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MG TD TF 1500 - Head gasket sealant.

Although my block has been resurfaced should I take the "belt and braces" approach when refitting the head and use a sealant as well as the gasket. If so what's suggested as the best please?
JK Mazgaj

I have never put sealant on a head gasket. A smear of grease if anything at all.
Mel Pascoe

I'm a big fan of VHT copper gasket spray
I get everything ready, wipe off the block, head, gasket with prepsol then give the gasket a very light spray on both sides, just enough to colour it , then wait for it to dry off enough to be dry but still a little sticky to touch then whack it all together
It's good stuff and stops any oil/water from weeping under the gasket
If you're going to use a sealant it needs to be a metal based one to help heat transfer out of the gasket---using a sealant that won't transfer heat insulates the gasket from the block/head and the gasket will/can overheat and possibly burn out
I can't see any possible advantage of using grease on a headgasket

willy
William Revit

Using the standard County head gasket as sold by Moss and others, there is no need for a sealant. They have a bit of goo already on them and require nothing further. The only time I would use anything is with a solid copper gasket.
Steve Simmons

Thank you all. I must admit I recall years (many) ago being advised that a smear of HMP grease aided seating and removal but times change. Just torque it down possibly with a spray of Prepsol and then re-torque in 500 miles time.
JK Mazgaj

might have confused you there by the sound of it--
I use prepsol to clean all the mating surfaces, head,block, gasket
then, spray each side of the gasket with the coppercote

https://www.frost.co.uk/vht-copper-gasket-cement-340g/
William Revit

If you want to utilize an old school remedy, coat block and head mating surfaces with "silver frost paint", old timers swore by it.
G Evans

This thread was discussed between 27/06/2021 and 30/06/2021

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