Bad experiences with composite cylinder head gasket

[Werner]

Hello, that's my Experience:

I replaced the cylinder head gasket 6,000 miles/six years ago and installed the modern composite gasket. From the beginning, it consistently leaked a (very) little bit water on the outer left side under high load.

Today, when I would installing the rear bearing seal (discussed in another thread) and about to put the oil pan back on, I noticed some water droplets under the crankcase. Bad feeling between my ears!


Therefore, I decided to remove this head gasket and to install now a new copper one, along with Permatex copper spray.

Removing the old gasket material from the block and head is also very difficult, as it adheres very firmly, almost like hard graphite. It took me almost three hours to scrape both surfaces.


This is just a general, perhaps helpful post.

 

[Y-Blockhead]

Was this the so called "Premium Head Gasket" with the silicon around the water passages?

 

[Werner]

Yes, Blockhead,


that is the piece what I mean.

 

[TMarsh]

Mine lasted about 4500 miles before I changed it to a copper with copper coat. I would not recommend this gasket to anyone. Stick with the tried and true gasket. Sometimes improved means experimental.

 

[nkaminar]

I have also had a bad experience with that gasket.

 

[BButturff]

I don't know exactly how many stories of bad outcomes I've read about this gasket but let's just say it's a whole bunch.

 

[Gary WA]

Hello, that's my Experience:

I replaced the cylinder head gasket 6,000 miles/six years ago and installed the modern composite gasket. From the beginning, it consistently leaked a (very) little bit water on the outer left side under high load.

Today, when I would installing the rear bearing seal (discussed in another thread) and about to put the oil pan back on, I noticed some water droplets under the crankcase. Bad feeling between my ears!


Therefore, I decided to remove this head gasket and to install now a new copper one, along with Permatex copper spray.

Removing the old gasket material from the block and head is also very difficult, as it adheres very firmly, almost like hard graphite. It took me almost three hours to scrape both surfaces.


This is just a general, perhaps helpful post.

Agree- I do not like them! Always copper with spray!!

 

[1crosscut]

Hello Werner,

I just sent you an email.

Dave

 

[JayJay]

When I put one of these in (with a freshly decked head, not less), thinking "modern" = "good" (I've changed my thinking, not just about head gaskets) it lasted less than 100 miles before it started leaking. I've had consistently good luck with the Best 509G graphite with copper spray on both surfaces. A pain to change because the copper and graphite sticks to the head and block so that you have to scrape (don't use a whizzy wheel!), but at this point I will not use any other head gasket.

 

[CT Jack]

Werner
Best 509G der Beste, sehr gut

 

[Benson]

Vince Falter found these same gaskets to be trouble prone in 2006.

See:

https://www.fordgarage.com/pages/ABcylinderheadgasketguide.htm

There are two large tables in the webpage.
See bottom line of each of these large tables.

A-6051-M

B-6051-M are listed there as problems!

"Steel reinforced grey composition, steel fire rings,
Red Silicone bead water seal,
Not Recommended, prone to leaking and self destruction,
Does not properly seal center 'canoe' port in head".

As I remember there was long discussion about these gaskets leaking from the distributor side of engine also after gasket falls apart.

 

[rotorwrench]

The good sources stopped selling those some time ago. Those types aren't designed to hold pressure at all. The old copper with soft white asbestos were very good but they are non existent since asbestos was banned. They use two different high temp materials with the copper in the modern era. Some have a dark gray and some have a white material used in the sandwich process. That depends on the manufacturer. The Best brand Graphtite gasket is common but there is still at least one other brand left. There aren't as many as there used to be. Fel-Pro 7013C is the other. The Best brand copper gasket is the 509C and it's a good one. The 509G is the graphite. Mahle may also be a source but I couldn't find information on that.