metal head gasket (gasket general) question

[bananamonkey]

i know this is a obvious answer or so everyones said outside but i ask here if i torque down a head with a metal head gasket (greddy) (instal a head gasket) but did not fire up the motor yet, is the gasket still good? if i take the head off or is it done ? (the head has been milled) thanks for any replies and please do not reply with asking why im taking the head off if its on already thanks

[Flybert]

Yeah, it should be fine.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Compression is one thing, but once the headgasket got heated up, id consider it a lost cause.

[bananamonkey]

Compression is one thing, but once the headgasket got heated up, id consider it a lost cause.

i havent had a chance to start the motor at all yet so ill assume you mean its not lost yet :) and 2 what about compression?

[Timeattack]

That gasket should still be good. if the gasket is thicker than the original gasket it will do somthing with the compression, what, i do not know

[daryl337]

increased gasket width lowers compression by a minimal amount.

Most multilayer metal head gaskets remain reusable for quite a while, you can usually feel when they are no longer good when you go to torque the head down, the head bolts will no longer "stretch" into place, they just stop and lock in place. At that point it means that the gaskets no longer have any softness to absorb impurities in the head, or the head-torque process.