Head gasket OEM or not?

gmtgmt · Post by **gmtgmt** » 30 Jul 2012, 12:57

I bought this 855 T5 from 95 with no engine.
i have this engine from a 94 T5 I changed for the owner because it had kinda used alot of oil, it put out alot of black smoke from the exhurst also.

This engine had alot of leaks from gaskets. im planing on re seal and re ring it might do H beam rods and bearings too.
the car has flashed ECU and has dyno sheets pushing 330hp almost 500nm dont know if it was crank or wheel but i think its crank as its an aut trans.

Im needning a head gasket too but im kinda lost if i should use OEM volvo or if theres a Aftermarket better one
also if any other advise on rebuilding one of these whiteblocks to handle some HP are gladly apriciated

I work at a volvo dealer so i get OEM parts very cheap so its no big deal with OEM parts.

Post by **j_cd** » 30 Jul 2012, 22:29

I heard you should use the genuine Volvo gasket on a T5, or if you re-plane the head, because it's a little thicker than the Elring or Reinz. Doesn't matter as much on a GLT, because of the lower boost pressure. I believe the Volvo gasket is made by Goetze. If you can get a good price on it, that's what I would do.

Post by **JDS60R** » 30 Jul 2012, 23:13

OE will be a Victor Reinz.

It is a much better gasket. I keep a row of other brands that didn't hold up on my engine hoist to show others how they failed early. Zero failures on the victor reinz with a properly skimmed head and clean block. They go on dry.

Post by **j_cd** » 31 Jul 2012, 00:57

JDS60R has worked on a lot more engines than I have, so he's probably right. Last week I had the Volvo dealer parts counter pull a head gasket off the shelf. He specifically said it was not made by Reinz. It said "Goetberg, Germany", which I assumed was Goetze. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong with the Volvo gasket.

Someone else on here got a Goetze gasket with their Fel Pro kit. So I ordered a Fel Pro gasket, but got a Payen. It looks just like the Goetze, but has a blemish on one of the cylinder rings that you can feel through the plastic wrap. I'm returning it and buying one from the dealer so I can inspect it first. I'll get a 20% discount off the $107 list price. I know they're cheaper online.

Post by **JDS60R** » 01 Aug 2012, 12:07

You may be right.
Its been 6 months since I did one. With Volvo having the Geely influence things may have changed. You don't happen to have a picture of the gasket do you? Its easy to pick out the VR as it has that fine gray/black outer fine powder like coating. VR set also says made in Germany.

Thanks,
J

gmtgmt · Post by **gmtgmt** » 01 Aug 2012, 16:03

Volvos OEM are black with Gold metal suroundings and they dont look like VRs as i have both laying around

I just put on the OEM.

this is a OEM gasket

: IMG_5312(1).jpg (73.24 KiB) Viewed 2999 times

Post by **j_cd** » 01 Aug 2012, 16:40

Yep, that looks just like the one they showed me at the dealer. The Payen looks the same also.

If you look closely below, you can see a jagged line running through the brass cylinder ring area, left center, towards the top. It's probably nothing, but you can feel it through the plastic wrap, so I was planning to return it.

Payen is made in Belgium. They're used on MG's, some motorcycles, and Land Rover mechanics swear by them. If JDS60R says Reinz is the best gasket after replacing a bunch, I may go with VR after all.

BTW, I know they're supposed to go on dry, but in one of the tutorials everyone follows, he sprays all his gaskets with that Permatex Copper stuff. I got some, but I'm not sure about using it. Dry means dry, right?

Post by **j_cd** » 15 Aug 2012, 14:25

This Reinz gasket was placed unprotected at the bottom of a shipping box, with a transmission torque mount sitting right on it. I'll probably just go buy one from the dealer at this point.