Thicker HEAD Gasket Search 647 engine 2004

[techshooter02]

anyone know where to find a thicker than oem Head Gasket ?

thanks

[lindenengineering]

Why do you need a thicker head gasket?
Curious have you over-decked it
Dennis

[techshooter02]

machinist says the cylinder head has been shaved before .005 according to stamp on cylinder head. says the head is straight but the burn marks around the cylinder are at least .004 deep and would be too much to deck off (remove) unless a thicker head gasket was used.

engine was recently rebuilt by a big company 4000 miles ago and blew a head gasket.


any thoughts ??

[Aqua Puttana]

Be warned.

Originally Posted by Eric Experience

Greg
The camshafts run directly in the head with very small clearances, if the head is warped when you take it of it means it had stress in the casting caused by being driven when it was to hot. When the head is bolted to the block it is held straight by the block and the cams are able to rotate, when you take it of, the head bends due to the stress and the cams will lock up. If you then machine the head in the bent shape the cams are still locked, so the repairer may bore out the cam bearings to allow them to spin, this destroys the head because the cam shaft is no longer in the correct location to open the valves and allow them to close again. As others have said the head or any other overhead cam head are not machineable. Eric.

As always, clicking on the blue arrow icon within any quote box will take you to the original post/thread.

vic

[techshooter02]

I was reading that thread last night...good information. And the head is still straight no warp. just the indentations around where the cylinders mate up to the head, the machinist called it burn marks. I'm sure they was there after engine rebuild and the resurface of the head the first time but didn't come out all the way. I'm worried they will cause another head failure in 4000 more miles.

what if the new head gasket was coated with the copper coating before installation ????

also what about a good source for a new cylinder head ? anyone know of any.

[misterbond10]

Ive never looked for sprinter head gaskets but I imaging this will be a custom part. What I would do:

Call around for machine shops and find one with a water jet or laser cutting machine. Make a tracing of your gasket just in case. Order a sheet of copper in the appropriate thickness.

For small stuff I've made gaskets using a hollow punch set, abrasive type hole cutters, and a lot of patience. Dont recommend that though.

[smcguyer]

There is a thicker head gasket available in Europe. USA doesnt seem to have it. There is an Elring and Mercedes part number for it, if I remember correct. Contact me if you need details.

[misterbond10]

another idea: have you thought about stacking two together? Head gasket sandwich...mmmmmmm

[smcguyer]

more thoughts..
the thicker head gasket I saw on an European Ebay site... I think they ship to USA .. the part numbers are from Elring catalog, they come in different bore diameters.

My head was decked 0.0075" and the fellow who built the block convinced me to use the stock gasket as they had seen heads decked more and still use the stock gasket with no apparent problems. But I had the valve seats ground back to the maximum setback distance and the valve stem tops equalized.

Make sure you check for cam bind per the previous post.. before progressing any further....as the head might have been previously warped a little. Decking wont solve this.

Also check with Memo Parts in Dallas? for kolben-schmidt heads, as they might be better than the Spain heads and maybe even cheaper.

[Tooth Fairy]

Two head gaskets are thicker, so are 3 of them.