cheap headgasket set?

[crazybrightman]

ok so im not going to have my 4agte running for a trackday next month, well imnot going to the risk of rushing it anyhow so i ve decided to replace the blown headgasket on my current 4age engine (which im assuming is where the water is going!)
as this is only to get me by for one trackday im just after the cheapeast headgasket set possible so does anyone know of one cheaper than this...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0124316625

thanks, neil.

[MartG]

That set is fine for everything except the HG itself - use an OEM one

[crazybrightman]

wont it even last 150miles?

[MartG]

It probably will in normal road use, but the extra abuse of trackday may kill it quickly

[System-G]

I agree with Mart.

A gasket from MrT isn't that expensive on it's own either

Based on recent experiences, my views on the cheap ebay gasket kits have changed.

I used to say buy a fuill kit from ebay and then get an OEM HG from MrT. But now I retract that statement after only having a cheap ebay kit on the car for less than 8 months and having to replace everything as the seals have already gone hard and brittle and leaked oil our everywhere also causing rather large puddles under the car.

Just don't skimp and go for the real deal

[crazybrightman]

may just chuck a spare engine i have in then as thats free!
plus the oil pressures a but low only a quarter at idle! i know they arnt the most accurate things but it hasgone down alot since last time out at donny.

[BenF]

Got to agree - Pay the money and get the MrT set.

I did a rebuild with a cheap £35 FAI gasket set, and the HG blew 9 months later again.

When I stripped the engine down, you could also see that the other gaskets were in bad condition after only 9 months with the exhaust one leaking where the gasket material had come away.

[crazybrightman]

so, cadwell trackday today 10laps and bang steam everywhere!
pulled into the pits as i was just coming into the mountain section anyhow and it cut out just as i got in the paddock. the engine was stuppidly hot water boiling off the cam covers, blue exhaust manifold etc!
anyhow managed to get some water in it spin it over and theres a fountain out of the rad cap! headgasket blown between 4 and 3 and probably gone on the coolant gallery on the corner of 4.
never buy the cheap sh*ity ebay gasket sets. even the steam seals were rubbish and i had to buy some more!
time to build up a decent n/a engine before my turbo engine goes in over the winter.

[mr2mk1chick]

shame!
(but they told you so ^^^ )
not worth losing trackday money for the price of a good gasket!
hope you have spares for the engine so you get it sorted out okay

cadwell is an ace circuit for the mk1 too. would love to do cadders again now out track mk1 is more sorted.

[BenF]

Sorry to hear that - but a full MrT kit for the topend with Club discount is only just over £100 - given the hassle to strip / rebuild it is well worth it IMO as it isn't a job you really want to do more than once ( but as I found, the second time you do it you can do it much more quickly !)

[crazybrightman]

i only needed the engine for one trackday that was the problem, probably all of 150miles i couldn't imagine a gasket could be that bad to last less than that. but when i got the kit it was probably the worst quality gasket set i have ever seen!

im now going to build up a new engine with a low millage bottom end with no block corroision! plus the head off this current engine as ive just rebuilt it, thats assuming i havn't melted anything or the head is now banana shape!

get a couple of trackdays out of it then the turbo lump should be ready to go in.

oh and my windscreen also now has a 4inch crack in it as someone went out on track and left a screw driver under their bonnet which fell out and was fired at me by a fire breathing mk1 escort i was trying to keep up with!