Haven't noticed the metal sealing rings (head gaskets) being a different
size ... but when I was forced to redo my '85's gaskets on a dirt road
... 1280 miles from home, it looked to me like the head surfaces, where
the rubber gaskets sit, had been shaved thereby widening the gap.

Mike

Scott Daniel - Shazam wrote:
> All right, speaking of waterboxer head gasket jobs.
> Anybody run into this :
>
> 2.1 engine, the outer rubber 'water gasket' on the left side started leaking
> about two months after a full valve and head gasket job to both sides.
>
> I measure how thick the water gasket is - it's 3.7 mm.
> I measure what the gap is between the head and the block - I get the same
> thing...3.7 to 3.8 mm ...in other words the rubber gasket wasn't being
> compressed at all.
>
> I figure I need half a mm less gap between the block and head, to compress
> the rubber water gasket about that much, a half mm.
>
> I measure the thickness of the metal rings that seal the head to the
> barrels...they're 1 mm thick.
> I dig around in my old gaskets and find new metal rings that are
> ....magically....just what I needed - one half mm thick.
>
> It put it all back together.....using the same new-near rubber water gasket
> cleaned up nicely, and my fav Toyota black silicone sealant.   'All fixed
> now'
> ( And now I wonder about the other side of course - but it seems fine.,  The
> van is at Burning Man now too. )
> So anyone ever run into this before - that the metal sealing rings come in
> two thicknesses....,
> Or ??
> Thanx, Scott
>