Why does headgasket fail? 95ish Neon

[pepsi_coke]

Hey~
I know this isnt 60degV6 or even GM related, but I thought I would ask anyways .. My friend has a 1995 or 1996 Dodge Neon .. blown headgasket .. and Im left in charge of it! YAY!!

But I believe I remeber hearing that the Neons quite frequently blow the head gasket. Does anyone here know why?

Think its the gasket material used in factory was bad? Was wondering if I should just do the job regulary and used Fel-Pro gaskets or somethin or is there an issue with the motor that needs replaced while Im down there?

Thanks
Jay

[RacerX11]

RE: Why does headgasket fail? 95ish Neon

Those vintage Neons had two different problems with the head gaskets. The first is a poorly designed oil supply passage to the head that is located outside of the head bolts, resulting in very un-even clamping pressure on the gasket. The gaskets tend to fail here first, resulting in an oil leak on the back driver's side of the engine. The second problem is the gasket design itself was not very good at sealing an iron block, aluminum head interface. There is an updated MLS head gasket from MOPAR that is reccomended for any replacements. I'm not sure if the aftermarket Fel-Pro is the MLS design or the standard composite design like the early factory gaskets.

When you do the work, make sure the block and head surface are both flat, or you will be back doing it again soon.

Marty

[pepsi_coke]

Hmm .. Just as I thought. the MLS at Chrysler/Dodge dealerships ..

Thanks

[Lyle's GTP]

Well, when I worked at Optimax, we did a couple rebuilds on those 2.4 units. I do recall that they called for an ultra-fine finish for the block and cylinder head decks. Like stupily smooth, so smooth infact that the only way to acheive the "factory specified" finish is to stone finish it. But the funny thing is that the heads were the coarsest deck job I have ever seen from the factory (or aftermarket). But no engine rebuild shop would ever take the time to do it properly. So, when we did it we maxed out our machine and went as good as we could. Of course it wasn't good enough, but that was the Optimax way.

So, maybe that is the problem.

Lyle

[Doubt_Incarnate]

i think the quad 4's had a problem with material. the aluminum heats/expanded faster and tore the gasket up. it makes sense that it might happen on the neon too. but i also read those car were cheaper to build than the escort, caviler, and everything else in its class. including the infestation kown as, the civc. so i'm sure they chinsed out on something, everybody does. i heard the also develop mysterious oil leaks, and the above post explained that to me pretty clearly.

[RacerX11]

The Quad's main head gasket problem was due to the dog-bone mount on the head, which put a bending moment on the head gasket joint. After they redesigned the mounts to eliminate the dogbone, the later engines had far fewer head gasket problems.

BTW, cheaper to build does not always mean worse quality. If a car is engineered and designed right, it can save money in the manufacturing process without hurting quality.

Marty