Comanche County Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 So I'm replacing a leaky head gasket on my brother's 4.2L CJ7, he buys a gasket kit from Carquest that has an all metal head gasket. I'm not too keen on it actually and prefer the other type with the embedded metal rings but only because that's all I've used. Are the complete metal gaskets okay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfreeman616 Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 sure, if installed correctly with sealer and everything. but i'd still prefer the other kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 They work fine,I've known people who will go out of their way to get them over the other type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 IIRC, really the only time an all metal headgasket is needed, is when you're doing some sort of forced induction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 They are usually prefered for forced induction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratrapp Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 i used the mopar mls metal gasket last year when i swapped to a ho head on my truck.no leaks and was a few thousands thinner than the stocker for a shade more compresion(not that i really felt it).most newer vehicles all have some kind of metal headgaskets on them from the factory anymore.doesn't mean they're any better or worse than paper gaskets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comanche County Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 Thanks for the info, I think we'll try it. But do we need a sealant as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 I usually use copper coat on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritas4156 Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I use indian head shellac but thats just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zagscrawler Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Ive not done a head job yet on a 4L but i have used everything from solid copper to composite styles with metal rings and even NO gaskets at all with just comp rings and o-rings. In my opinion i would stay away from any solid metal gaskets unless you have aftermarket head bolts or studs placed into a solid block. The layered metalic ones are great but again don't hold to flex in head and block like the composite or tin-cored fabric ones. If i had steel block and heads id go with the layered metal with (like mentioned above) the proper sealant. The copper coat is the bomb, still gives a little when flexing without creating breaks in the sealant, but be sure to coat it a bunch of times before you install the head gasket. I normally use somewhere around 5-10 coats on gasket, but i do dust the stuff on for each coat. enouph to just cover last coat but do not make it run. Oh and i use a spray type sealer. When you install the gasket make sure you don't touch any of the preasure ports when handleing, like cyl sealing rings or water passages and oil ports. and be sure to clean the crap out of your head gasket before spraying any sealer onto it. I use alluminum brightener to be honest, works great and you can see it work as you clean, just don't get it on your hands. I'm sure there are other ways to clean the gasket that will work the same really. GL with your head job and for f-sake make sure all your surfaces are clean as can be, doesn't matter what gasket or sealants you use if things are dirty they won't stick. :wrench: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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