Hey guys, I managed to track down a turbo'd S2000 I like but there's an issue. Its got a 3mm head gasket on there. This is actually the second 3mm head gasket that this motor has seen. I've tried to absorb as much info from the forum about everyone else's experience but one thing I have to ask is: If you do blow a head gasket, what kind of damage can you expect to see to the internals? Assuming you catch it quickly of course. Would it cause anything that wouldn't show up on a compression and leakdown test but might lead to further problems down the road? Thanks again for the input everyone.

 

More than a few things can cause gaskets to pop, one of which being improper tuning, which can lead to a variety of other issues.

Does the owner know why? Or share any more information with you?


Already sounds fishy to me, I'd prolly pass on it on that premise alone.

 

Hmm, I'd think a warped head maybe? Chances are if he had the head off, he had it redecked, which through Billman I heard will cause permanent problems with the TCT.

 

It can cause damage to the head/block surface if run for extended periods of time with a blown head gasket. If the car is a good deal I wouldn't let the 3mm headgasket be a deal breaker. Easy enough to throw a stock gasket on

 

So I asked for some clarification and the story is that the engine suddenly started overheating. The owner's initial thought was that it was a blown gasket after having read about that happening to other people on here. The shop he took it to did a compression test, checked the oil for coolant and nothing looked out of the ordinary. Turns out it was just a faulty thermostat.

However, the horror stories on here prompted him to have the shop install some APR head studs and they put a new head gasket on there while they had it open. Did another compression test after the work was done and everything looked solid. Pretty good preventative maintenance if you ask me.

On a sidenote, I sure am thankful for all you pioneers out there that figured out all these problems beforehand so us noobs don't have to learn it the hard way.

 

The head bolts are re-usable, the 3mm gasket is known for failures and the stock gasket works fine.

 

also depends on the power level and boost level. my original setup had the inline pro head gasket, the tune the car put down 563 on 22 psi. it ran good for a month then started to get warm. i contacted inline pro and they claim 3mm headgaskets are only good to 500hp or 20 psi. wichever comes first. needless to say put a oem gasket on and retuned, the car made 611 hp and ran great for a year until I had a retainer fail and sent a valve through the piston, so i wouldnt say a headgasket is a deal breaker

 

I recently popped the headgasket doing a 4th gear pull. Car started over heating so I pulled over. I got a new headgasket and went a head and resurfaced my head. No other damage was found, but I do have a fully built motor.

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I'll be sure to post more info once I get my hands on it.