My blown head gasket pictures

[ssdurango]

For those who havn't read my other posts.... I had coolant getting into the oil on my supercharged propane 3.4. Coolant was running out the side of head gasket into the lifter valley. I pulled the head and found pieces of the gasket missing. I looks to me like presure has blown past the fire ring and taken out the material around the coolant area of the head gasket. It has blown right through on #6 and #4 cylinders and looks to be starting on #2 as well. These are Felpro head gaskets, done in April, held down with ARP head studs.

Has anyone seen this before?

[Google Adsense]

[Superdave]

use the GM graphite gaskets, or ROL makes some that are .045 compressed and very good quality.

Felpro headgaskets have been known to blow under boost.

[discostu]

How many miles on those head gaskets? Were the metal rings cracked at all, or just the gasket material?

Even Felpro gaskets aren't going to last forever, especially in a boosted application. Maybe go with a thinner head gasket if you can?

[ssdurango]

The gaskets have about ~5000 miles on them ...maybe

The fire ring on #6 had a deep scratch but no cracks. Some discoloring on the top inboard side of the fire rings can also be seen. I can upload a better pic...

[3400-95-Modified]

use the GM graphite gaskets, or ROL makes some that are .045 compressed and very good quality.

Felpro headgaskets have been known to blow under boost.

I second that... Mine never held up to my nitrous... I now run the GM 04 3400 graphite head gaskets.

here is what happened to mine.





Note the steam cleaned edge of the piston...

Both head gaskets in exactly the same spot obviously one was on the front of the motor and one was the rear, so cylinders 2 and 5 IIRC

[90BlueZ]

I blew a set of felpro too on my turbo 3400. Similar to you guy, those gaskets are junk. 04+ GM graphite FTW

[ssdurango]

Thanks guy, I don't feel alone and depressed anymore

I might just try gm 3400 gaskets.....
Arn't 3400 head gaskets thicker than 3.4 gaskets though?

[WrathOfSocrus]

use the GM graphite gaskets, or ROL makes some that are .045 compressed and very good quality.

Felpro headgaskets have been known to blow under boost.

I see the 2.8 and 3.1 ROL graphite head gaskets but I don't see them for the 3.4 or 3400. I was having issues trying to use the ROL site. I also saw a head set for the 3100 but couldn't find info about the gaskets or a picture. Do you have a part number or link to the 3.4/3400 gasket? I could have sworn I also saw a MLS gasket somewhere but I can't seem to find that at the moment either.

[3400-95-Modified]

Ben had MLS gaskets at one point in time but they just didn't sell iirc... I'm sure if you contacted someone who makes MLS ones they could come up with something for the 3400 if you sent in a stocker. I can't think of the company that someone recommended to me, but they will make custom order MLS stuff.

[Superdave]

I see the 2.8 and 3.1 ROL graphite head gaskets but I don't see them for the 3.4 or 3400. I was having issues trying to use the ROL site. I also saw a head set for the 3100 but couldn't find info about the gaskets or a picture. Do you have a part number or link to the 3.4/3400 gasket? I could have sworn I also saw a MLS gasket somewhere but I can't seem to find that at the moment either.

i ran the thinner 3.4 gaskets a while back, Autozone sells them for about $10 a piece. I don't have a part number anymore but just look up a set for the 3.4 Camaro.

I don't think ROL does a set for the 3400 but i could be wrong.