Do you put silicone on a head gasket?

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asked Jan 20, 2020 in Repairs/Maintenance by assram998 (240 points)
Do you put silicone on a head gasket?

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answered Jan 20, 2020 by Mechanic21 (29,150 points)
When installing a head gasket on a vehicles engine you do not use any silicone or other sealants between the surfaces.

All you do is clean the surface of any dirt and grime using some brake cleaner and then make sure any leftover head gasket material is removed from the engine heads and the engine itself where the head is bolted to the engine cylinders.

Then you lay the head gasket onto of the engine over the cylinders and place the heads over the head gasket.

Then install the new head gasket bolts and use a torque ratchet set to the correct torque to tighten the engine heads to the engine which compresses the head gasket and makes the seal.

The head gasket does the sealing so there's no need to use any additional sealant on the head gasket.

You could put just a dab on the corners on the outer edges of the head gasket to hold it in place so it doesn't slip on you but don't use any sealant anywhere else on the head gasket.

Make sure you use new head bolts as well because they are torque to yield bolts and the old bolts won't torque correctly on the engine heads which can cause issues and not allow the new head gaskets to seal properly.

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