slap 3 notch head gaskets on their engines.  they measure piston protrusion.  using the wrong head gasket will give you lower compression which will make the car start rougher in cold weather.

[dillenger1]

So lowering your compression, for a more boost friendly engine,then turning up your boost is a bad idea then?

[dieselsnowmobile]

Some mechanics that are lazy and/or do not keep all the head gaskets in stock, and will just slap a 3 notch on the engine.  My engine is a prime example.  I had a new head gasket put on by a mechanic back in 2003.  I save the gasket as memorabilia and hung it up in my garage.  4 years later as I am preparing to change my head gasket, I find out that the mechanic put on a 3 notch when it had a 2 notch.  There has been no bottom end work done to engine so he should have put a 2 notch back on it, but was either too lazy or did not have the 2 notch in stock.  So I am going to replace the gasket with a 2 notch like it should have been in the first place.

[jtanguay]

So lowering your compression, for a more boost friendly engine,then turning up your boost is a bad idea then?

i guess you could, but cold starting will suffer.  best idea is to just use the the right hg.

[zukgod1]

Hydro lifters

0.66-0.86 mm 1 notch gasket
0.87-0.90 mm 2 notch gasket
0.91-1.02 mm 3 notch gasket

[Baselyne]

Thanks for the above information...

Frisco Auto Parts in Scarborough ontario has good supply and prices

Frisco Auto
1710 Midland Ave, Unit #9
Scarborough ont.
(416)281-1101

This past weekend I had a chance to go and pick the right one up using the numbers above

thanks for the information


this helps too

[Mark(The Miser)UK]

So that's mechanical gasket is it?

[Baselyne]

mechanical....

Although the only differences I could see between the mechanical and non-mechanical head gaskets are extra meterail near the rear corners but this meterial doesnt even touch any part of the head....It's meteral that would stick out between the outer most edges at the back on intake/exhaust side of the engine

I hope that makes sence and  Maybe someone could clear this up for us?

[burn_your_money]

T


this helps too

The gasket pictured does appear to be for a mechanical lifter engine. Unless there is another oil drain under the large white sticker

Don't use antisieze or any thing else on the head bolts. They must be installed dry unless you are using aftermarket ones (ARP, raeware etc) then you must follow the directions they give you.




This is mechanical



This is hydraulic

[Baselyne]

So Im guessing that Mechanical head gaskets come with Notchs and the hydrolics come with holes as a identification marker or.....

The 1.5L N/A seems to be non-hydro and coming with notches... 4 of them

The 1.6L Td seems to have 3 holes, An it's a hydro motor!

Anyone else have notchs but on a hydro or holes but on a non-hydro?

Your input please!

[Quantum TD]

In general, the ones with holes came on cars built after 1985, and the ones with notches came on cars built before 1984. But there is some confusion in that some manufacturers used holes to mark mechanical head gaskets, as well as hydraulic ones. Also, early cars had gaskets with up to 5 notches, while later cars (after about 1983) did not use 4 or 5 notch gaskets.

In terms of thickness, the gaskets are interchangeable, but the # of holes/notches do not denote equall thickness. For instance, 3 notches is roughly the same thickness as a 3 hole gasket, but a 1 hole is not exactly the same as a 1 notch. The big difference however, is the secondary oil hole that protrudes out of the front of the hydraulic gaskets, for the oil feed hole, located to the left of the central feed hole.

As others have noted, the only factor that determines the gasket thickness (and hence, number of notches/holes) is the piston projection. So, measure that to be certain. I am working on a 1984 Rabbit that had a 3 hole gasket on it (aftermarket). The car had no compression. When I measured the projection, it called for a 1 notch. We'll see how it turns out.

As for your head bolts. I'd steer clear of the antisieze. Too goopy. I usually use some clean motor oil. I dip the bolts in the oil, and let them drain off COMPLETELY before I install them. If they're dripping, you run the risk of hydrolocking the bolt holes and cracking the block. A thin coat on the bolts is all that is needed to make the bolts slide in the threads nicely, and makes torquing a breeze. Dipping and draining the bolts is what ARP recommends for thier studs, and what Jack at VWDieselparts does on his rebuilds.

Good luck on the rebuild!

[burn_your_money]

As for your head bolts. I'd steer clear of the antisieze. Too goopy. I usually use some clean motor oil. I dip the bolts in the oil, and let them drain off COMPLETELY before I install them. If they're dripping, you run the risk of hydrolocking the bolt holes and cracking the block. A thin coat on the bolts is all that is needed to make the bolts slide in the threads nicely, and makes torquing a breeze. Dipping and draining the bolts is what ARP recommends for thier studs, and what Jack at VWDieselparts does on his rebuilds.

Covering the bolts in oil reduces the amount of friction as they are being torqued. This will result in the bolts being torqued to a higher torque value then specified/required. It can cause some serious damage such as stripped threads and snapped bolts.

Notice the extra oil drain hole that I've drawn an arrow to? This is how you can tell a hydro vs solid lifter engine for vw diesels only This can been seen on the head by an extra ridge just behind the injection pump on both the block and the head. The one with 2 holes is a hydraulic



hydraulic



solid