Reinforced cylinder head gasket Ford Pinto 2.0 8V NE NER NES N4A

The Ford engines covered

The 2.0-litre 8-valve Ford petrol engines NE, NEE, NEG, NEK, NEN, NEP, NER, NES, NET, NE5, NEJ, NR2, NRB, NRD, N4A, N4B, N4I, TL20LC and TL20LNM power the Ford Capri III, Consul, Escort II, Granada, Scorpio I, Sierra I and II and Taunus, listed below.

The original gasket of these engines carries the part number 6 816 643. Ford publishes neither its bore, nor its thickness, nor its construction. Calibrated for standard combustion pressure, it lets the cylinder head loosen and lift as soon as that pressure rises, and coolant reaches a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

How well the gasket holds also depends on the fasteners: bolts or studs must press the head firmly onto the block. A composite gasket is crushed for good beyond 100 N/mm² of permissible stress, whereas the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back with every combustion.

This page offers seven part numbers from the American maker Cometic, a specialist in racing gaskets, all in multi-layer steel MLS: five bores from 92.5 to 101 mm and five thicknesses from 0.76 to 3.05 mm. Each is sold individually.

Technical specifications

A head gasket leaves a small free volume above each piston, which adds to the combustion chamber: the larger it is, the lower the compression ratio. Only compare these volumes between gaskets of the same bore.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check the flatness of the head and block with a straightedge and have whichever needs it resurfaced. The Cometic gasket arrives already coated: do not add any sealant to it.

Technical guide

The construction offered

MLS Cometic Several stainless steel sheets, embossed and riveted together. Active beads surround each cylinder and each fluid passage on the outer sheets. Sealing is achieved with moderate clamping load and little bore distortion. It is a versatile choice, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to the mild turbo.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS is offered in five bores: 92.5 mm (H1267040S and H1267045S), 93.5 mm (H1267SP6030S and H1267SP6051S), 94.5 mm (H1267SP1120S), 96 mm (H1267SPL051S) and 101 mm (H1267SPM045S).

Thickness. Ford gives no thickness for the original gasket of these engines. 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, use a dial gauge to measure how far the pistons stand above the block deck, especially if you choose a gasket thinner than the removed one: this figure sets the clearance left between piston and cylinder head.

The brand

Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American maker of engine sealing gaskets, founded in 1989 and based in Concord, Ohio. It makes to order, at the bore and thickness required, and manufactures entirely in the United States from American materials.

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 largest bore, 101 mm, of the gaskets 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: 6 816 643.

Important: the part numbers on this page apply to the Pinto engines of the table above: read your vehicle's engine code, then check that the bore of the gasket you choose suits that of your engine before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket has reached its limit, the reinforced gasket takes over: at a higher combustion pressure it does not crush and keeps its shape.

As soon as more power is asked of this engine, through tuning, ignition or compression, the head gasket is the first part to suffer. A reinforced gasket rules out the leak, at a cost far below that of pulling the head and the downtime that follows.