cometic head gasket leaking excessive oil. Please help I need some advice

[david200095367]

So i installed the cometic hg and arp studs. I started it up and its pouring out oil from the left front of the engine coming from the head gasket. I used the moly lube on the studs and tq it down to 75lbs. Any suggestions? Maybe tq it more? btw i have a s14 sr.

[vutony]

get another hgshouldnt everyone know by now cometic is junk

[david200095367]

damn! which one do you recommend?

[david200095367]

you dont think retorquing it will work?

[Hijacker]

You can try retorquing, but personally I would have gone with a head gasket that is known not to suck. So far I'm liking the Cosworth headgasket. It's made very well and is reasonably priced. I would recommend Apex'i, tomei, or greddy as well.

[codyace]

ApexI or Cosworth. Greddy's are also known to not fit the bores

You may also have forgotten to apply RTV around the front engine cover/oil pump. That would cause oil to leak (not alot, but a little)

I torqued mine down to 85 as well, in increments of 10.

Edit: I put the rest at the bottom
Modified by codyace at 7:58 AM 2/4/2008

[david200095367]

where does the silicone go? i didnt add silicone anywhere. you think if i open the head add silicone i can reuse the gasket?

[david200095367]

so the fsm says apply silicone to the block. but do i also add some to the head as well? also does the silicone just go around the timing chain area?

[david200095367]

Does it go only where i highlighted with yellow or further back?

[karmakaze]

power enterprise makes an amazing head gasket. its pretty pricey, but very worth it.

[fast_s13]

did you put the two 10mm bolts back in on the front of the head that go into the front cover

[david200095367]

yea i put those in. can anyone answer my other questions regarding the silicone?

[9240sx]

Cometic head gaskets are JUNK! But did you do the fsm right pattern for the headstuds? torque to 60 lbs then two 1/4 turns in the right order..Something like that...I cant remember.I can check for you if you dont have a fsm..But 75lbs on ARP headstud seems to loose..If you to what the fsm says you will end up with something closer to 90lbs..I would try re tq'ing all the studs the right way from the fsm..that sould do the trick.

[david200095367]

the fsm says 58 lbs but i used arp studs and they say 70-85 lbs.

[fast_s13]

i have the trust/greedy 1.4mm headgasket and arp studs..i torqued to 75ftlbs and didnt use any silicone on there and mine dosnt leak...i did have a cometic on and it leaked up front like yours is doing...bottem line buy a good name brand head gasket

[david200095367]

so should i take if off and buy an apexi one?

[david200095367]

i have the trust/greedy 1.4mm headgasket and arp studs..i torqued to 75ftlbs and didnt use any silicone on there and mine dosnt leak...i did have a cometic on and it leaked up front like yours is doing...bottem line buy a good name brand head gasket

so did you resurface the head and block when you used the greddy hg?

[fast_s13]

i had my head and block machined when i had it built... then i tried the cometic it leaked so i switched to greddy no problems since

[david200095367]

ok so this is what i plan on doing. remove the hg and spray it with copper spray and add silicone on the block where the front cover goes?

[driftin_sr20det]

Bingo... sounds like a plan. silicone is key for the front cover area, top and bottom of HG.

[9240sx]

the fsm says 58 lbs but i used arp studs and they say 70-85 lbs.

No i just checked my s13 sr20 fsm and no where does it say a tq spec for the stock head bolts..It has a tq sequence you do by a series of 1/4 turns.Where are you getting the info of 58lbs? That might be the tq spec you do first and then you do two 1/4 turns.like i said.

[david200095367]

[Hijacker]

That's only half the sequence. You may want to read EM 27 for the rest of it.

[david200095367]

but if im using arp studs dont i follow there tq specs? and theres is like 20, 50, 70. maximum last step 85 if using 20 weight lube.

[codyace]

If you're using ARP studs

Lube the ARP studs with ARP (or similar moly lube) on both threaded areas. Put the studs in by hand. Maybe use a small allen to gently snug, not tighten, them just to ensure they are all in..

Apply a bead of sillicone on the timing chain cover area. You can touch the actual block with it, but go no more than 1/4 past the timing chain cover. Use Permetex Ultra Gray, and none of that sloppy looking orange or blue stuff.

Put the gasket on. Do not use any sillicone or copper spray.

Again, spread a thin layer of RTV in the front timing area like you did before.

Put the head on

Dip the ARP washers in a oil, and then put the ARP washers on the studs(where they pop through) Yuo just need a slight little coating on them.

moly Lube the inner threads of each ARP nut, and then install them onto the studs. Use a normal wratchet to get them all on to start. Don't tighten, just snug them to the head.

Then, using a proper torque wrench (click type, none of that digital or bendy scale crap) torque them all down in FSM sequence (just number sequence, not in torque amounts) in incriments of 10 ft lbs. Do this until you get all the way up to 80, where you then stop, where you will then goto 85 in a 5 lb increment.

To easy.

FWIW: Yes you can technically reuse MLS gaskets. You can also reuse ARP hardware.

[david200095367]

alright thanks cody. Should i try to retorque everything or just pull everything off and use silicone?

[codyace]

I'd say pull it off, and silicone that cover...I know if it was my car, a slight oil leak would drive me insane!

[david200095367]

oh mines not slight.. it gushes out like a fountain! i pulled off the head yesterday and got the head resurfaced today. so i should have it all back together by tonight when i get outta school. Thanks everyone for the help!

[david200095367]

ill let you guys know how it goes the second time.

[codyace]

If you had the block decked by chance, and didn't ahve the front cover on the engine, it will be off a slight tad...ensure that's not the case!