D.j. Kellogg

I was reading a few threads on another site about this gasket issue and I was wondering if you ever reused a head gasket or any other sensitive gaskets. I just want to know from people who actually tried to do it, doesn't matter if it worked, failed, whatever.

If you done it tell me the results, what type of gasket it was, how much was the gasket cost wise, why you thought you could do it without incident, the type of vehicle, and how long it lasted.

jacilynn_s

I haven't had the need to do so on a car engine but yes I have reused head gaskets on small engines. Actually it's a good idea on snowmobile engines in some cases as the original steel headgaskets are stronger and last better than the replacement composite which tend to blow out. Single cylinder lawnmowers, tillers, snowblowers, pumps all seem to work just fine reusing the gasket.

Steel headgaskets can be reused if you clean the hell out of them then repaint them with either copper or aluminum paint, which one does with new ones anyways, and install wet torquing down as soon as you can.

Like I said I have only done it with small engines. I'm have talked with people who have done this on cars and swear by it however I'm leary of such simply because most of the time I remove a head from a car it has been shaved because it was slightly warped or is not from that engine to begin with.

bremereric

No way Ojay.

TVLynn

There is too much work involved to take a chance

pro-tech

For the price of a head gasket it isnt worth the risk of having it fail. Intermix with the risk of bearing failure. etc ect. As jacilyn was saying on small engines there isnt much risk,time,& expense. Fix it right the first time.

Gorts 5th

X-2 x-2
i had a friend back in my high school days who reused both steel head gaskets..
he painted them with the liquid copper sealant, we all warned him but he said the guy at the parts store recommended this process well not even ten minutes into starting it up and adjusting the timing and such the motor got hot and POP steam all over the place driver side steel gasket blew it was so bad of a leak that the water was running out from under the head.
Well we warned him. some guys laughed at him we all made fun "told you so".
Well he went on too claim he "must have mixed up the gaskets and put them on the wrong side, also that's what he said the parts guy told him happened...covering his azz.
He never did believe us. But in the end he had to install new.
This was done in a Pontiac 400 out of his 79 trans am.

PURPLE HORONET

I just put my 440 together and was nervous about piston to valve clearance. I pulled the head back off and checked it, I bought a new gasket. In my case I most likely could have reused the gasket. Being the engine was never fired, but I hate doing things twice tring to save a buck. Learned my lesson years ago. The only gaskets I will reuse is copper header gaskets