MLS head gasket issue? or something else.

[SappySE107]

Ok...I have to edit this cause im trashed...but this is just...man...wtf. You are totally ignoring me and John. You have come up with a conclusion based on what you ran with after I even mentioned copper spray. Did I say you had to initially? Did I post that anywhere? Is it on the store? Did I type anything out and include it? I might not be the best with the phone (and missed a PM) but I tend to do a little better on necessities, and product listings.

How many times must I say it? You do not have to do anything to the gaskets for the first install. The first time you install the gaskets, they are good to go for installation. There is nothing you need to modify on the gaskets when you install them. Can I stop? Please?

Milling. Necessary. Must. No stock heads meet this, and its not that the RA is hard to deal with. Its the flatness. Buy a straight edge. If you want to blame everyone but the shop, start by proving them right. I want .001" max. Unfortunately, I am experienced with machine shops and these heads. They all need to be milled for MLS gaskets. Every single set I have sold gets milled .003" before its cleaned up MINIMUM. I have never seen a flat head without machine work.

[AaronGTR]

Ok...I have to edit this cause im trashed...but this is just...man...wtf. You are totally ignoring me and John. You have come up with a conclusion based on what you ran with after I even mentioned copper spray. Did I say you had to initially? Did I post that anywhere? Is it on the store? Did I type anything out and include it? I might not be the best with the phone (and missed a PM) but I tend to do a little better on necessities, and product listings.

How many times must I say it? You do not have to do anything to the gaskets for the first install. The first time you install the gaskets, they are good to go for installation. There is nothing you need to modify on the gaskets when you install them. Can I stop? Please?

Milling. Necessary. Must. No stock heads meet this, and its not that the RA is hard to deal with. Its the flatness. Buy a straight edge. If you want to blame everyone but the shop, start by proving them right. I want .001" max. Unfortunately, I am experienced with machine shops and these heads. They all need to be milled for MLS gaskets. Every single set I have sold gets milled .003" before its cleaned up MINIMUM. I have never seen a flat head without machine work.

ok, well if that's how you want to be...


NO WHERE IN THE INSTRUCTIONS, ON THE FORUM, OR ON YOUR WEBSITE DOES IT SAY THAT THE HEADS "HAVE" TO BE MILLED. ONLY THAT THEY HAVE TO BE 50RA OR BETTER. IF MILLING IS REQUIRED MAYBE YOU SHOULD PUT THAT IN THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ON YOUR FRIGGING STORE? IT WOULD BE NICE TO LET YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW WHAT THEY NEED TO DO BEFORE INSTALLING THESE GASKETS...


Again, I asked the machine shop to check the heads and block for flatness, they did. I am not the expert, they are. There... can I stop now? Please?

[onefastV6]

I always thought decking the heads was common practice when doing rebuild...... especially if you previously had a blown head gasket. A straight edge only tells so much and decking the heads is good insurance that the heads are not only flat, but clean. I am willing to bet if you have never had the heads decked, that after driving the car (especially supercharged) there had to be some warpage due to heat cycles and so forth. Decking the heads isn't going to mess with your compression ratio enought that it is going to make a difference. With that said, get the heads decked so you get the correct surface or you are wasting your time.

My POS daily driver (98 dodge neon) was leaking oil from the headgasket with 30,000 miles on it. I tore it down and the head was flat, but the shop recommended that I deck the head because I was using a MLS gasket. I had the head decked, however I did not use copper spray as the gasket directions did not advise of it. I had read where people used copper spray, but chose to go without the copper spray it and it sealed up fine. Since you are boosted you may want to use the copper spray.

I am not sure why your shop said the head surface was fine, but in my oppinion that is where the problem is.

[AaronGTR]

Well, that makes sense. Again though, I wish someone had told me that before I installed the head gaskets, and I don't know why the shop didn't tell me I should deck the head since they knew I was using MLS gaskets.

I told them my head gaskets had blown, and specifically told them I was using MLS gaskets and wanted them to check the heads to make sure they were flat. They told me they didn't need to be decked.


Regardless, I can not get them decked now. I've already said this. I don't have another car to drive and can't take the heads off and take them in for more machine work. I can't have the car down for that long and I'm tired of spending more and more money on it to fix problems that could have avoided in the first place if I'd been properly warned of the issues with using these gaskets. I don't care who's fault it is. One or the other should have been able to tell me.

I really don't care anymore. I'm done with these things. I ordered two OEM head gaskets and an LIM gasket set and when they get here next week I'll be swapping them out. If anyone wants a lightly used set of MLS gaskets and plans on getting their heads decked PM me. You can have 'em cheap.

[pocket-rocket]

Believe me, I'm not trying to kick a dead horse here, only offering my experience, but as Phil said, any time I've got a car brought to me that ate a set of head gaskets the first thing that gets done on teardown is the heads get taken to a machine shop for cleaning, pressure testing and decking- and this is on a stock application. Usually I don't specify decking unless it's needed, but the old gear head guy (that moved to South Bend >.<) that worked the machine shop I took stuff too had to mill every set of aluminum heads I brought to him, but he was old school and knew a lot, so I never questioned decking and so it became standard on every set.

[SappySE107]

You bitch cause no one said you have to mill the heads but it says 50RA, which NO 3400 heads are factory. So it did say on a sheet of paper to mill the heads but you got bad info from your shop. How is that my fault? I repeated the information Cometic has for their gaskets (which you don't have, and there is no listing for your gaskets). Blame me for that? Of course you do.

The kicker? You still won't mill your heads and after bitching about me ignoring you one time, you are ignoring me. I am done wasting my time.

[AaronGTR]

You bitch cause no one said you have to mill the heads but it says 50RA, which NO 3400 heads are factory. So it did say on a sheet of paper to mill the heads but you got bad info from your shop. How is that my fault? I repeated the information Cometic has for their gaskets (which you don't have, and there is no listing for your gaskets). Blame me for that? Of course you do.

The kicker? You still won't mill your heads and after bitching about me ignoring you one time, you are ignoring me. I am done wasting my time.

Again, how am I supposed to know what finish the factory heads do or don't meet? I'm not the expert. I've never done a rebuild like this on an engine before. I was trying to make sure things got done the right way the first time by asking you, asking the machine shop, and searching for information here. Unfortunately all of those sources let me down. And you say I still won't mill my heads.... AS IF I HAVE A FUCKING CHOICE!? I could have done it the first time when the heads where getting worked on and I had another car to drive... if I'd known it needed to be done! Although I've already posted it THREE TIMES, I can't get the heads milled now. I don't have the time or money available for it. I've spent too much on this project already, and the last of the money I can put towards it is going to have to go towards new gaskets and fluids to tear the top end apart AGAIN.... which I wouldn't be doing now if it wasn't for the fact that I trusted my shop, and you, to tell me what I needed and didn't need. I'm done wasting my time too. The biggest waste of my time was asking YOU for help, because you obviously don't give a shit!

[SappySE107]

Oh now the whole site let you down. Perhaps you should have sent me the heads to go through them for you. No reputable shop I am familiar with would tell a customer that the heads were ready for MLS gaskets, when they were removed due to a blown head gasket and had never be milled. I bet if that reputable shop you went to had a forum, you wouldn't be here getting your thread locked.

Lesson from this. Mill your heads if you want them flat and usable for new gaskets if your head gaskets blow, regardless of what kind of gasket they are.