XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 15, 2014 Hey guys, I just aquired a EF/EL XR6 (94DT) head to drop on the XG motor in my XF ute. So lastnight I ordered a EA-AU Permaseal MLS headgasket that should arrive early next week. My question is, has anyone else used this particular brand of gasket? And if so, does it come pre-coated with some type of sealing compound, or should a copper sealant be sprayed/brushed on it, or should I just install it dry? The new head has been freshly decked 20thou, so has a nice clean surface, and I expect the block to be in a good, flat condition (after cleaning) as it only has 168,000kms on it. I've seen plenty of good reviews about this gasket, but nothing about whether to coat it or not before installation. I'll be using brand new TTY headbolts I have here too. Just want to make sure I get a good seal between the head and block, as I am running a Wade 977B camshaft with double valve springs, and expect the comp ratio to be a little higher than stock with the 20thou decking and the thinner MLS gasket. Any info/advice would be greatly appreciated as always. Thanks in advance. Jay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nos2 751 Posted August 15, 2014 Spray it 1 XFute-1JZsoarer reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 15, 2014 Cheers mate, any product recommendations? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nos2 751 Posted August 15, 2014 Permatex copper spray 2 slydog and XFute-1JZsoarer reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted August 15, 2014 ACL Hylomar spray is what we use on some Diesels that had common head gasket woes and can have up to 22:1 compression. Great stuff if you ask me. 7 Ando81, bear351c, slydog and 4 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 15, 2014 I was looking into both of those products, is the Hylomar "Blue" the one to get? Is it copper like the similar Permatex sealant? Thanks very much for the input guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slydog 7,873 Posted August 15, 2014 And been the only baby around here I'd suggest checking piston to valve clearance and making sure the cam is dialed in spot on thanks to the decked head thinner gasket and higher lift camshaft making cam timing critical. P.S I have seen people spray there gaskets with silver frost too 3 XFute-1JZsoarer, SPArKy_Dave and bear351c reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear351c 10,270 Posted August 15, 2014 LMAO..........me too !!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted August 15, 2014 I was looking into both of those products, is the Hylomar "Blue" the one to get? Is it copper like the similar Permatex sealant? Thanks very much for the input guys. 1 XFute-1JZsoarer reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted August 15, 2014 Lol Silver Frost... The poor man's Hylomar but it works! 2 slydog and bear351c reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigCav 464 Posted August 15, 2014 anyone used the VHT copper spray? that seems to be the easiest to get at any auto store 1 slydog reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 15, 2014 And been the only baby around here I'd suggest checking piston to valve clearance and making sure the cam is dialed in spot on thanks to the decked head thinner gasket and higher lift camshaft making cam timing critical. I thought as much, thanks for the advice bud. Permaseal recommend only using their MLS gasket with the head decked no more than 30thou, as the gasket is also 30thou thinner than a standard graphite gasket. So at 20thou decked (that i know has been done, could have been milled before that too I guess) it's gonna be close... I also have a new graphite gasket that I was going to put on with the standard head, so if I can't get away with the MLS, I'll just chuck that one on instead. I read (on Fordmods) that some others have taken more off their 4L heads and run the MLS with different results, some claim that it still worked fine, others say that they got timing chain rattle. Fortunately I'm not in any real hurry, so I'll just keeping checking my tolerances as I go. Anyway, many thanks to you guys for the info, looking forwards to finally getting it all together. I'll keep you guys posted on how I go with it. Cheers. Jay 1 gerg reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slydog 7,873 Posted August 15, 2014 Do keep us posted cos I think theres a few who would like to know the outcome. P.S Did anyone else think this thread was going to be about fitting NOS to his engine 1 XFute-1JZsoarer reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dizzy616 183 Posted August 15, 2014 Do keep us posted cos I think theres a few who would like to know the outcome. P.S Did anyone else think this thread was going to be about fitting NOS to his engine yes. lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord_fahrquhar 2,580 Posted August 15, 2014 I expected wommenz with certain talents... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nos2 751 Posted August 15, 2014 2 slydog and TF_250 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 16, 2014 Lol, sorry for the mis-leading thread title. If it helps any, I am considering a 50-100hp shot of NOS a little further down the track, as I have a 1/8th strip right behind our property to go play on. I've been reading up all morning about other similar setups as mine (couldn't get onto the OzFalcon site all morning), it looks like valve/piston clearance shouldn't be an issue, and apparantly I can use a couple of washers to get a couple more mm adjustment with the tensioner if need be. So it looks like an adjustable timing gear might be all that's needed to dial the cam in a bit better, but that doesn't appear to be a compulsory mod either. Any $$$ I can save here will go towards a decent exhaust/extractors, so I might just put it all together and fire it up and hopefully she will be all good. Cam should be a good match with the 5spd conversion and 3.27 final ratio 1 slydog reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted August 16, 2014 lol nitrous thread Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 18, 2014 I've gone with the VHT copper gasket sealant and Loctite 243, hopefully the gasket should turn up today, so I'll put some progress pics up once I get goin. I might be back on to ask the gurus for some advice if I get stuck, though it looks pretty straight forward to me. Thanks for the help guys. Jay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ando81 2,949 Posted August 19, 2014 And another word of advice Jay, just make sure your bloody torque wrench is a proven tool that works correctly. I recently did my crossflow head gasket where I coated the new gasket with Hylomar blue and was pulling the studs down and the wrench didn't work and I snapped a head bolt 2 slydog and XFute-1JZsoarer reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 19, 2014 Thanks Ando, I should be all good on the torque wrench front, I've got a new Kinchrome wrench to use for the job, and I'm using the VHT copper gasket sealant for the gasket. Finally got around to stripping the old head today, which was pretty easy considering all the exhaust and intake bolts were loose, even had one missing at the back of the intake! I ran out of time before I started cracking the headbolts, so I'm a little worried as to what I'm gonna find under the old head... The whole thing is confusing, as the motor come out of a 168,000km 95 XG, the inside of the head looks to be in fantastic condition, but everything else looks grubby. Fingers crossed I'm not in for any more rude surprises tomorrow arvo when I pull the head off, but at least now I can go through the engine bay wiring/hoses/gaskets and bring them back up to scratch without too much hassle. 1 Outback Jack reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outback Jack 6,352 Posted August 19, 2014 Must be one of the change over to XH motors Soarer, my Outback utes are both 95 XG utes and I have V belt on the alternator not serpentine belt. Interesting. Jack. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFute-1JZsoarer 140 Posted August 19, 2014 This one is a 95 XG bottom end bud. The serpentine belt on this motor is only for the AC compressor, the other 2 belts are a V arrangement. I actually put a smaller diameter V belt on the alternator to help shift the pulley/alternator up away from the bottom support. That's how I was able to get away with just a slight notch to get some extra clearance. Though now I have a welder, I'm going to enlarge the notch and weld in a bit of plate to help keep it nice and strong. If I had my way again, I'd use a later engine with the full serpentine setup so there would have been heaps of clearance without cutting anything. Hoping to get the head pulled off and block cleaned up this arvo, finally got a nice sunny day today. Hope it stays that way! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites