Best brand of head gasket????

[K Simmonds]

I suddenly have a suspisous amount of water vapour and emulsion in my catch tank and pipe work and my coolant level has dropped though she's running just fine and the coolant is spotless. I'm not 100% yet but I'm thinking there's a micro leak between a low pressure oil gallery and the cooling jacket. Compression is fine and the plugs are all spot on in colour so it's not gone from cylinder pressure, to be honest I was kinda expecing this after leaving the engine dry of coolant for five years, does the gasket no favors whatsoever. Hey ho, good excuse for a decoke and a relap of the valves, plus I have a new set of lifters waiting to go in, one makes a terrible racket at random.

Anyway what brand of gasket is considered the best bet? I'll probably get the head bolts from TPS unless anyone has a better suggestion.

Not really interested in ARP's as I don't plan on opening this engine again any time soon. If I do go for more power down the line it will be with a K26/7 and ghetto easten European style stroker, haved a block and crank put by ready

GSF do the Victor Reinz head set for £70 odd quid delivered, is this a good deal?

I tried my local factors out of interest and they don't offer anything.

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

Shocked to hear your troubles kit. You definitely deserve a medal for perseverance being in and out of that engine bay with major surgery as much as some of us have hot dinners. I would hate to do it myself only because of the likely prohibitive price but it has got to be an Audi gasket set No??? Unless somebody knows who originally made the original gaskets for Audi.

It will be interesting for all of us to find out the answer to your question.

Best of luck there mate.

[SteveH]

I've had no issues with Reinz running 400+ ponies

[Christophski]

Aren't the reinz kits thought of as a kind of upgrade anyway even though they are standard? I know that comment makes no sense lol.... I hope you understand what I mean though.

Sorry to hear the issues there kit but I know you will fix it

[Laaf]

Aren't the reinz kits thought of as a kind of upgrade anyway even though they are standard? I know that comment makes no sense lol.... I hope you understand what I mean though.

Sorry to hear the issues there kit but I know you will fix it

Upgrade in the sense it should be a MLS gasket and not the paper gasket from the earlier on. My engine only has got Victor-Reinz gaskets and it's holding well together

[K Simmonds]

Cheers for the commiserations Mark and Chris and thanks for the advice on gaskests chaps, I'm going to check the price's with TPS in the morning as I've had a rumage and only need the head gasket, EM gasket/nuts and head bolts to do the job, the other parts required I have genuine in stock. So it shouldn't cost the earth, just my time. Think I'll pick up a Reniz set from GSF anyway and for spares as well.

It's a bit of bother but I'm not actually in the slightest irked by the car or prospect of doing the work, I've got the tools and faciltys and enjoy working on cylinder heads plus as I've said I want to change the lifters. The clutch isn't too bad to do, I have a pit and my car is seriously simplifed so I can get the box out in about an hour, I want to rebuild the prop as well anyway.

I've done 10K in the last year with RS2 spec the last couple of thousand miles at 350+ BHP and she's held together well considering she was layed up dry for 5 years. I've been expecting to have do some serious manitaiance, the clutch's day's were numbered once I got the PRJ ECU and it's my own fault the head gasket has failed for leaving it empty for so long.

She'll be even quicker with nice clean ports, piston crowns and freshly lapped valves

[Big Lee M]

If it's the original head I'd check between the valves for cracks as mine went and I replaced the head with a very good 7A head cheap. This was only two year after having the head gasket done. I used Victor Rienz gaskets, it will be a metal multi layered gasket.

I'm rebuilding my Seat Leon (08 plate K1 Cupra) engine at the moment and I'm using Victor Reinz on it too, and Wossner pistonds and uprated rods.

[Thuppu]

No problem with Reinz and 600+hp.

[K Simmonds]

If it's the original head I'd check between the valves for cracks as mine went and I replaced the head with a very good 7A head cheap. This was only two year after having the head gasket done. I used Victor Rienz gaskets, it will be a metal multi layered gasket.

I'm rebuilding my Seat Leon (08 plate K1 Cupra) engine at the moment and I'm using Victor Reinz on it too, and Wossner pistonds and uprated rods.

I'll be checking for cracks.

I'll have the head pressure tested and skimmed as a matter of course, I don't think it's a crack, I'd put money on it being the gasket from being stood dry, I've seen it happen before..

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

So is the consensus then that it's Victor Reinz as opposed to an Audi Head gasket??

[Thuppu]

suspisous amount of water vapour and emulsion in my catch tank and pipe work

Well, this is quite normal, especially if the weather is colder.

[K Simmonds]

Well, this is quite normal, especially if the weather is colder.

Yeah I've been thinking about that and there's a possabilty I let my catch tack over full with water vapour, after I fitted the new steering rack I drove around for slowly for a good few miles to check for leaks and parts rubbing etc. then I've done a couple of tanks worth of fuel before ADI and a lot of short journys since.

I have no return to the sump and I emptied it today after probably 1k miles and there was about 350 CL of clear water in there.

Before I pull it appart I'm going to replace the washer on the rad thermoswitch as theres a tiny leak from that which could explain the coolant loss and I'll check the rest of the system for signs of leaks.

Then I'll clean the breather system and take her for a decent run and see if the coolant level drops.

[220bhp]

I thought that the victor rienz metal head gasket was the original gasket fitted to aby, adu ,and ann. I have a double gasket made from two VR gaskets on my rs2,d 3b as both head and the deck where skimmed,and I wanted a little lower cr. Its been on my car for two years now witout any problems.
I may be wrong about it being OE,but if I am someone will be along in a minute to shoot me down.

[Error404]

Shame if it needs to come apart again Kit, sounds like you've been enjoying it!
Good opportunity for a spruce up though. It will be good as new in no time.

[Jaswan]

another shout for Victor Reinz, ill be using 2 (decompression spacer) on my VR6.