Look What Happened to SS Turbo Gasket

[romeen]

This is my stainless steel manifold-turbo gasket after only 3,000 miles. You can see how deformed it is, especially when compared to the new oem multilayer gasket that I will be using now. The sides that have deformed inward were obstructing a good portion of the exhaust stream. It also damaged the threads of 2 of my turbo bolts.

When I had my small 16G I used the oem multilayer gasket without the sealing ring. Other than discoloration it looked fine after 12,000 miles and was reusable.

The new one even has Japanese writing on it so it has to be good.

Just something to keep in mind when deciding which gasket to go with.

 

[Zex4g63]

Yep. POS.

 

[fwdmaster]

Is that a oval 7cm gasket

 

[blcknspo0ln]

Strange, the same thing (but not as bad) happened to me when I had my e316G. I take it you have the same turbo? It's weird because it never happened to all of the other turbos I had. Maybe it's the shape of the turbine housing?

 

[kmoore]

Where did you get the gasket that is trashed now?

 

[romeen]

Strange, the same thing (but not as bad) happened to me when I had my e316G. I take it you have the same turbo? It's weird because it never happened to all of the other turbos I had. Maybe it's the shape of the turbine housing?

Yes, I have the EVO3 turbo. I had also wrapped my exhaust manifold so more heat was probably being transferred to that area but this level of deformity after so few miles still suggests to me that these solid SS gaskets are just not that good.

Where did you get the gasket that is trashed now?

RRE. Although overall I have had good experiences with them and still recommend them.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

Same thing happened to mine. The worst gaskets I have had were the copper ones though. One vendor advertises them as the best.... well I had one of the copper exhaust manifold gaskets and turbo gasket. Both blew out within less then 3000 miles. I should have taken some pictures.

I am now using the gaskets that came with my FP manifold, they are wonderful.

 

[romeen]

Same thing happened to mine. The worst gaskets I have had were the copper ones though. One vendor advertises them as the best.... well I had one of the copper exhaust manifold gaskets and turbo gasket. Both blew out within less then 3000 miles. I should have taken some pictures.

I am now using the gaskets that came with my FP manifold, they are wonderful.

Interesting about the copper. I almost got those. But like I said, I've had great results with the oem ones so I went with the tried and true.

What are the FP gaskets like?

 

[kenamond]

This is my stainless steel manifold-turbo gasket after only 3,000 miles. You can see how deformed it is, especially when compared to the new oem multilayer gasket that I will be using now. The sides that have deformed inward were obstructing a good portion of the exhaust stream. It also damaged the threads of 2 of my turbo bolts.

When I had my small 16G I used the oem multilayer gasket without the sealing ring. Other than discoloration it looked fine after 12,000 miles and was reusable.

The new one even has Japanese writing on it so it has to be good.

Just something to keep in mind when deciding which gasket to go with.

It looks like the gasket is stretched top-to-bottom. The left and right sections have necked in a bit along the outside and pulled in. Seems like it would grip when it heated up, but maybe slip when it cooled down, so after a hundred cycles, it did that. Were the turbo/mani bolts easier than normal to crack loose? I wonder what the thermal expansion coefficient is for that SS vs the mani and housing. Crazy.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

What are the FP gaskets like?

The turbo gasket it 3 layer steel and the exhaust is 2 steel sheets riveted together.

 

[romeen]

It looks like the gasket is stretched top-to-bottom. The left and right sections have necked in a bit along the outside and pulled in. Seems like it would grip when it heated up, but maybe slip when it cooled down, so after a hundred cycles, it did that. Were the turbo/mani bolts easier than normal to crack loose? I wonder what the thermal expansion coefficient is for that SS vs the mani and housing. Crazy.

Well, I always use copper based anti-sieze on exhaust fasteners so I have never had too much difficulty breaking them loose. So the answer is no, they broke loose like they always do. However, you can see that the bolt holes are also deformed (oval), 2 of them more noticeably than the others. So the bolt threads were being ground down on the gasket as I removed them which is why I had to replace two of them.

The oem gasket is also stainless but I've never had a problem with them. Could be a different grade but I think it's just the way they are designed with the multi layers and reinforcement on the sides as well as a reinforcing ring (at least I'm assuming that's what it is) around the opening.

 

[rich3389]

Weird, I have a SS gasket from slowboy that has been on the car for about 15-20k along with the copper exh. mani to head gasket and both are fine for me.

 

[dsm-onster]

I'm not saying you can't tune/diagnose your setup but. . . What was your state of tune? Some timing retard, or just timing not advanced enough, or just some knock registered by the ecu for alot of time will heat the gases enough for the exhaust manifold to glow. What will happen to any gasket?

 

[DSMunknown]

This thread is bringing yours back to life. Kind of odd how yours has markings on it. I am in the middle of putting the T25 back on, and have bought several of these gaskets. There is absolutely no markings/engravings/numbers on the gasket. Have you gone and installed the sealing ring back in? I don't like the idea of the gasket being exposed to direct heat from the head. At least the seal provides some protection.

 

[romeen]

I agree with you that the sealing ring provides valuable protection for the gasket. Unfortunately it is not an option for me as both the manifold and turbine housing have been ported. No step for the ring to sit on.

The old gasket had no markings on it. I think you might be looking at the markings left by the EVO3 turbine housing flange. It has a unique shape.