MLS Vs fibre head gasket

  1. Infrequent Poster Joined: Dec 2009 Oswestry / Lyneham Posts: 180 1993 106 XSI 1.4 miami 2005 Fiesta mk6
    #1
    The 16v engine I've just fitted to my car had a pretty bad oil leak coming from the head. The cam covers were weeping abit as they usually do, but I narrowed it down to the headgasket.

    I've taken the head off and it has a multilayer steel gasket on it. After speaking to a few friends, they think that's why it was probably leaking as they think the steel gaskets are utterly useless.

    Would just like the opinion of some of you technical boffins with more experience than myself... Should I replace it with a fibre gasket or stick with the MLS ones? What do they come with as standard?

    Also, where exactly are the stamps/holes which indicate which thickness of gasket it is? ie standard or repair gasket?
  2. Saxperience Forum Bum Joined: Jul 2010 South Wales Posts: 3078 ZX 16v, 205 GTI, 309 Goodwood, 405 MI16.
    #2
    MLS gaskets are o.e and far superior to the standard fibre ones if its a steel block.

    here will be a tab sticking out at the thermostat end of the head which will have a number of holes to indicate thickness, trouble is often enough you can;t get a thicker MLS gasket without going for a competition unit which costs significantly more.
  3. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Aug 2009 ilkeston derbyshire Posts: 9823 C2 VTR stripped, 406hdi, clio 172
    #3
    whoever said mls gaskets are useless is talking crap, far superior imo.
  4. Infrequent Poster Joined: Dec 2009 Oswestry / Lyneham Posts: 180 1993 106 XSI 1.4 miami 2005 Fiesta mk6
    #4
    Hmm cheers for the info guys.

    Done abit more research and turns out alot of people have had trouble with mls gaskets. It appears they work well, but only if the head AND block are checked/skimmed and known to be 100% perfect.

    The composite ones aren't quite as good but are very good at sealing slight imperfections on the face of the block.

    I want a MLS one but don't want to sort it to find it's still leaking, and i'm not willing to take the block out to be checked aswel. So still abit undecided at which to get :/
  5. Saxperience Forum Bum Joined: Mar 2011 plymouth Posts: 2921 mk2 VTS
    #5
    if you get your head skimmed and stick a mls on you should be okay how bad was the hg leak and what condition was the old gasket in
  6. Saxperience Post Whore Joined: Aug 2009 ilkeston derbyshire Posts: 9823 C2 VTR stripped, 406hdi, clio 172
    #6
    i've fitted hundreds of mls gaskets and never had a problem. as you say, the head has to be true,but its fairly standard pratice to skim an ally head anyway. never had a distorted block in 20 years of daily spannering, i usually just check for any burning between cylinders as if there has been a problem with hg failure between 2 pots in the past,and its been run for any length of time,the block can get damaged/eroded there
  7. Infrequent Poster Joined: Dec 2009 Oswestry / Lyneham Posts: 180 1993 106 XSI 1.4 miami 2005 Fiesta mk6
    #7
    Cheers for the advice guys.

    Was a pretty bad leak, which is why I pulled out of the rally last weekend. Was all over the engine side of the flywheel, covered the back of the block and started going under the floor. Was quite abit around the exhaust cam pulley aswell.

    The gasket looked in a pretty poor state, the 3 different layers had peeled away from each other at both ends. But I've never really had much to do with headgaskets so they might be like that anyway once compressed?
  8. Saxperience Forum Bum Joined: Jul 2010 South Wales Posts: 3078 ZX 16v, 205 GTI, 309 Goodwood, 405 MI16.
    #8
    they aren't bonded so they will come apart.