Reinforced head gasket VAG 2.0 TFSI EA888 Gen 4

The Volkswagen and Audi engines covered

The 2.0-litre turbocharged EA888 four-cylinder, built as DLGA, DMFA, DNEA, DRFA, DRNA, DRXA, DRYA and DUNA, powers the Audi A4, A5, A6, A7, Q5, Q7 and Q8 and the Volkswagen Passat B8, Touareg, Golf VIII GTI and Arteon Shooting Brake listed below.

The original gaskets are numbered 06K 103 383 E, 06K 103 383 K and 06L 103 383 B for the DLGA, DMFA, DNEA, DRFA, DRXA, DRYA and DUNA engines, and 06J 103 383 AD, 06L 103 383 C, 06N 103 383 B and 9A7 103 383 for the DRNA. The manufacturer publishes neither their bore, nor their thickness, nor their construction. They are sized for standard combustion pressure: when that pressure increases, the clamping of the head weakens, the head lifts and coolant reaches a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The seal does not rest on the gasket alone: it also relies on the bolts or studs that clamp the head against the block. The O-Ring splits the work: its stainless ring seals the combustion chamber on its own, while the body closes the water and oil passages, with no machining of the block.

This page presents the part number from Athena, an Italian maker of racing gaskets, in a single construction: the O-Ring, a steel sheet faced with aramid fibre and surrounded by a stainless ring. Its bore is 83.5 mm and its thickness 1.40 mm. It is customary to choose a gasket bore at least 0.5 mm larger than the cylinders. The part number is sold individually, one gasket per engine.

Technical specifications

The volume of a gasket is the space it leaves free above each cylinder. Added to the combustion chamber, it lowers the compression ratio; only gaskets of the same bore can be compared with one another.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, run a straight edge over the head and the block to check their flatness, then have whichever part needs it resurfaced. The Athena gasket is fitted as supplied: apply no sealing paste.

Technical guide

The construction offered

Athena O-Ring A steel body faced with asbestos-free aramid fibre, in which every cylinder is encircled by a stainless compression ring. The ring concentrates the clamping load on a narrow band, where the seal is decided, while a silicone bead isolates the water and oil passages. Across the whole range, it is the construction that copes best with the highest pressures.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Athena O-Ring exists in 83.5 mm (330148R), in that bore only.

Thickness. The manufacturer does not give the thickness of the original gaskets. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

As the original thickness is not published, read with a dial gauge how far the pistons stand above the block deck, above all if the removed gasket measures more than 1.40 mm: that value gives the clearance left between piston and head.

The brand

Athena S.p.A. is an Italian maker of gaskets and engine parts. Its head office and main plant are in Alonte, in Veneto; the group also produces in Spain, the United States, Brazil and India. Its multilayer gaskets are fitted as original equipment by carmakers, and its entire racing range is designed and manufactured in Italy.

Advantages over the original gasket

When a reinforced gasket becomes necessary

• Adding forced induction, or raising boost on an already turbocharged engine
• Cylinder rebored beyond what the 83.5 mm bore of the gasket offered covers
• Looking for a compression ratio different from standard, higher or lower
• Engine that has already lost its gasket, or is consuming coolant
• Competition use, where the gasket goes through repeated temperature rises

Vehicle compatibility

OEM part number: 06K 103 383 E, 06K 103 383 K, 06L 103 383 B for the DLGA, DMFA, DNEA, DRFA, DRXA, DRYA and DUNA engines; 06J 103 383 AD, 06L 103 383 C, 06N 103 383 B, 9A7 103 383 for the DRNA.

Important: the part number on this page is reserved for the DLGA, DMFA, DNEA, DRFA, DRNA, DRXA, DRYA and DUNA engines: check your vehicle's engine code before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

The reinforced gasket takes over where the standard one reaches its limit: when combustion pressure rises, it keeps its shape instead of being crushed.

On an engine that is already boosted, a larger turbo or a more aggressive map turns the head gasket into the weak point of the top end. Choosing a reinforced gasket is then a matter of safety rather than comfort: it prevents the leak and the head removal that goes with it.