any way to tell?

[mk3sons]

hey guys i was just wondering if there was any way to tell if i had a mhg or not?
i thought i read some where that the only way to tell was to take the head off and look. but i started looking between my block and head and it looks a lot like metal. so is this thing i am seeing not even the head gasket? or did i miss read something?

thanks for the help.

 

[Poodles]

Yep, that's a MHG.

 

[mk3sons]

Yep, that's a MHG.

oh cool to bad i have to rebuild the engine though if i take it off will i still have to get machine work done to reinstall it? or would there be any way i could do the bottom end stuff with the head on?

 

[Poodles]

Head has to come off to remove the pistons/rods.

 

[suprarich]

Hard to tell from the pics being fuzzy, but it looks like a 1.2mm hks. You can tell by the jagged edge of the center shim on the gasket.

 

[mk3sons]

Hard to tell from the pics being fuzzy, but it looks like a 1.2mm hks. You can tell by the jagged edge of the center shim on the gasket.

well if it is a metal Hg will i have to get the block/head planned to reuse it?

 

[closetnerd]

well if it is a metal Hg will i have to get the block/head planned to reuse it?

I thought the rule about these kind of gaskets is once you take them out you need to replace them.

 

[Poodles]

Unless they're damaged, you can recondition a metal headgasket.

 

[gofastgeorge]

They can be reused, with a lot of work.
I have seen threads here on SM on what it takes to reuse one.
(I also have done it myself - arg......)
You should search out those threads, and see if you want to go through that ordeal.
The coatings degrade, and have to be removed from all layers of the gasket,
which means the rivets have to be removed, solvents used to loosen the old coatings, and elbow greese with a wire brush to get them off.
Then the layers have to be re-coated.

If you have the time, and a high tollerance to solvents, you save $100+ cost of a new gasket.

I used CRC Brake Clean. (not the green can wimpy stuff, but the red can nasty stuff)
Others have used oven cleaner.
Many other cleaners don't work for didly squat, so find the thread, read it through, and go from there.

 

[Poodles]

HKS stopper HG was around the $300 mark last I knew, so you're saving a LOT if you reuse...

 

[IJ.]

Reuse my Stoppers 4 times before retiring them.