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3.2L 24v - S54B32
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3.2L 24v - S54B32
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Reinforced Athena and Cometic head gasket, in O-Ring and MLS. Sold individually.
The BMW S54B32 is the 24-valve inline six-cylinder petrol engine of 3.2 litres fitted to the M3 (E46), the M3 CSL, the Z3 M (E36/7 and E36/8) and the Z4 M (E85 and E86). It has an 87 mm bore and a 91 mm stroke, and all its versions receive the same original cylinder head gasket.
This original gasket carries the part number 11 12 7 835 918, which replaces 11 12 7 833 736 and 11 12 7 832 022. It is a multi-layer steel (MLS) gasket with an 87.5 mm bore and a thickness of 0.64 mm, offered by BMW in a single size, with no repair size. It is sized for standard combustion pressure: when that pressure rises, clamping load drops, the cylinder head lifts, and coolant enters a cylinder.
A cylinder head gasket does not create the seal on its own: it holds because the fasteners clamp the head against the block. A composite gasket is crushed for good beyond 100 N/mm² of admissible stress, whereas the 301 stainless steel of the MLS gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back at every combustion. The O-Ring, for its part, separates the functions: its stainless ring alone seals combustion, the body handles the water and oil circuits, and nothing has to be machined in the block.
This page brings together the part numbers from two racing manufacturers, Athena and Cometic, in two constructions: O-Ring with a stainless ring and MLS multi-layer steel. Gasket bores run from 87.5 to 88 mm, covering the standard block as well as the rebored block, 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.
| Gasket bore OEM 87.5 mm | Thickness OEM 0.64 mm | Gasket volume OEM 3.85 cm³ | Gasket type OEM MLS | Brand | Part number OEM 11 12 7 835 918 |
| 87.5 mm | 0.69 mm | 4.15 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-027 |
| 87.5 mm | 0.76 mm | 4.57 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-030 |
| 87.5 mm | 0.91 mm | 5.47 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-036 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.02 mm | 6.13 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-040 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.14 mm | 6.86 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-045 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.20 mm | 7.22 | O-Ring | Athena | 330037R |
| 87.5 mm | 1.30 mm | 7.82 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-051 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.42 mm | 8.54 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-056 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.52 mm | 9.14 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-060 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.68 mm | 10.10 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-066 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.78 mm | 10.70 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-070 |
| 87.5 mm | 1.91 mm | 11.49 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-075 |
| 87.5 mm | 2.03 mm | 12.21 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-080 |
| 87.5 mm | 2.13 mm | 12.81 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-084 |
| 87.5 mm | 2.18 mm | 13.11 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-086 |
| 87.5 mm | 2.34 mm | 14.07 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-092 |
| 87.5 mm | 2.49 mm | 14.97 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-098 |
| 87.5 mm | 3.05 mm | 18.34 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-120 |
| 87.5 mm | 3.56 mm | 21.41 | MLS | Cometic | C4505-140 |
| 88 mm | 1.20 mm | 7.30 | O-Ring | Athena | 330077R |
Gasket volume: the space left free above each cylinder by the thickness of the gasket. It adds directly to the combustion chamber, so a larger volume brings the compression ratio down. These values are only comparable between gaskets of the same bore.
| Fasteners | Engines | Tightening torque |
| Original cylinder head bolts 11 12 7 831 862, M11 x 99 | S54B32 | 30 Nm, then 90°, then 90° |
| ARP cylinder head studs ARP-201-4303 | S54B32 | 47 Nm, then 95 Nm, then 142 Nm |
Before installing the gasket, use a straight edge to confirm that the cylinder head and the block are flat, and have whatever needs it skimmed. These gaskets need no sealant at all: Athena and Cometic ship them already coated.
| Reinforced ARP cylinder head studs S54B32 → |
 | Athena O-Ring / Cut Ring A steel sheet covered with asbestos-free aramid fibre, with a stainless steel compression ring placed around each cylinder. The ring brings the clamping force onto a reduced diameter, right where sealing is won or lost, and a silicone bead shields the water and oil passages. No other construction withstands pressures this high, and it is the only one that suits a cylinder head already fitted with a compression wire. |
 | Cometic MLS Stamped stainless steel layers, stacked and then riveted. The outer layers carry active beads that surround every cylinder and every fluid passage. Sealing comes from a moderate clamping load with little bore distortion. It is the do-it-all gasket, from a tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate forced induction. |
Gasket bore. The Athena O-Ring comes in 87.5 and 88 mm, the Cometic MLS in 87.5 mm.
Thickness. The original gasket is 0.64 mm thick. 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 | 0.69 mm, the value closest to the original 0.64 mm |
| Skimmed cylinder head, make up the lost height | 0.69 mm + what was removed |
| Forced induction build, lower the ratio | A thickness above 0.69 mm |
| Naturally aspirated build, raise the ratio | None: 0.69 mm, the thinnest on offer, stays above the original 0.64 mm |
No thickness on offer is finer than the original: the clearance between piston and cylinder head does not decrease on reassembly, so the gasket itself does not call for a dial gauge check of piston protrusion above the block.
 | Athena S.p.A., an Italian manufacturer of engine gaskets and components, is based in Alonte, in the Veneto region, home to its head office and main plant. It also manufactures in Spain, the United States, Brazil and India. Its multi-layer gaskets go into original equipment for car manufacturers, and its whole racing range is designed and produced in Italy. |
 | Cometic Gasket, Inc., an American manufacturer founded in 1989, designs engine gaskets and sealing solutions in Concord, Ohio. Its strength is the gasket made on demand, with the bore and thickness the engine calls for. Its whole range comes from American plants and uses American materials. |
| Criterion | Original gasket 11 12 7 835 918 | Reinforced gaskets |
| Construction | Multi-layer steel (MLS) | Multi-layer stainless steel, or steel and aramid fibre with a stainless ring |
| Gasket bore | 87.5 mm | 87.5 to 88 mm |
| Thicknesses available | 0.64 mm, single size | 0.69 to 3.56 mm, 19 values |
| Compression ratio adjustment | None | Through the thickness chosen |
| Resistance to overpressure | Limited to standard output | Designed for forced induction |
| Model | Engine code | Power | Years |
| M3 (E46) | S54B32 | 343 hp | 2000-2006 |
| M3 CSL (E46) | S54B32 | 360 hp | 2003 |
| Z3 M (E36/7, E36/8) | S54B32 | 320 and 325 hp | 2000-2003 |
| Z4 M (E85, E86) | S54B32 | 320 and 343 hp | 2005-2008 |
OEM part number: 11 12 7 835 918, in a single size.
Important: the S50B32 of the M3 (E36) and the S52B32 of the North American M3 receive different original cylinder head gaskets, part numbers 11 12 1 405 748 and 11 12 1 405 106. Those engines are not covered by the part numbers on this page.
A reinforced gasket keeps holding at the point where the original one gives way: under stronger combustion pressure it stays in shape instead of being crushed.
Whenever power is increased, by turbo, supercharger or a higher compression ratio, the head gasket becomes the most fragile part of the top end. Choosing a reinforced gasket then stops being a comfort and becomes a safety measure: it is what prevents the breakage and the cylinder head removal that results from it.
