Reinforced cylinder head gasket Nissan E15 E15S E15T

The Nissan engines covered

The Nissan E15, E15S and E15T petrol engines, of 1.5 litres, are fitted to the Nissan Cherry, Pulsar, Pulsar NX, Sunny, Prairie, AD Van and S-Cargo models listed below.

The original gasket part numbers for these engines are 11044-01M00, 11044-01M01, 11044-01M02, 11044-31M00, 11044-33M10, 11044-33M11 and 11044-33M12. Nissan publishes neither the bore, nor the construction, nor the thickness. Each engine takes a single one. It is designed for standard combustion pressure: as that pressure rises, the clamping load relaxes, the cylinder head lifts and coolant seeps into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The head gasket does not seal alone: the fasteners that press the head onto the block count just as much. Beyond 100 N/mm², a composite gasket settles for good; the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back at every combustion.

This page brings together the part numbers of Cometic, an American maker of racing gaskets, for a single construction: the multi-layer steel MLS. Every gasket has a 77 mm bore and thicknesses from 0.69 to 3.56 mm, enough to adjust the compression ratio without touching the pistons or the cylinder head. 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

The volume of the gasket is the space it leaves free above each cylinder. It adds to the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio all the more as it is large. This value is only compared between gaskets of the same bore.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check with a straight edge that the head and block faces are flat, and have them resurfaced if needed. Apply no sealing paste: Cometic gaskets are supplied already coated.

Technical guide

The construction offered

MLS Cometic Stamped stainless steel layers joined by rivets. The outer layers carry active beads around each cylinder and each fluid passage. A moderate tightening torque is enough to seal and the bore hardly distorts. This versatile solution suits anything from the prepared naturally aspirated engine to moderate boost.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS is offered in 77 mm (C4178), in that bore only.

Thickness. The thickness of the original gasket is not published by Nissan. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

If you keep a thickness below the original one, measure with a dial gauge how far the pistons stand proud of the block: that figure gives the clearance left between piston and head.

The brand

Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American maker of gaskets and sealing solutions for engines, founded in 1989 in Concord, Ohio. Its specialty is the made-to-order gasket, cut to the bore and thickness wanted. All of its production remains in the United States, using 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 bore of the original gasket, not published by Nissan 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: 11044-01M00, 11044-01M01, 11044-01M02, 11044-31M00, 11044-33M10, 11044-33M11 and 11044-33M12.

Important: the part numbers on this page fit only the E15, E15S and E15T engines: check your vehicle's engine code before placing an order.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket reaches the end of its capacity, the reinforced gasket relieves it: under higher combustion pressure it keeps its shape and does not get crushed.

Fit a turbo or a supercharger, or raise the compression ratio: the head gasket is the first part to be stressed, the most heavily loaded in the top end. A reinforced gasket rules out the leak and the head removal that goes with it.