Thread: 300TDi 3 plate steel head gasket, Which Way Up

Originally Posted by Tank

Blown a head gasket again, blown HG was a fibre composite, the head has a dip (.08mm) between 2 and 3 pots, got about 10K out of blown gasket.
This time I am fitting a Steel 3 plate gasket and I need to know which way is UP and Front, prev. gasket had the 3 hole I.D. between injector ports 3 and 4 and the w/shop manual says that's right, I need to confirm that that is so with the 3 steel plate gasket.
Also as the head bolts are only 10K old is it imperitave that they be replaced, esp. as a steel gasket is being used, I am not getting the head machined this time as it is within factory spec .08mm.
Would appreciate any info about above as am stuck in Canberra and need to get home, Thanks, Regards Frank.

Hi Frank

Look carefully at both the headgasket and the block as there is one small hole which is the oil galley, supplying oil from the block to the head, if the gasket is installed the wrong way around that hole would be blocked.

Best to replace the bolts, but last time I had the head off my defender, I reused mine, no problems so far.
The defender is now coming up to a 100,000 Klm mark, then I will be changing the head gasket and the bolts regardless.

Cheers Arthur

Thanks Arthur, appreciate that, Regards Frank.

you can reuse the tdi headbolts.

my advise is not to but to keep that ability up your sleeve in case you have to do a field repair and cant get the head bolts.