A couple of questions regarding had gasket replacement.

[vetplus40]

I had to pull my head on my 2014 3.0 MI Merc(due to leaving a rag in the intake) and had some questions regarding the replacement gaskets:

1. The old gasket looked like a Fel-pro type composite gasket with the metal cylinder hole rings molded into the gasket. The parts store where I ordered the gaskets shipped me an all metal gasket instead. When I called the parts guy, he said that the metal was OEM and that mine must have been replaced. I assured him that no motor work had ever been done on this boat, but he told me to use the head gasket anyway. So I did. The metal one seems to be working okay, but I thought that I would ask here to see what you folks think.

2. The rocker cover gasket had an extra bolt hole in it, but fit otherwise. My cover only has five holes (three on one side and two on the other) and this gasket has six holes. The hole alignment was correct absent the extra hole.

3. Given this was my first head re-install, I simply put the head back on the block without loosening any rockers or making any other adjustments. I did remove one intake valve to get the rag pieces out from the seat, but I only had to lessen tension on the associated exhaust valve to get those rag fragments out. Once the head was on, I was able to get the rods under the rockers fairly easy. I realize that I was torqueing the head bolts against a little spring tension, but this tension would be present when the motor is running anyway. The motor seems to be running fine, but I got to thinking if I should have reinstalled the head in a different manner.
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[Scott Danforth]

The MLS (Multi-Layer Stainless) gasket is a better gasket

Not sure on the VC gasket

Trying toblign up all the rockers and pushrods while installing the head simply made your job about 5x harder than if you followed the correct process

Did you retorque the head bolts after running?

 

[vetplus40]

Glad to know the metal gasket is better. The thinness of it compared to the original was what alarmed me a bit. Also, the exploded view of the VC gasket on the parts site only showed five holes, but it came with six.

The head install was quite easy. I had the rockers at a slight angle (about 11 o'clock) and was able to simply twist them a little and they popped in right over the rods when the head was positioned. In fact, I was a bit shocked that it was that easy. That said, you are 100% correct that I should have removed the rockers themselves.

I have not had a change to run the boat much since I finished the job. The info from the parts site says to retorque after 20 hours. I guess I should check the vales as well.

This has been and will likely continue to be a significant learning experience for me. All because I left in a rag...