Reinforced cylinder head gasket Ford Mondeo 2.0 16V NGA NGB NGC NGD

The Ford engines covered

The 2.0-litre 16-valve Ford petrol engines NGA, NGB, NGC and NGD power the first- and second-generation Ford Mondeo, including the Australian versions, listed below.

The original gasket of these engines carries the part number 7 114 447. Ford publishes neither its bore, nor its thickness, nor its construction. Cut for the standard combustion pressure, it lets the cylinder head relax and then lift when that pressure climbs, and coolant passes into a cylinder.

Reinforced cylinder head gaskets

How well the gasket holds also rests on the fasteners: bolts or studs must press the head firmly onto the block. A composite gasket settles for good beyond 100 N/mm² of permissible stress, whereas the 301 stainless steel of MLS gaskets withstands 517 N/mm², 5 times more, and rebounds with each combustion.

This page offers two part numbers from the American maker Cometic, a specialist in racing gaskets, both multi-layer steel MLS with the same 87 mm bore: the C4279-027, 0.69 mm thick, and the C4279-080, 2.03 mm thick. Each is sold individually.

Technical specifications

A head gasket leaves a small volume above each piston that enlarges the combustion chamber: the larger that volume, the lower the compression ratio falls. Compare these volumes only between gaskets of the same bore.

Preparation and fitting

Before fitting, run a straightedge over the head and block faces and have the one with a flaw resurfaced. Cometic gaskets arrive coated: add no sealant.

Technical guide

The construction offered

MLS Cometic Several stainless steel sheets, stamped and riveted together. Active beads ring each cylinder and each fluid passage on the outer sheets. Sealing comes from a measured clamping load and little bore distortion. It is a versatile choice, from the tuned naturally aspirated engine to the mild turbo.

Choosing bore and thickness

Gasket bore. Both Cometic part numbers (C4279-027 and C4279-080) share the same 87 mm bore, with no other bore offered.

Thickness. The manufacturer 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.

Since Ford does not publish the original thickness, use a dial gauge to measure how far the pistons protrude above the block deck, especially if the removed gasket is thinner than the one you choose: this figure sets the clearance that remains between piston and cylinder head.

The brand

Cometic Gasket, Inc. is an American maker of engine sealing gaskets, founded in 1989 and based in Concord, Ohio. It is known for gaskets built to order, at the bore and thickness requested, entirely in the United States and from 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 87 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: 7 114 447.

Important: the part numbers on this page apply to the NGA, NGB, NGC and NGD engines of the table above: read your vehicle's engine code and check the 87 mm bore before ordering.

Why switch to a reinforced gasket?

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

When more is demanded of this engine, through tuning, ignition timing or a raised compression ratio, the head gasket takes the strain first. A reinforced gasket rules out the leak and costs far less than pulling the head.