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1.3L 8v - 128A1.000/128AS.000
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1.3L 8v - 128A1.000/128AS.000
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Reinforced Athena head gasket, in MLS. Sold individually, one gasket per engine.
The 1.3 litre (1,290 cc) Fiat petrol engines 128 A1.000 and 128 AS.000 are fitted to the 128 (saloon, Coupé and Familiare) and the X 1/9 listed below.
This original gasket carries the part number 4434864. Its bore is 87 mm; Fiat publishes neither its construction nor its thickness. It is designed for standard combustion pressure: when that pressure rises, the clamping load weakens, the cylinder head lifts and coolant seeps into a cylinder.
The gasket does not do everything: the fasteners count just as much, since they press the cylinder head onto the block. Above 100 N/mm² of admissible stress a composite gasket is crushed for good; the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets takes 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back with every combustion.
This page presents the part number from Athena, an Italian maker of racing gaskets, for a single construction: the multi-layer steel MLS. The gasket has an 88 mm bore, against 87 mm for the original gasket, and a thickness of 1.3 mm. 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.
| Gasket bore OEM 87 mm | Thickness | Gasket volume | Gasket type OEM not specified | Brand | Part number OEM 4434864 |
| 88 mm | 1.30 mm | 7.91 | MLS | Athena | 338495R |
A gasket's volume is the free space it leaves above each cylinder. This volume adds to the combustion chamber and so lowers the compression ratio. Only gaskets of the same bore can be compared.
| Fasteners | Engines | Tightening torque |
| Original cylinder head bolts | 128A1.000, 128AS.000 | not published by the manufacturer |
First check with a straight edge that the cylinder head and block are flat, and have them resurfaced if necessary. Athena supplies the gasket already coated: apply no sealing paste.
 | Athena MLS An assembly of two to five layers of AISI 301 stainless steel, laser cut, stamped and then riveted. Each cylinder is ringed by a layer folded back on itself, the Gas Stopper, which carries the clamping force onto the combustion chamber, while beads close off the water and oil passages. The outer faces receive a double coating: the first withstands high temperatures and fills small flaws in the block and cylinder head, the second, silicone based, stops the gasket from adhering on removal. It is Athena's all-steel solution, from a prepared naturally aspirated engine to moderate forced induction. |
Gasket bore. The Athena MLS is offered in 88 mm (338496R), in that bore only.
Thickness. Fiat does not publish the thickness of the original gasket. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.
| Your goal | Thickness to choose |
| Keep the original compression ratio | Original thickness not published by the manufacturer: read the one on the removed gasket and compare it with the only gasket offered, 1.3 mm |
| Skimmed cylinder head, make up the lost height | Only one thickness is offered, 1.3 mm: compare it with the removed gasket plus the material taken off |
| Forced induction build, lower the ratio | 1.3 mm, if the thickness read on the original gasket at removal is smaller |
| Naturally aspirated build, raise the ratio | 1.3 mm, if the thickness read on the original gasket at removal is greater |
Since the original thickness is not published, measure with a dial gauge how far the pistons stand above the block, especially if the removed gasket is thicker than 1.3 mm: that value gives the clearance left between piston and head.
 | Athena S.p.A. is an Italian maker of gaskets and engine parts whose head office and main plant are in Alonte, in the Veneto. It also has sites in Spain, the United States, Brazil and India. Its multi-layer gaskets are fitted by car makers as original equipment, and its competition range is designed and made in Italy. |
| Criterion | Original gasket 4434864 | Reinforced gaskets |
| Construction | Construction not stated by the manufacturer | Multi-layer stainless steel (MLS) |
| Gasket bore | 87 mm | 88 mm |
| Thicknesses available | thickness not published by the manufacturer | 1.3 mm |
| Compression ratio adjustment | None | Through the thickness chosen |
| Resistance to overpressure | Limited to standard output | Designed for forced induction |
| Model | Engine code | Power | Years |
| Fiat 128 (128) 1.3 (128A) | 128 A1.000 | 60 hp | 1974-1984 |
| Fiat 128 Berline tricorps (128) 1.3 | 128 A1.000 | 60 hp | 1983-1991 |
| Fiat 128 Coupé (128) 1.3 | 128 A1.000 | 63 and 68 hp | 1973-1979 |
| Fiat 128 Coupé (128) 1.3 (AC) | 128 A1.000, 128 AC.000 | 75 hp | 1972-1979 |
| Fiat 128 Familiare (128) 1.3 | 128 A1.000 | 63 and 68 hp | 1973-1977 |
| Fiat 128 Familiare (128) 1.3 (AF1) | 128 A1.000 | 60 hp | 1974-1982 |
| Fiat X 1/9 (128) 1.3 | 128 AS.000 | 63, 68, 73 and 75 hp | 1973-1979 |
OEM part number: 4434864.
Important: the part number on this page fits only the engines 128 A1.000 and 128 AS.000: check your vehicle's engine code before placing an order.
At the limit of the original gasket, the reinforced gasket steps in: under higher combustion pressure it does not sag and holds its shape.
Fitting a turbo or a supercharger, or raising the compression ratio, exposes the head gasket more than any other part of the top end. Choosing a reinforced gasket means avoiding the leak and the cylinder head removal it brings.
