head gasket advice

[bilge rat]

got a new toy ,bought it with head gasket gone , no 4 . (300tdi) stripped it out all seems o.k (except the gasket). thing is theres no knotches on the gasket or markings. its a payen gasket says by 500 and hza on it. am i right in thinking that iff theres no knotches on it its the thickest gasket ?. thanks alan.....

[Les Henson]

No notches indicates maximum thickness. Each notch is worth .010mm.
Just replace like for like. It seems that the head has been removed before, as a zero notch head gasket is not a manufacturers fitment usually. Some people will always use a zero notch head gasket after a head skim - just to play it safe. You can calculate the correct gasket thickness required by measuring piston protrusion from the deck of the block at TDC. Payen are good quality head gaskets - I use them 90% of the time.

[Disco69]

The MORE NOTCHES there are the THICKER the gasket will be.

Just use the thickest one - that way you can't get it wrong!

Ask your supplier if you are not sure as they will have the different thicknesses listed in their parts catalogue.

[Jon v8]

Follow the proceedure in the workshop manual to get the correct bump clearance - skimming the head makes no difference to choice of gasket on these engines.Be wary of the latest genuine multi layer gasket - they leak oil out around the feed to the rockers.Elring were the original OE suppliers to LR and this type of gasket is still available.
Fitting the thickest gasket is a cop out - if the engine measures for a thinner one it will be low on power and not start as well.

[Les Henson]

The last word on gasket thicknessesses:-

The MORE NOTCHES there are the THICKER the gasket will be.
well not quite, but here's the final word on it:-

200Tdi & 300Tdi cylinder head gasket sizes

1 hole 1.30mm ----- ERR5261 for piston protrusion between 0.50 to 0.60mm
2 hole 1.40mm ----- ERR5262 --------------------------------- 0.61 to 0.70mm
3 hole 1.50mm ----- ERR5263 --------------------------------- 0.71 to 0.80mm
NO holes 1.60mm -- ERR7154 ------------ if higher than 0.80mm use the NO HOLE gasket.

So (for instance), if you were supposed to have a 1- notch head gasket, and you fitted a no-notch head gasket, you are only fitting a gasket that is in effect 3-tenths of a mm thicker than necessary. You would need some fancy testing equipment to notice any difference in starting/general fuel consumption/performance. Fitting a no hole gasket after a rebuild, head skim, any reason for removing the head is not really a bodge as such, but more of a 'play it safe' type of thing.
Lets face it - if you don't know the history of your engine, what would you rather do - play it safe or trash your engine? I have fitted a no-hole gasket as a precautionary measure on many occasions, and I don't botch a job.

[Jon v8]

No,sorry - if you dont know the history of the engine then the sensible thing to do is to measure the piston protusions and select the correct gasket.If it didnt make any any difference then why do nearly all diesel manufacturers use differing thickness gaskets or liner shims.
And as I said skimming the head will make no difference to gasket choice.
Put it together properly and it will have the best chance of long service life and proper output.

[bilge rat]

it has been replaced before and as you say with not knowing the engine history its more difficult. the motor has done 175 thou. so well ran in. bores look good though. thought it made a difference iff you had the head skimed, guess not. is the multi gasket like the klinger type multi steel sort. is it best to stay clear of this type, cheers alan...

[Disco69]

The last word on gasket thicknessesses:-

The MORE NOTCHES there are the THICKER the gasket will be.
well not quite, but here's the final word on it:-

200Tdi & 300Tdi cylinder head gasket sizes

1 hole 1.30mm ----- ERR5261 for piston protrusion between 0.50 to 0.60mm
2 hole 1.40mm ----- ERR5262 --------------------------------- 0.61 to 0.70mm
3 hole 1.50mm ----- ERR5263 --------------------------------- 0.71 to 0.80mm
NO holes 1.60mm -- ERR7154 ------------ if higher than 0.80mm use the NO HOLE gasket.

So (for instance), if you were supposed to have a 1- notch head gasket, and you fitted a no-notch head gasket, you are only fitting a gasket that is in effect 3-tenths of a mm thicker than necessary. You would need some fancy testing equipment to notice any difference in starting/general fuel consumption/performance. Fitting a no hole gasket after a rebuild, head skim, any reason for removing the head is not really a bodge as such, but more of a 'play it safe' type of thing.
Lets face it - if you don't know the history of your engine, what would you rather do - play it safe or trash your engine? I have fitted a no-hole gasket as a precautionary measure on many occasions, and I don't botch a job.

Tahnkyou for clearing that one up Les.
I didn't realise you could get a gasket with no notches - whenever I've bought them, the suppliers have only stocked gaskets with three notches.

Bilge rat - If you are going to measure the piston protrusion it might be worth checking the big end bearings for any play as this will affect the accuracy of your measurement.
I seem to remember replacing my big end bearings at a similar mileage.

Hope this helps