I am going to be HG shopping in the next week, and I would like to purchase one that I KNOW will last on a boosted 420A.

Let me know your experiences and thoughts about any HG that you might deem worthy of the title of "best."

Thanks. :)

I think you will find that most turbo cars run the Mopar MLS headgasket. Some use copper spray and some don't.

There are many discussions about this, but not many that actually list all the headgasket manufacturers that make one for our head/block.

Well I am on my second mopar MLS gasket and it looks like I need a new one. It seems about every 6 months I am changing it. I would like to know this too. I know cometic makes a high boost gasket. I might give that a try or maybe even a copper with o-rings.

this might be a stupid question ...but how do you know your headgasket is on its way out or gone?...is it that it makes your oil turn milky?..

Have the head checked by a machine shop. Use ARP studs and torque them to 90-100ft lbs. Mine are torqued to 100, but others have good luck with 90. The copper spray will help seal it, but do not believe it actually helps prevent it from blowing.

I would also look at why you are blowing headgaskets. Detonation is most likely the cause and the gasket is suppose to be the weak link. Much better to have it blow out than do damage to a piston.

I plan on eventually making well over 600whp with my long block and think this mls gasket will be just fine as long as my tuning is correct. That gasket has also worked fine for HRC making over 500whp with ARP studs.

Are there any other choices out there?

Originally posted by DeanoD
Are there any other choices out there?

Not that I've seen. Like you said, it's a matter of sealing it right and following proper torque proceedures.

Originally posted by DeanoD
Have the head checked by a machine shop.

I am pretty sure the head is fine, and it is just the gasket. I am getting the normal symptom of whitish smoke funneling (not billowing) out of the exhaust at high RPMs and downshifting.

Originally posted by DeanoD
Use ARP studs and torque them to 90-100ft lbs. Mine are torqued to 100, but others have good luck with 90.

ARP? Why not the stock ones? How much are they? (I am kindof on a limited budget)

Originally posted by DeanoD
The copper spray will help seal it, but do not believe it actually helps prevent it from blowing.

I am definately getting the copper spray.

Originally posted by DeanoD
I would also look at why you are blowing headgaskets. Detonation is most likely the cause and the gasket is suppose to be the weak link. Much better to have it blow out than do damage to a piston.

I think it is just damn old. I've driven this head gasket for 30k miles and I am not even sure if the previous owner changed it. The car has 90k on it.

Originally posted by DeanoD
I plan on eventually making well over 600whp with my long block and think this mls gasket will be just fine as long as my tuning is correct. That gasket has also worked fine for HRC making over 500whp with ARP studs.

Excellent. :)

Well, I cannot find any Mopar HG for the life of me specifically for our engine, but I did find this gasket:

Generic Name(s): GASKETS
Vendor(s): SCE GASKETS
Vendor Part Name(s): PRO COPPER HEAD GASKETS
Engine(s): 2.0L
Extra: .062" THICKNESS EMBOSSED COPPER
Price: 77.94

Anyone heard of it? Is that too thick? Looks like it's a copper gasket, which is a good thing.

Also, those ARP head studs at Howell Automotive are going for around $150. Is that a decent price? What will those accomplish for me?

Thanks :).

and what's up with the Felpro head bolts and HG? anygood?

call a nearby satan and ask if the replacement headgasket is MLS. If they say yes, buy it. Thats the mopar HG theyre speaking of (I believe)

mine is MLS, box of gaskets had mopar all over it so... i assume thats what it is

Originally posted by GhEttOrAiD
call a nearby satan and ask if the replacement headgasket is MLS. If they say yes, buy it. Thats the mopar HG theyre speaking of (I believe) mine is MLS, box of gaskets had mopar all over it so... i assume thats what it is

Cool, thanks :).

Fel-Pro makes very good quality Headgaskets. I have used their products in the past on small block Chevy's with no problem. I do know that Fel-Pro makes a MLS for the 420a. I have not used it, but plan on buying one when I build my next motor.

As for ARP studs, they are better in the fact they are studs and not bolts. OE head bolts have the stress placed on the threads inside the block. With studs, you finger thread them into the block, slide the HG and head over them, and then torque the nuts down against the head. You can safely use a higher torque setting with studs over bolts (some say that this allows you to safely run higher comp/boost).

As someone that does headgaskets fairly frequently in a shop, I would not recommend re-using head bolts. Either buy new bolts from Fel-Pro, Satan, or purchase the studs.

i heard the srt hg fits our engine too. it's designed to hold boost so it should be good enough, right? i have one on the way (only 15 bucks at fenton dodge) ...chris

just get the arp head studs form arp. they are like 120. make sure you tell them for a 95-2000(something) dohc neon. since they dont have the part listed for us. and get the mls head gasket. i have it. the upper gasket kit from bon kise is like 89 bucks. (includes the mls gasket)

The part number for the ARP Head Studs is #141-4202.


*rebuild in process...too much spent and still not fast enough*
GST Muffler
injen short ram intake
magnecore 8.5mm wires
EGR removal/blockoff
front/rear strut tower bars
GSX dual piston calipers

TTI Racing HG. Oops they are out of buisness. Too bad, get a OEM one, they work fine, and they are only 40$.

ARP studs are only $100 at summit racing. I got my MLS HG at napa.

Trust me, you need to have your head checked at a machiene shop. I had the same issue as you. I replaced the stock gasket with an MLS one and thought the head was fine. I still had a small overheating issue though.. Then before the second one could blow I rebuilt my block and naturally the new HG was put in as well. Still had the small heat problem so I figured it was the radiator. Then just the other day I was checking the coolant and the oil had made it in there. When I pulled the head this time I took it to the shop and it was warped by 4 thousandths. It doesn't take much to miss some warpage with your home "strait edge". Also it was only like $35 to have them check it and flatten it if necessary. Basicly i would bet dollars to doughnuts it's a warped head rather than a bad gasket that keeps blowing...

i've been using a srt-4 headgasket with arp head studs been working great so far

je pistons, je rings, eagle rods, srt4 headgasket, crane 16's, crane valve springs, aem cam gears, 2.4 udp, fast fabrication sheetmetal intake, 70mm Tb, p&p runners with 8 injector setup, 450's and 550's, fast Fab turbo manifold, 38mm Tial waste gate, T3/t4, spearco 32.5x8x3 fmic, 2.4 pt tranny, solid front and rear motor mounts, quaife lsd, spec stage 4 clutch, custom ground kit, crane ignition etc. sonn to have smt6 tuned at 20psi

I used a straight forward multi layered steel head gasket from napa and thats it.

it has held up perfectly fine.