Have head off again and this is what the gasket looks like..Opinions NEEDED

[Simsy]

I recently blew my head gasket on my R/T after just replacing it about 2 months ago and here is a pic of where it blew.



Is this a common spot for them to blow? What could have caused this? Also Im wondering if i may have gotten a faulty headgasket? LMK wat u guys think.

Thanks, Matt

[rich tideswell]

Who is manufacture of the gasket you used?

[Simsy]

i bought it off of cindy..and FWDperformance said it was a mopar head gasket

[lotashelbys]

How flat is the head and deck?

[Simsy]

the head was resurfaced when that gasket was put in, i didnt check the block however.
would just using a straight edge and feeler gauge suffice, and if so whats the limit?

[Simsy]

another question, can i go with a cometic? because pulling the block to have it machined isn't really an option right now and it would make since if the head needs to be machined with a low RA i assume the block would too for a cometic to seal properly

[DaPepster!]

The stock service limit is .004" for a stock gasket, BUT, both the head AND the block have to be smooth and FLAT in order for a Cometic to seal properly.

I had my head on and off twice in the last couple years after having Wallace rebuild/P&P my head and installed a new Cometic gasket only to find it would burn coolant at every opportunity. Found out later when the block was in for rebuild, the deck was warped .005".

[mopar2ya]

Any chance you dinged the fire ring when installing the head? Reason being if the fire ring get slightly dented it wont seal and will knock the gasket out and the HG is broke right by the dowel.

[Powerlinefixer]

That is not a common failure point (in regards to your original post. Smacking those dowel pins can cause problems for sure.). It appears that the other side of the gasket was starting to fail too- dark sealing rings are a bad sign. Seems like the cylinder head was curling up at the ends.

If you are running a stock setup, something is not right. The head or block is warped, the headbolts were not torqued properly, or the headbolts are stretched. Overheating will cause similar problems. If you are running high boost, ect, the OEM style gasket won't last very long.

Make sure your cyl head and block are flatter than .004 in all directions. I've seen heads pass a flatness test parallel to the crank, but fail perpendicular to the crank. Check in many different directions.

To maintain a high RA, use a razor scraper CAREFULLY to clean the block and head. It will take a long time, but you will maintain a high RA. If someone has ever used a 3M disk or belt sander on any of the surfaces, you are out of luck- the machine shop is the only way you will get the smooth surface back.

Good Luck!

[Powerlinefixer]

Oops- double post.

[itsbudda]

Just by how much of the gasket had to break for that failure tells me that that can't be a common spot