Reinforced cylinder head gasket Toyota 2.2 16V 5S-FE Camry Celica

The Toyota engines covered

The Toyota 5S-FE petrol engine, a 2.2-litre 16-valve unit of 2164 cc, powers the Toyota Camry (V1 and V2), Celica (T18 and T20), Solara, Vista, Scepter, Harrier, Mark II Estate and Curren, listed below.

The original gasket of this engine carries two part numbers, 11115-74081 and 11115-74120. Toyota publishes neither its bore, nor its thickness, nor its construction. Sized for standard combustion pressure, it lets the cylinder head loosen and lift once that pressure climbs, and coolant reaches a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

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

This page brings together 18 thicknesses of the gasket from the American maker Cometic, a specialist in racing gaskets: C4315 parts in multi-layer steel MLS, all with an 88 mm bore, from 0.69 to 3.56 mm. Each part number is sold individually, one gasket per engine.

Technical specifications

Above each piston, the gasket leaves a small free space that adds to the combustion chamber: the larger it is, the lower the compression ratio. The volumes in the table can only be compared between gaskets of the same bore, which is the case here.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, run a straightedge over the head and the block, and have whichever needs it resurfaced. Cometic gaskets are supplied coated: do not add any sealing paste to them.

Technical guide

The construction offered

MLS Cometic Embossed stainless steel sheets joined by riveting. On the outer sheets, active beads surround each cylinder and each fluid passage. A moderate clamping load is enough to seal, with 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 88 mm (C4315), with no other bore.

Thickness. Toyota gives no thickness for the original gasket of this engine. 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 before choosing a thickness smaller than that of the removed gasket: this figure gives the clearance left between piston and cylinder head.

The brand

Founded in 1989 in Concord, Ohio, Cometic Gasket, Inc. designs engine sealing gaskets and makes them to order, at the bore and thickness requested. All production takes place in the United States, from American materials, from the raw material to the finished gasket.

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 88 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: 11115-74081 and 11115-74120.

Important: the part numbers on this page apply to the 5S-FE engine of the table above: read your vehicle's engine code and check the 88 mm bore before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket reaches 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 the 5S-FE, through ignition, compression or an added forced induction, the head gasket becomes the first part under strain. A reinforced gasket rules out the risk of a leak, at a cost well below that of a pulled cylinder head.