Would like opinions on Head gaskets

[BlastIt]

I looked through the search found some post recommending metal head gaskets for 1.6L. I have an 82 1.6 na that I installed a turbo on. I used a regular head gasket on it. It worked well for about 8,000 miles, now it is leaking externally. I would like to hear from the guys who have tried both metal and paper gaskets. I would like to hear the pros and cons of using one or the other. When my head gasket was installed the head and block were check and found to be flat. I'm only running about 15 to 18 psi boost. I don't mind spending the extra money for the metal gasket if its going to give longer life. Let me know what your thoughts or experiences are. Thanks

[Rabbit on Roids]

my thoughts:

first off, where do you want the weak link on your engine? the head gasket? or the block? with a fiber gasket, it will be the weak link and go out, saving your block. if you had a metal gasket and a failure were to happen, it would most likely just crack the block from lifting the head. fiber gaskets just let go and the head does not lift. i ran 25+ psi daily on my 77 1.5 diesel. its got stock head bolts and a fel-pro head gasket. first engine i exploded, im glad i had a fiber gasket.

now if you were running 20+ or more boost, on a fully built engine, then the metal gasket would not be a bad idea. most guys on here dont run a metal head gasket. just the ones that need it really. i would worry more about head studs than a metal gasket. fiber gasket and head studs will be better than a metal gasket and stock bolts. those old 11mm blocks had way too short of head bolts. and the blocks are notorious for cracking.

yet again, i ran 25+ psi to an ANCIENT 1.5, and it had a fiber gasket, held it fine till i ran almost 40 psi. then i cracked 7 head bolt bosses. yea, theres only ten bosses on a 4 banger vw.. lol.

[Luckypabst]

What exactly is leaking? An "external" leak to me indicates either coolant or oil, which isn't caused by any weakness in the fiber gasket vs. the steel gasket - if anything, the fiber gasket is easier to get to seal properly.

Did you follow through with the entire head bolt torque procedure?

My opinion is that a steel head gasket is not worth the trouble on a mechanical engine, with the headache of sealing the extra oil return passage and the requirement of near perfect sealing surfaces.

Chris

[745 turbogreasel]

Metal gaskets want a finer machined surface on the head, but scraping time  on gasket change is pretty much nil.
IMO there is a reason VW only uses metal ones.

[Rabbit on Roids]

metal gaskets are not as susceptible to gasket scrubbing.. aluminum and iron have totally different expansion rates. the aluminum scrubs the gasket away to nothing if its a fiber one. too bad toyota didnt follow suit.. idk how many 22r head gaskets ive changed in my life. ive done soo many that it takes me 5 hours or less to do a head gasket and a timing chain on a 22r. toyota factory service technicians say it is impossible to do in under 8 hours. i call bull..

[BlastIt]

What exactly is leaking? An "external" leak to me indicates either coolant or oil, which isn't caused by any weakness in the fiber gasket vs. the steel gasket - if anything, the fiber gasket is easier to get to seal properly.

Did you follow through with the entire head bolt torque procedure?

My opinion is that a steel head gasket is not worth the trouble on a mechanical engine, with the headache of sealing the extra oil return passage and the requirement of near perfect sealing surfaces.

Chris

Yes, I did follow the torque procedure and I have arp studs. The leak is coolant not oil. My thoughts were that I need a head gasket any way and wanted to get the best thing possible. I don't mind extra work or money if it works right and last.

[BlastIt]

It's leaking on the side with coolant temp sensor and on the back side towards the timing belt. I have to add about 16oz to 20oz every 400 to 500 miles.

[Rabbit on Roids]

thats a tiny leak. barely any at all. try 6 quarts in 300 miles. now thats a leak! and the car is still on the road. lol.
i would check to make sure all the threads in the deck are still in good shape and not cracked.

[smutts]

Bars Leaks here we come! Troll!

[Rabbit on Roids]

if someone were to use bars leak, i would use less than a half of a bottle. cause they give you enough for a small semi. quarter of a bottle would probably be more than enough. if you actually have the balls to use it..

[wolf_walker]

poo-poo it all you will, there are a flat ton of saab 9K's running around full of bar's leak to keep the damn heater cores from needing to be replaced every other oil change.  The junk works, and if used carefully and correctly I've never seen it in person hurt a cooling system that did not have other problems already.
I stopped a weep from the end tank on my nearly irreplaceable and un-rebuildable 37 year old Mercedes I drive pretty regular with it fifteen thousand miles ago, no sweat.

Not that I'd use it in this case I don't think, but the goo has done what it said it would for me half a dozen times now in the last decade or more.  YMMV

I used the metal gasket on my hyd head NA a few months ago with a light coat of copper spray stuff all the local euro shops use on everything and new stock head bolts, no hot/cool cycle retorque, nary a leak and is finally running like a 1.6 ought to (47mpg last tank on an inj pump with 300K on it).  The "fuse" idea is valid, but I'd think if you were doing reasonable boost and kept an eye on op temp and EGT and the thing wasn't worn out to start with, it ought not to crap out.  Others have more experience turboing the NA's though.

[Smokey Eddy]

Ive used both metal and fibre head gaskets. The pros of the metal ones is they last longer and take more pressure from the cylinders.
the cons are they are about twice the price.
but honestly under normal driving conditions would easily last twice as long if not forever torqued properly.