Reinforced cylinder head gasket Fiat Alfa Romeo Lancia Abarth 1.4 16V 198A1 312A1 955A8

The Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Abarth engines covered

The 1.4 litre petrol four-cylinder engines covered by this page power the Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Abarth models listed below.

The original gasket carries part number 55 206 232 according to the TecDoc parts database; the manufacturer publishes neither its bore, its thickness nor its construction. It is sized for the standard combustion pressure; as soon as that rises, the clamping load drops, the head lifts and coolant seeps into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

Sealing does not rest on the gasket alone: the fasteners clamping the head to the block contribute as much. The stainless ring of the O-Ring keeps its shape after every combustion. On these engines, new bolts at every refit limit head movement and leaks.

This page presents the part numbers from Athena, an Italian maker of racing gaskets, in one construction only: the O-Ring, a steel sheet dressed with aramid fibre and ringed with a stainless steel ring. The gaskets have a 73.5 mm bore and come in three thicknesses: 1.20, 1.50 and 1.80 mm. As a rule, choose a gasket bore at least 0.5 mm larger than the real cylinder bore. Each part number is sold singly: one gasket fits one engine.

Technical specifications

Gasket volume is the space it keeps free above each cylinder. It comes on top of the combustion chamber and therefore reduces the compression ratio. Only a comparison between gaskets of the same bore makes sense. Here, the bore offered is 73.5 mm.

Preparation and fitting

Before assembly, check with a straightedge that the head and block are flat, and have them resurfaced if necessary. The Athena gasket arrives ready to fit: no sealing paste. Neither the head nor the block needs any modification.

Technical guide

The construction offered

Athena O-Ring A core of steel sheet coated with asbestos-free aramid fibre, with a stainless compression ring crimped around every cylinder. The ring passes the clamping load onto a thin strip, exactly where the combustion chamber has to stay closed, while a bead of silicone keeps water and oil apart. Of the whole range, it is the construction that copes best with high pressures.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Athena O-Ring is offered in 73.5 mm (330146R, 330250R and 330251R), in this bore only.

Thickness. The manufacturer does not release the thickness of the original gasket for 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, measure with a dial gauge how far your pistons stand proud of the block, above all if you aim for the 1.20 mm thickness: it sets the clearance left between piston and head.

The brand

An Italian maker of gaskets and engine parts, Athena S.p.A. is based in Alonte, in the Veneto, where its head office and main plant stand. The group also runs 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 entirely designed and made in Italy. Part numbers 330146R, 330250R and 330251R are the ones on this page.

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 73.5 mm bore 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: 55 206 232.

Important: the part numbers on this page suit the 1.4 litre engines listed below: check the engine code of your vehicle before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the standard gasket can no longer keep up, the reinforced gasket steps in: at higher combustion pressure it keeps its shape and does not get crushed. The 1.4 litre Fiat engines find here a gasket with a 73.5 mm bore.

When power climbs thanks to a turbo, a supercharger or a raised compression ratio, the head gasket is the first part of the top end to suffer. A reinforced gasket rules out the risk of a leak and the cylinder head removal that would follow, with the labour and parts cost of doing the job twice. This holds for the Abarth 500 and 595, the Grande Punto, Giulietta and MiTo as for any hard-driven engine.