Reinforced cylinder head gasket Ford Essex V6 3.0L

The Ford engines covered

The Ford Essex V6 of 3.0 litres, identified by the codes HYF, HY, EV30H, TV30HYU and TV30LY, powers the Capri, Granada, Consul and Sierra II models detailed below.

The original gasket of these engines carries the part number 1482291. Ford publishes neither its bore, nor its thickness, nor its construction. It is sized for standard pressure: when that rises, clamping eases off, the cylinder head lifts and coolant reaches a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

The head gasket does not seal on its own: the fasteners that clamp the head to the block count as much as it does. 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 regains its shape at every combustion.

This page gathers the part numbers of Cometic, an American maker of competition gaskets, in two constructions: the multi-layer steel MLS and the CFM-20, with a steel core covered by an asbestos-free compound. The bores are 95.5, 96.5 and 97 mm and the thicknesses run 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 and for one cylinder bank only: one is needed on the right and one on the left.

Technical specifications

The volume of a gasket is the hollow it leaves above each cylinder. That hollow adds to the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio, the more so as it is wide. Compare these values only between gaskets of the same bore.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, run a straightedge across the head and block faces to check they are flat, and have them resurfaced if needed. Add no sealing paste: Cometic gaskets arrive already coated.

Technical guide

The two constructions offered

	CFM-20 Cometic A galvanized steel core covered on both faces with a soft asbestos-free compound. This laminated construction, part metal and part fibre, combines the strength of steel with the softness of the compound. It is offered here in two bores, 95.5 and 97 mm, and in one thickness of 1.5 mm.
	MLS Cometic Stainless steel sheets, stamped and then joined by rivets. The outer sheets carry active beads around each cylinder and each fluid passage. Moderate tightening is enough to seal, and the bore hardly distorts. This versatile construction suits everything from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to moderate boost.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. Cometic MLS is offered in 95.5 mm (C4971), in 96.5 mm (H4387SP2056S) and in 97 mm (H4387SP3060S); the CFM-20 in 95.5 mm (H1196059F, C14053-059) and in 97 mm (H1196SP1059F, C14081-059).

Thickness. Ford publishes no thickness for the original gasket of these engines. A thicker gasket enlarges the combustion chamber and lowers the compression ratio; a thinner one reduces it and raises the ratio.

If you choose a thickness below the original, first measure with a dial gauge how far the pistons stand above the block deck: that figure sets the clearance left between piston and head.

The brand

Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American company, founded in 1989 in Concord, Ohio, that designs engine gaskets and sealing solutions. It became known for the made-to-measure gasket, cut to the bore and thickness wanted. All of its manufacturing 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, absent from Ford's publications 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: 1482291.

Important: the part numbers on this page match the Ford Essex V6 engines of 3.0 litres listed above: note your vehicle's engine code, then check the bore, before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

When the original gasket reaches its limit, the reinforced gasket takes over: under higher combustion pressure it holds its shape and does not sag.

A turbo, a supercharger or a raised compression ratio put the head under greater strain, and the gasket becomes the hardest-worked part of the top end. A reinforced gasket avoids the gas or coolant leak, and the head removal that follows, with the vehicle off the road.