Reinforced cylinder head gasket VW Golf 2 Golf 3 Passat Seat Toledo 1.8 2.0 8V GX ABA

The Volkswagen and Audi engines covered

The Volkswagen four-cylinder, eight-valve petrol engines of 1.8 and 2.0 litres, identified by the codes GX, JH, PF, RP, RV, PB, EV, ABS, ADZ, ANP, AAM, 2E, ABA, ADY and AGG, are fitted to the Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, Passat, Scirocco, Corrado, Polo, Sharan, Caddy, Vento, Quantum, Pointer, Fox and Citi Golf and to the Seat Toledo, Ibiza, Cordoba and Alhambra listed below.

For these engines the manufacturer lists the standard gaskets 026 103 383 K, 048 103 383 B, 048 103 383 D and 037 103 383 N, and publishes neither their bore, their thickness nor their construction. Each engine takes only one, calibrated for the standard combustion pressure: once that pressure rises, the clamping load weakens, the cylinder head lifts and coolant can reach a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The head gasket does not seal on its own: that depends on the fasteners, which pull the cylinder head down onto the block. Beyond 100 N/mm² of admissible stress, a composite gasket is crushed for good, whereas the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and springs back after every combustion.

This page presents the part number from Cometic, an American maker of racing gaskets, for a single construction: the multi-layer steel MLS. The gasket has an 83.5 mm bore and a thickness of 3.05 mm. 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 a gasket is the free space it leaves above each piston. It adds to the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio all the more as it grows. Only gaskets of the same bore can be compared on this figure.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, check the flatness of the cylinder head and block with a straight edge, then have either machined if needed. This gasket goes on without sealing paste: Cometic supplies it already coated.

Technical guide

The construction offered

Cometic MLS A stack of stamped, riveted stainless steel sheets. The outer sheets have active beads around each cylinder and each fluid passage. A moderate clamping load is enough to seal and the bore distorts little. It is the versatile gasket, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate forced induction.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. The Cometic MLS is offered in 83.5 mm (H1326), in that bore only.

Thickness. For gaskets 026 103 383 K, 048 103 383 B, 048 103 383 D and 037 103 383 N, the manufacturer gives no thickness. 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 protrude above the block deck, especially if the removed gasket is thicker than 3.05 mm: that figure sets the clearance left between piston and head.

The brand

Founded in 1989 in Concord, Ohio, Cometic Gasket, Inc. makes engine gaskets and sealing solutions. Its reputation comes from the made-to-order gasket, cut to the bore and thickness wanted. All production stays in the United States, with 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 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: 026 103 383 K, 048 103 383 B, 048 103 383 D and 037 103 383 N.

Important: the references on this page only apply to the GX, JH, PF, RP, RV, PB, EV, ABS, ADZ, ANP, AAM, 2E, ABA, ADY and AGG engines: check the engine code of your vehicle before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket reaches its limits, the reinforced gasket holds: under higher combustion pressure it does not crush and keeps its shape.

Once a turbo or a supercharger is added, or the compression ratio is raised, power climbs and the head gasket becomes the hardest-worked part of the top end. A reinforced gasket is then the prudent choice: it avoids the leak, and the head removal that follows.