Thread: which head gasket for 97 3.9

yes ARP studs are good,,
and as far as I can tell--
1 size fits all V8 land Rovers

Cheers.So the arp studs can replace stretch bolts as well as normal non stretch head bolts ?
Regards
Shane

Cheers.So the arp studs can replace stretch bolts as well as normal non stretch head bolts ?

Yes

I would not revert to tin gaskets. In fact I went from tin to composite on my 92RRC.
However my composites started to leak out the head ends in 90KK. BTW my tin gaskets also leaked out of the head ends.

I have been told (by TRS) that the problem is the Elring OEM composites in particular and that "Perfect Seal" composites are the ducks gutz. This was in a phone call to Ian when I bought the ARP studs, and he volunteered the info woithout knowing what my problem was stating that they had given up on Elring about 8 years ago and found the Perfect Seal to be excellent with no comebacks. So he is either a good salesman or genuine take your pick. Anyway time will tell.

So I have fitted ARP studs and perfect seal gaskets, so now hope that I never leak a drop of water again!

If you use tin gaskets you will gain a bit of compression, but the manifold does not like the lack of alignment and on my car ( where I had milled the head 50thou before using a composite , so the height effect would be similar), I found the inlet quite loose after 90KK. I think it maybe was not positioned properly because of the head height discrepancy and moved over time. This time I fitted latest spec heads which are designed for composite gaskets as are yours.

The correct way for higher compression is high comp pistons.

In summary, I have tried both and IMHO composites are better. Elrings seal the cylinder excellently but unfortunately not the water. I also used the rubberised valley gasket and I like them also. Hopefully it will not delaminate like they could do .
Regards Philip A

Thanks PhilipA.
I am not really after higher compression,I just thought the tin gaskets would be a more reliable choice.I am just wanting to build a strong and reliable engine,not after more power as IMHO the 3.9 is fine and have been happy with it for the last few years without any problems at all.Thanks for the advice on Elring gaskets,a lot of people recommend these on this site but I will research the Perfect Seal gaskets and see what I come up with.

Cheers
Shane

Composites and spray them with Hyloma spray. Will never leak.

Originally Posted by shaunp

Composites and spray them with Hyloma spray. Will never leak.

Cheers.Seems like composites are the go.Also spoke to the guy in Lismore that will be doing the head work for me and he said tin gaskets need everything to be absolutely perfect so seeing that I won't be getting the bottom end done it looks like composites are the go.I am planning to use hylomar spray as I have used it on previous engines on different cars I have done.

Cheers
Shane

Some good info here.

Just spoke to the very helpful guys at triumph rover spares in Adelaide.They have a graphite head gasket which they say is the best money can buy and guarantee that you will have no failures with it.I was also told that Elring gaskets are no good as they rely on the huge amount of tension from the stretch bolts for a good seal which is not a good thing as the stretch bolts put a lot of stress on the heads and block and is a known fault for block cracking and head warping.A good fix seems to be the softer graphite gasket and ARP head studs which are only tensioned to 65 ft/lb with a normal torque wrench and not degree torqued like the stretch bolts.Pulling the heads out today and hoping they are o.k. Hope this info is helpful for some.
Cheers
Shane