Reinforced head gasket Ford HA HB KA KL11 KL13H KL13L KL16G KL16L KL16R J3D K5 16LRIES DL16LC BDA TL16R KL18S

The Ford engines covered

The HA, HB, KA, KL11, KL13H, KL13L, KL16G, KL16L, KL16R, J3D, K5, 16LRIES, DL16LC, BDA, TL16R and KL18S are Ford petrol engines of 1.1 to 1.8 litres, four cylinders in line, of the Kent, Lotus Twin Cam or Cosworth BDA type, with eight or sixteen valves. They power the Ford Cortina, Escort I and II, Capri I and Taunus 12M II models in the compatibility table below. With a single cylinder head on an in-line four, one gasket per engine is all you need.

The original gasket of the KL11, KL13H, KL13L, KL16G, KL16L and J3D engines carries part numbers 5 028 795 and 6 060 903, and that of the TL16R part numbers 1487380, 1602011, 711M6008BA, 711M6008CA, 711M6051CA, 781M6051AA and 931M6051AA. The manufacturer publishes neither their bore, nor their thickness, nor their construction. They are sized for standard pressures; when these rise, the clamping load drops, the head lifts and coolant seeps into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The seal also relies on the head fasteners, which clamp the head to the block. Beyond 100 N/mm² a composite gasket is permanently crushed, whereas the 301 stainless steel used for MLS gaskets bears up to 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back after each combustion. When you rebuild these engines, do not forget the head fasteners.

This page gathers 50 part numbers from a single competition manufacturer, the American company Cometic, all in MLS, a multi-layer steel. Bores run from 82 to 87 mm and thicknesses from 0.69 to 3.05 mm, which makes it possible to tune the compression ratio to the build. With a single head, one gasket is needed: pick the bore and thickness you want. As a rule, the gasket bore chosen is at least 0.5 mm larger than the actual cylinder bore. Each part number is sold individually, one gasket per engine.

Technical specifications

Gasket volume is the space it leaves above each piston: it adds to the chamber volume and lowers the compression ratio. Only compare gaskets of the same bore: here from 82 to 87 mm, depending on the C4102, C4103, C4140, C4133, C4142 and C4143 series.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, run a straightedge over the head and the block deck, then have any flatness defect machined out. Cometic gaskets are supplied coated: do not add sealant, it brings nothing and upsets the clamping load. On these engines, take the chance to check the condition of the studs before closing up.

Technical guide

The construction offered

Cometic MLS Several stainless steel layers, stamped and riveted into a single stack. The outer layers carry active beads around each cylinder and each fluid passage. Sealing comes from a moderate clamping torque and the bore distorts little: a versatile construction, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to the medium-boost turbo. On these Ford engines, it is the construction offered here for every part number.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS comes in 82 mm (C4102), 83 mm (C4103), 84 mm (C4140), 85 mm (C4133), 86 mm (C4142) and 87 mm (C4143).

Thickness. No thickness figure is published for the original gaskets of these engines. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

With no published original thickness, use a dial gauge to measure how far the pistons stand above the block deck before ordering, especially for a gasket thinner than the one removed: it determines the clearance left between piston and head, on a Kent as on a Twin Cam or a BDA.

The brand

Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American maker of engine gaskets and sealing products, founded in 1989 and based in Concord, Ohio. It cuts each gasket to order, at the bore and thickness required, and produces it entirely in the United States from American raw materials. Its MLS gaskets on this page are listed for the Ford Kent, the Cosworth BD series and the Lotus Twin Cam.

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 82 to 87 mm bores 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: 5 028 795, 6 060 903 (KL11, KL13H, KL13L, KL16G, KL16L, J3D); 1487380, 1602011, 711M6008BA, 711M6008CA, 711M6051CA, 781M6051AA, 931M6051AA (TL16R).

Important: these part numbers are for the HA, HB, KA, KL11, KL13H, KL13L, KL16G, KL16L, KL16R, J3D, K5, 16LRIES, DL16LC, BDA, TL16R and KL18S engines: check your vehicle's engine code before ordering, then choose the bore and thickness you want.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

Where the original gasket reaches its limit, the reinforced one holds: under higher combustion pressure the steel MLS keeps its shape without being crushed. That is the case for a tuned Kent, Twin Cam or BDA running on carburettors.

As soon as a turbo or supercharger is added, or the compression ratio is raised, the head gasket is the first part to fail in the top end. Fitting a reinforced one from the start avoids the leak, then the much dearer removal of the head: better to invest before the build than after the breakage. These Ford engines date from the 1960s and 1970s: at that age, a reinforced gasket saves reopening the head after each power gain.