Reinforced head gasket Toyota 3S-GE 3S-GTE

The Toyota engines covered

The 3S-GE and 3S-GTE are 2.0-litre Toyota petrol engines with four cylinders and 16 valves: the 3S-GE is naturally aspirated, the 3S-GTE is turbocharged. They power the Toyota Celica, MR2, Carina E, Carina ED, Corona, Corona EXiV, Curren, Caldina, Camry, Vista, RAV 4 and Altezza models in the compatibility table below, and each takes a single cylinder head gasket.

The original gaskets of these engines carry part numbers 11115-74090 ; 11115-88380 ; 11115-88381 ; 11115-88382 ; 11115-88460 ; 11115-88570 ; 11115-88580. Toyota publishes neither their bore, nor their thickness, nor their construction. They are sized for the standard combustion pressure; as soon as it increases, the clamping load relaxes, the head lifts and coolant leaks into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The gasket does not seal on its own: the fasteners that press the head onto the block contribute just as much. Above 100 N/mm² of stress a composite gasket is permanently crushed; the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets holds up to 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and recovers its shape with every combustion.

This page groups 35 part numbers from two competition manufacturers, Cometic (United States) and Athena (Italy): 34 in MLS, multi-layer steel, and one in copper. Bores range from 87 to 88 mm and thicknesses from 0.69 to 3.56 mm, enough to set the compression ratio to suit the build. An engine takes a single gasket: order one part number, according to the bore, thickness and construction you want.

Technical specifications

A gasket's volume is the free space it leaves above each piston: it adds to the combustion chamber and reduces the compression ratio. Only gaskets of the same bore can be compared, and the bores differ here between the Cometic and Athena part numbers.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check the flatness of the head and the block with a straightedge and have any warped surface machined. Cometic and Athena supply their gaskets already coated: apply no sealing paste, it would serve no purpose and would upset the clamping load.

Technical guide

The three constructions offered

	Cometic copper A plate of pure oxygen-free copper, grade C110, with 99.9% copper. The metal resists corrosion, flattens without cracking, carries heat away well and stays supple at high temperature. Cometic checks the flatness of every gasket and recommends, for the best result, fitting it together with a crimped sealing ring.
	Cometic MLS Stainless steel sheets, stamped, stacked and riveted together. The outer sheets have active beads around every cylinder and every fluid passage. A moderate clamping load is enough to seal and the bore hardly distorts: a versatile construction, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate forced induction.
	Athena MLS Athena MLS A stack of two to five AISI 301 stainless steel layers, laser cut, stamped and riveted. A folded-over layer surrounds each cylinder: this Gas Stopper transfers the clamping force to the combustion chamber, while beads isolate the water and oil circuits. Both outer faces are coated: one coat withstands high temperatures and fills small flaws in the block and head, a silicone coat stops the gasket sticking at removal. It is Athena's all-steel solution, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate forced induction.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS comes in 87 mm (C4314, C4606 and H1935098S, from 0.69 to 3.56 mm), in 87.6 mm (H5023030S) and in 88 mm (H2993SP2040S and H1935SPP060S); the Athena MLS comes in 87 mm (338212R, 338257R, 338326R and 338258R); the Cometic copper gasket C4106 comes in 88 mm.

Thickness. Toyota quotes no thickness for its standard gaskets. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

As no original thickness is published, use a dial gauge to measure how far the pistons stand proud of the block deck before you order, particularly if you want a thinner gasket than the removed one: this figure sets the real clearance between piston and head.

The two brands

	Athena S.p.A., an Italian maker of gaskets and engine components, has its head office and main factory in Alonte, in the Veneto; the group is also present in Spain, the United States, Brazil and India. Several car manufacturers fit its multi-layer gaskets as original equipment, and the whole competition range is designed and built in Italy.
	An American maker of gaskets and sealing solutions for engines, Cometic Gasket, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is based in Concord, Ohio. Its reputation rests on made-to-measure gaskets, cut to the bore and thickness ordered and made entirely in the United States from American raw 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 87, 87.6 and 88 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: 11115-74090 ; 11115-88380 ; 11115-88381 ; 11115-88382 ; 11115-88460 ; 11115-88570 ; 11115-88580.

Important: these part numbers are for the 3S-GE and 3S-GTE engines: check your vehicle's engine code before ordering, then choose the bore, thickness and construction you want.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket reaches its limit, the reinforced gasket takes over: under a higher combustion pressure the steel MLS does not crush and keeps its shape, and the copper, supple when hot, keeps the seal.

As soon as an engine is fitted with a turbo or a supercharger, or its compression ratio is raised, the head gasket becomes the first weak link of the top end. A reinforced gasket avoids the leak and the head removal that follows, a far costlier job: it is better to choose it before the build than after the first failure.