2 blown head gaskets????

[wadelo409]

my 1.6 na has went through 2 head gaskets in about a yr and a half. maybe 20,000 miles total. both times the head gasket gave out from the water jacket just to the right of cylinder 3 to the cylinder. this is one of 3 water jackets that dont have holes in the head gasket. both times the gasket material split and leaked coolant into the combustion chamber. so i guess my question is should the holes be in the gasket as i have read they shouldnt be and if not, what is causing the gasket to give out?
on another note i have to say that the head gasket and bolts that i used were from the swindler PROTHE on ebay. could sub standard gaskets and bolts cause this problem? i just put in a new gasket and bolts today and used a victor rienz head gasket and febi-bilstien bolts. i'm hoping that better quality parts will to the trick but any input into this problem is appretiated.....

[dubscientist]

Hey man whats up? Are you sure you don't have a warped cylinder head? I mean if its blowing in the same place, would that make sense. Good luck figuring it out

[wadelo409]

i thought that to, but it happened with 2 different heads. the car is runnin great right now so i'm gonna wait till my 1000 mile retorque and do a compression test and see if that gives me any info....the saga continues...

[rdezsofi]

The deck on the block....did you check that for any warpage? Not very common, but it does happen.

And yes, a Chinese headgasket and bolts can definitely be the issue. Make sure you're not running a cheap timing belt as well. Or anything else critical to your engine.

[theman53]

Do not use ANY engine parts from his site. I 100% gaurantee that it is his parts that are to blame.

also, I think the retorque is 1000km not miles. I think the bentley even had a misprint on it, but it is more like 600 miles.

[wadelo409]

my bentley states 1000 miles but i'll take and experienced person over that....600 miles it is.

do you think low compression on one or more of the cylinders could cause a failure? i guess time will tell if this one holds up.

the timing belt is a goodyear gatorback. i've had good luck with there belts on other cars so i figured i'd give it a shot. it was put on when i did the second head gasket...about 6 or 7 k ago.

if you guys think of anything els, let me know and thanx for the help


on another note, i'm still lookin for a right fender for my westy if anyone has one layin around.....thanx

[ragnar's vw]

does the engine run hot? is the waterpump moving enough water?

[wadelo409]

it never ran hot. the first time the head gasket went it made it home from work....about 20 miles or so and never left normal. the second head gasket failure didnt overheat either but i was near home and didnt go far plus i didnt run it long cause the oil looked like sludge with all the coolant mixed in.

as of right now the car is runnin pretty damn good. as good if not better than ever. this is with a better head gasket and better bolts and i followed the bentley to the letter.

i'm going to do a compression test after my retorque and see if i have any problems there.....

[Glegor]

my bentley states 1000 miles but i'll take and experienced person over that....600 miles it is.

do you think low compression on one or more of the cylinders could cause a failure? i guess time will tell if this one holds up.

the timing belt is a goodyear gatorback. i've had good luck with there belts on other cars so i figured i'd give it a shot. it was put on when i did the second head gasket...about 6 or 7 k ago.

if you guys think of anything els, let me know and thanx for the help


on another note, i'm still lookin for a right fender for my westy if anyone has one layin around.....thanx

NO, i doubt LOW compression would cause issues. that SHOULD make your head gaskets last indefinitely, being low on compression..