SR Head Leaking- I wanna Die

[impact240sx]

Ok so I decided that since I had been beating on my car with drifting and being addicted to boost, I would Replace my headgasket. Well I took the head off installed arp headstuds and put in a cometic headgasket.

Well I put the car together (with out radiator and no coolant) started it, it idled and revved mint, and even blew off. So i put in the radiator and filled it up with coolant. Well while i was workin on something else (before i even started it) it started leaking coolant from the head, towards the back on intake side. So I started it and it was gushing coolant out, but it was still running fine.

So do you guys think it is a bad headgasket, warped head or what? I have my head torqued to 90ft lbs.

All I can say is I'm leaving for the navy in a month and I need this car to run in a month. Sorry the post was so long but please help me, I'm so pissed cuz I just dumped another 800 dollars on top of the 8k I have in the car. Thanks

[T-rev]

you won't find much love for the Cometic head gasket here, because of its history of poor sealing.

From what you said it sounds like its not sealing a water passage.

Be prepared for everyone telling you to get a cosworth.

[garagelu]

I think its pointless to ask us what is wrong. Obviously something is not sealing so there is no way around it. Do it right and pull the head to see what is wrong. You may have overlooked something during the install. Did you clean the head surface and the block surface before installing the head gasket?

Also if you blew a head gasket, you may want to go take the head to get the surface decked just in case of warping.

And save yourself the pain, buy an apexi or cosworth head gasket to replace that cometic. Then take the head off, clean the mating surfaces, install the gasket and make sure nothing is in the way when you are installing the head. Get a friend to help you if you can't do it yourself.

[impact240sx]

It was not pointless, to ask what was wrong cuz A. I wanted to know if anyone else ever had the same problemB. To confirm that Cometic sucks. I had someone tell me that they sucked after the problem, but I also had many people say they lliked them

Also like I stated in the first sentence, I changed headgaskets just because I have been beating on the motor, not cuz it blew. Also the surfaces were mint.

Now my next problem is, that If I complain to cometic, will they just replace it, or give me my money back?

[Sileighty_85]

anytime you remove the head you should take it to a machine shop and have it checked.

even if it never over heated just taking it off will make it warp slightly.

Remove head take to machine shop, buy Power Enterprise head gasket and install per FSM/ARP

[cody180sx]

you cant put on a metal head gasket without decking the head and block or it will not seal at all

[T-rev]

head and deck prep: theory and application

http://www.beyondthedyno.com/Blogs/Eric/?p=1025

[Sileighty_85]

you cant put on a metal head gasket without decking the head and block or it will not seal at all

decking the block is not completly nessary unless you overheated the engine really bad

Ive helped plenty of H/G swaps and never machined the block, only the head

[jr_ss]

Do some research next time before you just jump into buying a HG... Cometics do not seal on our engines period. Apexi, Cosworth, PE, whatever your flavor, just stay away from Cometic.

[impact240sx]

Yeah your right I should of researched, but it was in a package deal on enjukuracing, and I've spent about 4k in parts from them in the past year, so I trusted that if they had it it would be good enough lol, oh well you learn something every day I guess. Well I'm gonna get my head decked and I just ordered a tomei headgasket. I'm guessing they're good right? They seem to be one of the more prestigious companies making stuff for the sr.

[garagelu]

So after all of the recommendations from us on apexi, cosworth, and power enterprise head gaskets, you decide to buy a tomei?

Why not just buy the gasket that everyone knows is a working and quality gasket. I have never heard or used a tomei and assume they are good but why not listen to everyones recommendations?

And plus on phase2motortrend, tomei is more expensive than the apexi. Did you buy it off the forums cheaper?

[Sileighty_85]

So after all of the recommendations from us on apexi, cosworth, and power enterprise head gaskets, you decide to buy a tomei?

Why not just buy the gasket that everyone knows is a working and quality gasket. I have never heard or used a tomei and assume they are good but why not listen to everyones recommendations?

And plus on phase2motortrend, tomei is more expensive than the apexi. Did you buy it off the forums cheaper?

Tomei is goodI had one on my Hachiroku When i was swapping block for Kouki 4AG bottom end I reused it and still sealed it.

[Justin35ll]

I would wanna die too. Good luck with the fix

[the converted]

your positive it is the head and that you didn't miss a coolant hose? Cosworth is the best price for a good gasket, no need to spend more of the JDM brands.

[impact240sx]

I was Just ordering a bunch of more parts from enjuku and it was the only other one they had, and I didn't feel like orderin from more then on place. And I'm 100% sure its coming from the hg because I took my intake mani off to check.

I personally like tomei and I trust them.

[jr_ss]

The Cosworth is $100 cheaper and is known to be one of the best H/G on the market... Why risk it? Because of a personal preference? Well atleast you're getting the head decked..

[impact240sx]

Enjuku Doesn't carry the cosworth one, and I saved on shipping by ordering everything from the same place, and well, look on the bright side i'll be able to let you all know my impressions of the tomei hg

[rc1honda]

Make sure you are really leaking form the head. I had the same problem but it turned out i forgot to plug up a coolant hose and it was in a spot that it looked like it was coming from the head but it wasn't. Also yes you should deck the head before putting it on the block, but your don't have to deck the block. Also get some copper gasket spray and spray a thin layer on both sides of the gasket. You should be fine then. As far as Cometic goes i think its weird cuz i just put my GReddy HG in and my buddie brought his Cometic one over and we compared them side by side and the Cometic one was way more beefy and looked nicer and stronger then the GReddy. Cometic after all was the company to make the first MLS HG. I think they know what they are doing. I just think the copper s*** makes all the difference. Even more so when you don't deck the block to.

[Hijacker]

decking the block is not completly nessary unless you overheated the engine really bad

Ive helped plenty of H/G swaps and never machined the block, only the head

On iron blocks, that's generally the case. However, aluminum tends to warp easily. Since usually a headgasket job is done on the stand, there's no harm in dragging the block to get checked and decked as well. I have done gasket jobs with and without checking the block, but on any of my personal projects, I always have the block checked.

Also, and this is a bit of experience advice. Retorque your head after the break in period when you use a metal HG. The easiest way to do it is to break and then torque each head stud/bolt one at a time. So start in the center, break one and then retorque it. Then break/retorque the next. Then proceed to the next outer set. Never break more than one at a time, though. You'll be surprised how much more the head will sit. On a lot of MHG projects I've seen that weren't retorqued, they leaked after the break in period. The one's that were retorqued didn't leak.