wrong head gasket - IDI Engine - VWDiesel.net The IDI, TDI, and mTDI source.

• wrong head gasket by jettabrendan on 19 Mar, 2009 10:00
• ok so i finally got the old head gasket out and to my surprise its a 3 notch. When i looked i guess one of the holes was covered in grease and i didnt see it so i ordered a 2 notch. They told me when i ordered it that it isnt returnable. Am i out 80 bones or will i be fine using this gasket? i know it will up the compression but im more worried about something smashing up s ince its thinner. i have read about people doing it but they first measured the piston protrusion. I dont have the tools to do that either. Wat do you guys think? also the guy i bought the car from told me the head gasket is blown but it dosent look blown to me. theres no burn marks or ripped parts. Thanks.
• #1 by subsonic on 19 Mar, 2009 10:13
• You can see if someone on here has one they want to swap / trade you for.  If you get the head off you gerry rig a measuring divice with a straight edge and a good mm ruler I guess.  Highest of the 4.
• #2 by arb on 19 Mar, 2009 10:43
• $5 at sears will get you a set of fealer gauges. Then a straight edge is all you need to measure pistion protrusion. Without knowing, you don't have know if that 3 notch was right in the first place. If you took the block to any speed / machine shop, they could measure it for you in short order.
  
  http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00999008000P?keyword=feeler+gauge
• #3 by jettabrendan on 19 Mar, 2009 12:06
• yeah that gasket could even be the wrong one because buddy said that the head and the gasket were changed a few years back so when i got it i torqued the head down and found that that bolts were extremely loose. Obviously it was not torqed after warm up and didnt even seem like they were torqued properly. I figure that would have contributed to the "new" gasket blowing. Since that gasket does not look blown(which it very well could be) its leading me to believe tht since the bolts were loose for god knows how long, it did overheat so the head could be cracked or warped. i dont know since i still cant get that damn timing belt backing plate off hence why i cant see if the heads cracked because the head is still on. As for the tools ill talk to the owner of the old vw dealership about a gauge and proper tools because i dont have any of them. I did get a bentley tho, thank god i did. The smallest thing keeping this head on is proving to be the biggest PITA So far and im getting very frustrated.
• #4 by Rabbit TD on 19 Mar, 2009 17:20
• Quote from: "jettabrendan"

  ok so i finally got the old head gasket out and to my surprise its a 3 notch. When i looked i guess one of the holes was covered in grease and i didnt see it so i ordered a 2 notch. They told me when i ordered it that it isnt returnable. Am i out 80 bones or will i be fine using this gasket? i know it will up the compression but im more worried about something smashing up s ince its thinner. i have read about people doing it but they first measured the piston protrusion. I dont have the tools to do that either. Wat do you guys think? also the guy i bought the car from told me the head gasket is blown but it dosent look blown to me. theres no burn marks or ripped parts. Thanks.

  
  
  If it's any consolation to you I think 95% of them I've seen have a 2 notch from the factory anyway but you should do the feeler guage test to make sure on your highest piston and check the numbers for the right one.  Lot's of times people just use a 3 to be safe without measuring.
• #5 by Luckypabst on 19 Mar, 2009 21:45
• I have a 3 notch hanging in the shed, brand new but removed from the package, for a hydraulic engine. Victor Reinz brand.
  
  I assumed the 3 notch was correct, then measured and found out it was a 1 notch engine.
  
  It's yours if you want it.
  Chris
• #6 by jettabrendan on 19 Mar, 2009 23:05
• how much do you want for it?
• #7 by Luckypabst on 19 Mar, 2009 23:20
• You can have it. I dunno what shipping would run but probably not much. I won't use it since I don't have any 3 notch engines...
  
  Um I probably can't get it in the mail until Monday - things are really heavy here right now. Shoot me a PM with your shipping info and I'll see what I can do.
  
  Chris
• #8 by Smokey Eddy on 20 Mar, 2009 01:54
• You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure.
  
  
  I changed a HG on my car three times ignorantly before measuring and realizing i needed a 1 hole not a 3 hole. Glad it wasn't the other way around...
  
  
  You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure.
• #9 by zukgod1 on 20 Mar, 2009 06:30
• Quote from: "Smokey Eddy"

  You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure.
  
  
  I changed a HG on my car three times ignorantly before measuring and realizing i needed a 1 hole not a 3 hole. Glad it wasn't the other way around...
  
  
  You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure. You have to measure.

  
  
  
  
  
  What he said. Please measure it before you go throwing on a 3 notch gasket.
• #10 by jtanguay on 20 Mar, 2009 08:03
• 80 bones for a HG? holy... i paid $25 for the TDI one.  are the IDI ones that more expensive? did you go to the dealer??? dealer = rape.
• #11 by jettabrendan on 20 Mar, 2009 16:49
• Well I ordered it from Canadian tire and they had to specizlly order it. So after shipping and junk I was stuck paying 80 for a headhasket.
• #12 by jettabrendan on 22 Mar, 2009 20:44
• finally got the head off, had to cut the backing plate to get it off(cut it clean no big deal, its re useable) had enough fooling around to get it off. now my question is what do i use to clean the deck and head off? the valves were amazingly clean, no crack between them believe it or not, but the surfaces on the deck and around the cylinders on the head are all dirty. i was thinkin using a brillo pad and some varsol. This engine was over heated a few times as well, i checked for straightness using a straight edge used to check hollow grinds on skates so its as true as its going to get. the head isnt twisted and the block is straight. i lucked out i guess lol, or maybe the Germans just really know how to make a durable engine.