In the process of stripping down a 200Tdi engine. Looked at the prices for top and bottom genuine gasket sets and probably looking at £200 plus . Aftermarket sets are so much cheaper - £50. Is there really that much of a difference - intend to use a genuine head gasket - see Glencoyne do a set, and oil seals.

acrimple said:

In the process of stripping down a 200Tdi engine. Looked at the prices for top and bottom genuine gasket sets and probably looking at £200 plus . Aftermarket sets are so much cheaper - £50. Is there really that much of a difference - intend to use a genuine head gasket - see Glencoyne do a set, and oil seals.

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£200 The one and only genuine gasket that you do need is the head gasket (as you've already realised). Elring manufacture the official 200 TDi head gasket, accept no other brand:

LVB500220 HEAD GASKET [3 HOLE] 1.50MM | shop | www.lrseries.com | L. R. Series

Notice the head gasket is a '3-hole' version. This is basically referring to three holes that are punched out into a non sealing part of the gasket (i.e. a piece that sticks out from under the head that you can touch with your fingers) The head gaskets come in three different thicknesses as standard, each indicated by 1,2 or 3 holes. The more holes, the slightly thicker the gasket is. This is to compensate for any material which is removed from the surface of the cylinder head should it have been skimmed. It's always best to go for the 3-hole gasket just in case, and it will make absolutely NO noticeable difference to your power. It is there purely to prevent your valves from 'kissing' the top of your pistons in the case of a skim. It is IMPERATIVE that you have your head skimmed if the head gasket has blown. If the head gasket had not blown, a simple clean up of the surface with some fine wet/dry or emory cloth should see it fine but don't get carried away. It only cost me £30 to have my head skimmed following a blown gasket however.

As for the other gaskets, don't pay over the odds. Also avoid BritPart gaskets because they tend to be very poor quality both in material and in shape. Allmakes4x4 or Bearmach are the way to go, that is if you don't want to make them yourself using a sheet of gasket paper.

-Pos

Thanks for that, The price was from Rimmer Bros and they specified the set as genuine - £115 for the bottom end and £99 for the top -crazy prices.

acrimple said:

Thanks for that, The price was from Rimmer Bros and they specified the set as genuine - £115 for the bottom end and £99 for the top -crazy prices.

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Yeah that does seem over the odds, but then again, anything 'genuine' is usually double or triple the price of an aftermarket part. There aren't really that many gaskets that you'll need.

Top:

- Rocker Cover gasket (and half moon rubber inserts)
- Intake / Exhaust manifold gasket
- Head Gakset

Bottom:

- Sump gasket
- Bellhousing Gasket (if you can get one - I don't have one fitted)
- Oil filter housing gasket
- Timing case rear gasket
- Timing case front (cover) gasket
- Blanking plate gasket

Obviously there are more gaskets involved with various cappings / blanks and components such as the oil filter housing for example, but I can't see any justification for it costing more than about £50-60 for the whole lot, and that still sounds expensive.

-Pos