7MGE head gasket.. which one??

**GRANDE** · 30-03-2010, 08:22 PM

mate, you are a saviour!.. do you know if it's a case of having to source a 7MGE head myself or can some of these guys access the heads themselves?

**petergoudie** · 30-03-2010, 09:40 PM

Just give them your old head. I'm having mine surfaced for $70 + gst and doing the valves myself. The hardest part is setting the valve clearance with shims. I'm in Sydney & they come from Melbourne so it takes about 2 weeks to set the clearances as you need to order the parts about three times until you get it right.

**andrew_mx83** · 31-03-2010, 08:31 AM

you should be able to get a head for bugger all. i MAY have a spare one, i have to get all 3 i have hardness tested then i will know whats good and whats not.

IF the seats are fucked, throw the head in the bin. i was recently quote $30 a seat to replace them (with larger ones)
if its just a case of a valve regrind then it shouldnt cost too much.
if the valves need replacing im in melb and would have a spare set.

**GRANDE** · 31-03-2010, 11:27 AM

thanx heaps guys.. just to fill y'all in, i ride/race RGV250's(2-strokers) and i've never been near in-line car valves so forgive me if i ask some 'dumb' questions.. from what i've been told it does help to have some know-how with '4-strokes' to attempt a valve re-grind, let alone setting seat height and not to mention the valve-grind/special tools.. yo peter, would you recommend a car-novice like me attempting a valve re-grind/clearance?.. you sound quite knowledgeable & i'm no-where near your level of expertise.. i'm gonna study up on this and hope to track down a head.. hey andrew, if you do have a spare head that'd be unreal! can you keep me posted please mate? muchos respect to ya!.. .. if i do come out of this 'alive' without breaking the bank & learning a new trick or 2 to boot i owe you guys a few beers, or slabs actually!

**petergoudie** · 31-03-2010, 01:45 PM

The head machining ended up at $60 but Grande you have'nt descibed why the valve seats need replacing. They need to have been machined a number of times before needing replacing. As I said above, the only problem with the shims is waiting three or four times to order parts plus as it's a bit fiddly when the head is in the car - you need small hands and a back that doesn't get sore bending over for so long.

**andrew_mx83** · 31-03-2010, 04:12 PM

grinding the valves i wouldnt know, i always send it out to get done -doesnt cost a fortune.

clearances are a bastard of a job, but not overly complicated and can be done yourself with some patience instead of paying a head shop by the hour.

start by measuring the current valve clearance with a feeler gauge, and write them all down for each cylinder.
remove the cams then take the shim out of each bucket & measure with a micrometer. be sure to keep these in a way that you know which cylinder they came from!! best bet is to draw up a grid of a piece of paper, 1 row for inlet & 1 for exhaust, and have a square for 1-12 down each side.

eg:
exhaust 1 has 0.15mm clearance...and had a 2.3mm shim in it. the ex tolerance (from memory) is 0.2 - 0.3mm. this means you need a shim 0.05 - 0.015mm smaller or 2.25 - 2.15mm.

repeat this for all valves.... best bet is to use excel to do the numbers for you, much easier. you will find that you can mix & match some of the shims you take out to get another valve right, which will save buying 24 new ones.

for replacement shims go to Precision Shims in Croydon, much better & cheaper than toyota. or i may have some that will fit if ur lucky & want to sit there with a mic checking them all.

once you have got all the shims in, put the cams back in and remeasure the clearances. odds are you will have to do a few of them again, this is where it gets tedious and time consuming. i would suggest keeping a record of what size shim is in each valve and keep it with the car.

will let you know about the head, might send em all off for testing next week if i get a chance.

**GRANDE** · 31-03-2010, 04:59 PM

thanks andrew.. thanks for that info.. sounding like i might be better off to send the head off unless you reckon you'll have yours tested next week.. i'll hold fire until after easter anyway.. don't think i'll have time to do valves myself.. where do you get your valves done in melbourne? thanks again

**andrew_mx83** · 31-03-2010, 10:50 PM

hey grande give me a buzz so we can have a chat about it. ill pm u my number.

**Shifty** · 01-04-2010, 08:06 AM

More important than the choice of gasket is doing the job properly.

A Toyota gasket will be 200% fine.

I fitted a Toyota gasket to my 7MGTE and last I heard it was still going strong a number of years later, despite increased boost, etc