theNEWT

From the sounds of composite, you must be one of the lucky ones. So much conflicting information...what a headache.

Old Hand: In a previous post you stated this: "I rang the supplier and I explained the issue and I told them that I was not happy fitting a metal gasket. They contacted Britpart who told them that the torque settings for the bolts were 40Nm, then 120deg on all bolts then another 60deg on the main ones. This was completely different to what I was told before, as they said it was the same as with a normal gasket (40Nm, then 120deg on all bolts and then 20deg on the main ones). After a few more phone calls I got them to agree to honour the warranty on the head if I used a non-Britpart head gasket. I was sent an Elring composite gasket and I fitted this." So here the difference is the final stage on the 'main bolts', I assume you mean the inner M12x140. The difference is 40degs. I can imagine this would increase sealing around the cylinders. Do you think the head gasket would have still failed if it were torqued the extra 40 degs? From what I have read the biggest issue seems to be getting the block deck to the required RA and of course assuming its dead flat...and due to high pressure is super critical with diesels. Taken from: http://www.aa1car.com/library/2005/ic010532.htm (If the engine has aluminum heads, there should be no more than 0.002 in. (0.05 mm) out-of-flat in any direction. ) (If the engine uses an MLS head gasket, the recommended surface finish may be 20 RA or less.)

Ok, cheers. So has anyone here used one of these gaskets and torqued it according to the manufacturer instructions (if they found them)? Apparently MLS gaskets place less stress on head bolts than composite, possibly thats why it has a higher torque setting after all it is a very different gasket to composite. The britpart one may well still be poorly made however. But it would be good to know what the failing is related to rather than just blaming the part without investigation. According to info from the net: Multi-Layer Steel Head Gaskets An increasing number of OEMs have turned to "Multi-Layer Steel" (MLS) head gaskets to provide improved durability. MLS gaskets, which are found on Ford, Chrysler and many Japanese engines, typically have three to seven layers of steel. The outer layers are usually stainless spring steel and embossed. The inner layers provide added support and thickness. The embossed multi-layer construction reduces the load on the head bolts, which in turn reduces bore distortion for less blowby and lower emissions. The outer layers of steel are coated with a thin layer (.001˝ to .0015˝) of nitrile rubber or Viton to improve cold sealing. MLS head gaskets are very durable because their solid steel construction retains torque very well and does not take a compression set like composition gaskets. But the rigid nature of MLS gaskets also means they have very little conformability. That is why MLS gaskets require an extremely smooth, flat surface finish on both mating surfaces (typically 20 to 30 RA or less). Reproducing the kind of high quality surface finish needed to seal MLS gaskets requires up-to-date milling equipment and precision resurfacing techniques. Even then, it may be difficult to get a good cold seal on some engines. One alternative here is to install a conventional gasket (graphite or composition) that does not require such a smooth finish (if such an alternative gasket is available for the application). Several gasket manufacturers have conventional replacement gaskets for the Ford 4.6L as well as other applications.

Britparts MLS head gasket - Anyone know the sequence? 300Tdi. I get the impression it isnt the same as the composite and it has no instructions.

Was wondering if anyone knows the thread dimensions as asked in the first post of this thread? Would be very helpful.....Cheers