JORGERS

Hello mates.

I have a Mk4 Rs Turbo with 81mm pistons and I've been using Felpro head gaskets and they keep blowing up!! Anybody had problems with them? Another thing, I have rigid head bolts but I dont remember the tightning torque for them. Can anybody help me with that?

Thanks,

Jorge Fernandes

darrenb16two

headbolts 20-40-60lbs/ft

Versus_Creations

iTrader: (1)

Felpro headgaskets are not highly rated pal.

What bolts do you have? Where did they come from. Are they bolts or studs like ARP.

Rick

Felpro gaskets are no good for 1600s. The fire rings are much smaller than the STD ford turbo gasket that you should be using. The torque figures posted above are wrong too. It's something like 19lbs 40lbs 90 degrees and 90 degrees again.

Rick

Karlos G

iTrader: (4)

As Rick says the Felpro gasket is the wrong size for a 1600cc CVH, the fire rings are in fact bigger (diameter) than the normal Ford/Payen gasket, I also do not recommend using non stretch bolts either as these have a record of causing gasket failure on RST's.
A Ford/Payen head gasket and a set of motor factors stretch head bolts are proven good for 350bhp+ and is what I recommend you use mate.

Russ Payne

I had a felpro headgasket on my old series 2 about 5 years back and it blew very quickly when I was only running 170bhp!!!

Do it right the firset time and go genuine ford head gasket and stretch bolts

Canada1

The genuine Ford gasket is very high quality - The central core of the gasket is steel.
The Felpro one is poo.

ARP studs can certainly be used - if used properly.
The Ford stretch ones are idiot proof

JORGERS

I have non strech bolts bought from PTS - Performance Turbo Systems. I'm not aware of their make! Would you recomend cometic multi layer head gasket??

Thanks,
Jorge Fernandes

Russ Payne

Genuine headgasket all the way pal, proven to over 300hp and stretch bolts

xr2wishy

iTrader: (2)

genuine head gasket or payen for sure. never had problems with payen/ford ones, as for head bolts i've used stretch and non-stretch and had no issues with either, just need to make sure you tighten them properly and clean the threads in the block.

JORGERS

Thank you all!

essexRSTSouthend

As above but currently using a cometic head gasket and arp head bolts. Been fine.

Canada1

Cometic gaskets work great if both surfaces (head and block) are a near mirror finish.
A very fine surface finish is required. Many machine shops have older head and block deck grinding machines which cannot produce the fine surface finish required with the Cometic gaskets. - Probably why we hear of so many Cometic gasket failures.

Here in North America if one is unsure of the surface finish many shops spray the Cometic gasket with Copper Coat spray and seem to have very good results.

Karl

Genuine Ford RS Turbo head gasket and stretch bolts are good up to 300bhp. Beyond 300 bhp you will experience some head gasket lifting with certain failure at some point beyond 350bhp. (i.e. 350bhp is the absolute maximum power the std gasket and headbolts can be used with any sort of life span.)

essexRSTSouthend

Yeah thats exactly what i did.2 years later touch wood.

Joe91

Ive just had an engine rebuild and i used a payen head gasket, ive driven 1.1k miles and the head gasket has gone already, Ive now got cloudy oil and it misfires everynow and then! im going to try a genuine ford one.

Thanks, Joe

xrmalin

I was always lead to believe the payen gasket is exactly the same as the ford one but cheaper

mark.

essexRSTSouthend

They are.

little bram

I put a felpro gaskit on mine with arp stud and nut kit and it did'nt last 2 mins. fitted a ford gaskit and bolts and had no problems at all

lee

Canada1

Those Felpros are terrible gaskets.
Nothing wrong with the ARP stud kit if installation is done correctly.
Nothing wrong with the Ford stretch bolts either - just much more forgiving.

DazC

iTrader: (1)

Have you not got an underlying issue with that car then? Payen are very good gaskets and if that has blown, a genuine Ford one won't last much longer unless there was a manufacturing defect in the Payen gasket.

laren

iTrader: (1)

is the victor reinz gaskets any good as ive bought all my gaskets in that brand and my head bolts

DazC

iTrader: (1)

Yes, they are (or at least used to be) OE suppliers to GM and very good quality also.

laren

iTrader: (1)

cheers i was worried there i paid quite a bit for them lol