Leaking head gasket?

[s13_st]

I recently bought an apexi head gasket for my s13 sr20det, and when i installed it and torque it to spec and in sequence, it's still leaking a good amount. Why is this happening? The head or block deck isn't warped or anything like that.

[zchdrl]

Did you have the head decked? Did you reuse the head studs? Were you clean about the install? All of these can contribute to a gasket failure

[s13_st]

Did you have the head decked? Did you reuse the head studs? Were you clean about the install? All of these can contribute to a gasket failure

head deck was fine, clean job, yes i reused head studs, they were 6.2" long and in the service manual it said it's ok to reused head studs as long as they don't exceed 6.23" in length. :/

[zchdrl]

When I rebuilt my sr I reused the head studs because like you said they were in spec but I was having the same problem as you. I ended up ordering arp studs. Anything that is torque to yield should be replaced. I know that feel, order the new studs and grab a mls gasket while you're at it and install it just be clean about your work

[angel mkiv]

Just curious how do you know for sure the block and head are straight and not warped?

[Kingtal0n]

head deck was fine, clean job, yes i reused head studs, they were 6.2" long and in the service manual it said it's ok to reused head studs as long as they don't exceed 6.23" in length. :/

the fsm doesnt say anything about head studs. You are using bolts.

Your surface prep, what was it like? And where is it leaking? into the cylinders air or coolant?

I've never had a head gasket failure, and I always do the same thing. Straight edge, razor blade + brake cleaner, FSM proceedure. A couple of times with cometic HG I have used copper gasket spray with good results. But not when I use an OEM gasket.