hi a couple of months ago i did the head on my ef but since then it has had a bad miss on idle. i have done a comp test dry and wet and 2 is around 120psi where as the others are around 155-160. a mechanic said that the head needs to come off again bummer. but hey what the heck it will be easier this time. he said the problem was that i did not seal the corners with sealant. Can anyone tell me where i should use it whether on the gasket, block, or head surface and where. It is using some oil not heaps but enough. and its leaking in the usual spots down both sides near #2 pot. I would ask the mechanic but he is so flat out and i get the impression that he would rather me bring it in with my 500 bucks for labour rather than tell me what to do. i cant afford 500 and EFs well there only worth about a grand now so i would prefer to do it myself. its not using any coolant which is a bonus. If anyone can help would be appreciated also if there's and other little tricks that arnt in the manual that would be great too.

regards Anthony

You shouldnt have to use sealant for the head gasket. (iirc you shouldnt use it at all) Did you scrap down the top of the block so you can get a smooth flat surface? Also did you service the head when you took it off?

no sealents glues etc etc are supposed to be used on the head gasket or mating surfaces.
- did you get the head machined prior to refitting.
- did you clean all of the old gasket of the block
- did you torque the head bolts to the correct tension.
- are you positive that the cam went back on in exact same place that it came off.
- did you clean any loose particles from in side the combustion chamber prior to re-fitting the head as this can scratch the cylinder walls

failing all that you could try re-tensioning the head but this may or may not solve your problems

Best bet is to take it off and refit the head again.

DID YOU USE NEW HEAD BOLTS THEY ARE AONE TIME FIT ONLY

yeah spend 40 bucks on new bolts. i have seen bolts used 3-4 times before but i have also seen some outcomes of reusing headbolts and i can tell you new

head bolts are worth 40 bucks.
gasket are around 40


a new head can cost a few hundred... id prefere to pay the 80

the only place you use sealant is at the front where the head gasket meets the rubber gasket..any gasket goo will work...

everything was done to the manual including all new parts. it definetley needs to come off again but i really need to use sealant this time. the mech said on the corners does that mean around the front seal on the timing cover only or should i use it near where the leaks are coming from presumably behind #1 piston.

Not using sealant around the timing cover will not affect the headgasket seal, you do not need to use sealant on the headgasket itself at all.
Was the head surfaced when you changed it?
Old gasket scraped off the block properly?
What gasket did you use?

reco head, block clean as, payen graphite gasket.

Well somethings gone wrong
You'll have to wait until you take the head off I guess, see whats happened.
If you take the head off under sequence and while the car is stone cold you may be lucky and it'll be within spec for flatness, save you getting it surfaced again.

Any reason you didn't use an AU MLS gasket?

bloke on Ebay who sells gaskets recommened a payen this time i am using an ACL monotorque bloke at the engine recoers said he uses them and has no trouble.
regards

well one problem fixed itself it seems a couple of days ago i ended up with around 40lb comp on number 2 and she was missing so bad i thought it was going to break down. but last night and today all seems well its running well with only the slightest miss which seems to be normal for efs and thye compressin is back up to just over 160. i talk to a mech and he said most likely was a sticky lifter. it still leaks a little oil around the front but hey i can put up with that. thanks for all your help guys much appreciated.
regards