Choosing the Right Cylinder Head Gasket (VW Golf 1)

The diesel engine uses cylinder head gaskets of varying thickness. The thickness of the gasket depends on the tolerance of the pistons installed: upper or lower. Since the gasket is placed between the block or cylinder head, the combustion chamber height can be changed to match the different piston heights by selecting the gasket thickness. There are small notches on the gasket. The number of notches indicates the thickness of the gasket. See the figure.



The notches are visible from the outside, in the assembled state, with the head installed. If the cylinder head is changed in the engine, the old head is removed or reinstalled, then you can buy a new gasket, taking into account the number of notches on the old one. If parts of the crank mechanism are replaced (crankshaft, connecting rod, piston) or the entire engine block, then you should remeasure the piston protrusion size. The protrusion size is the height that the piston protrudes above the cylinder block.

[The original article is available on the website VWMANUAL.ru]