I received this new hg (C4188 .045) on friday and today when I put it on noticed it wasn't flush with the cylinder walls (none of them). Looking at the gasket sitting on the block, there is an area that protrudes into the cylinder and on the opposing side the gasket is recessed 1mm.

84mm B18C1
Darton MID
9:1 JE pistons

I measured the width of the compression ring (see pic) in those areas mentioned above and noticed the protruding area was about .75mm wider than the opposing area. In the top-right of the picture you can see where a "step" or "lip" inside the comp. ring has started (.5mm) and the bottom-left of the picture you can see where it has increased in width (1mm). Only cyl #1 on the hg shows clearly where the lip starts. The other 3 cylinders still have the same measurement discrepencies but do not have a clear "starting point" to the lip.

I found my two older cometic hg's (C4188-.040; blown) and they both had the same area of protrusion into the cylinders as well as the recession on the opposing side.

Any thoughts or opinions, please share. I will be calling Cometic tomorrow.

 

send that headgasket back....get a bored out oem one.