copper spray = crap


generaly metal gaskets are re-usable if they are multi-layer. Thats one of the benfits of the MLS consturction of headgaskets like the Cometic, Cosworth, etc,,, If they are single layer, it can be somewhat hard to tell. It would all depend on how it got crushed and if there are any damaged areas, etc. At that point you would have to measure thicknesses. I am not familiar with the VE gasket so IDK if it is MLS or single piece

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the matter.

FYI, the VE metal gasket is a 3 layer headgasket.

I am going now going for the Nissan OEM for the SR20DET (fibers) and I will tell you how it works this time.

This is just my opinion i always replace gaskets no matter what the job is simply because i hate doing the same job twice.

Dude reuse the 20v headgasket, we all do on our 500 HP cars no issues. Use the copper spray very lightly.

^What he said. I reused my VET gasket and it worked fine. Also reused a set of headstuds. I wouldn't do it more than twice though.

i think the problem in this case was not the gasket at all....

You should always have the head milled and the block decked when reassembling. You dont always have to, but genereally the head is more sensitive than the block, so you should at leaset have the head milled down just a tiny bit to ensure you are mating a perfectly flat surface. No head gasket in the world will seal 2 uneven surfaces...

if both surfaces are prepped properly you can safely re-use the VE gasket, assuming you can get all the copper shit off it without damage :p

And you all are correct. We did reuse VVL headgasket and it sealed ok but we had another issue (lost compression on cyl #2 due a scammer) and decided not to reuse it again but instead but a new regular OEM Nissan SR20DE/DET headgasket that has done the job pretty well too.

Thank you guys.