Head Gasket troubles again.....Fire ring gasket?
 

Ok I have a 02 Cummins with the BD Twins... I am trunning around 55psi boost and have blown two head gaskets that have been fire ringed by two different people....I bought the truck and if had been having the trouble with blowing gaskets....the boy who had it before me blew 4 or 5 stock head gaskets......he got tired of it and traded it.....I just blew the stock one again put a marine gasket on and blew it the next day.........had the head remilled to make sure it was 100% scare and had no warpage.....had the block checked as well......I have to 12 mm ARP head studs.......I have talked to Haisley as well as scheid and they are telling me that if i fire ring the head without cutting a grove in the gasket that i am doing more harm than good....Has anybody had there gasket cut? The local macinsist has told me that there is no need to cut a groove in the gasket but it makes since to me becasue the fire ring in the head sets against the metal of the gasket and seems to me like that without a groove it would be really hard for the wire in the head to cut a groove in the gasket being as they are both metal against metal.....does this make any sense?...I think that this would work if the gasket was copper as copper is a little softer and the metal wire could cut a groove on its own when it is torqued....thanks for any help......

haisley and schieds cut there fire rings out of the head gasket... they don't used copper fire rings, van said they don't hold up ... i have hasleys fire ring set up and my friend has schieds and we both are very happy ... i see about 50psi and my friend see's about 75psi and the heads are still on ... i think you wont go wrong with one of them doing the work...

it sounds like you are mistaking o-ringing for fireringing

if the head has been oringed the head needs to be flat and the protrusion of the wire needs to be even on all cylinders as well as all sides of the ring. you also need to retorque the head many times before going wot. it needs many heat cycles to settle in.

sounds like somthing is amiss


has it been magna fluxed, and pressure tested?

also theres no way that head can be within spec after being milled 7 times.

you need to check the block thoroughly to make sure its true, and I would start over with a new head. 24v heads are prone to cracking. then have it oringed or fireringed by a reputable shop. fire-ring setups require a special gasket.

Sorry for the mis understanfing...the head has only been milled once.....that last time that I had it off.....Im trying to decide what to do with the **** thing.....its been pressure checked......I really dont want to have to buy a new head since I just had 800$ worth of work done to it last week.....

If you push those BD twins to high your drive pressures will lift any head set-up so when you get it running you will need to get a gauge on there.
Where is the gasket going, same place each time?
Sorry but from your post I don't understand, has the head been o-ringed and if so whats the protrusion variance?
What are you torquing the studs too?
Is the Redline box a fueling only box, from what I seen (not a 24v guy for that long) the EZ is all the timing you want?

I the protrusion of the wire is 10 thousands below the head......I am running 55 psi of boost and torquing the studs @ 135...The Redline is a fueling box only no timing...

when you o- ring the head the wire ring sits on the steel strip in the head gasket around the cylinder and cuts into that when torqued down... when you firering the head the gasket is cut so the ring actualy sits on the block and seals the cylinder. the gaskey will only seal water and oil... that is why haisley and schied said the gasket needed cut. o- rings if done correctly should hold all the boost and drive press you will ever realisticly get from b-d twins. but for anned insurance and to not have to do it agine id fire ring it..

I have a 0-ringed heard and run 60 psi of boost at 30*+ timing and have never had any problems with them How ever I have 3 friends that run less boost than me with about the same amount of timing. they have fire ringed heads and have all been through at least on HG. One head was even done at by schied and it still blew. none of these truck are over 450 HP while i have been close to 500HP for a while. I know some have had good luck with fire rings on a street truck but not one that I know personaly.
DM01