Cylinder head and sealing

Cylinder heads

Cylinder heads that close the top of the cylinder block: the castings that carry the combustion chambers, the valves with their seats and guides, and the camshafts, made to the dimensions and the faces of the original, for European and Japanese passenger cars, identified by OE reference.

MONTTRON cylinder head: a bare aluminium head seen from the side, with the valve guides, the camshaft bearing saddles and the intake ports machined

The cylinder head closes the top of the cylinder block. It carries the combustion chambers, the intake and exhaust ports, the valves with their seats and guides, the spark plug or injector bores, and on overhead-cam engines the camshafts and their bearings. Coolant passages and oil galleries run through it and line up with those of the block, and the head gasket between the two faces keeps compression, oil and coolant apart. On most modern passenger-car engines the head is an aluminium alloy casting, which is light and carries heat away quickly.

Heads fail with heat. An engine that has overheated, because of a failed water pump, a lost coolant hose or a head gasket that has started to leak, can warp the sealing face so that no gasket will seal it again, or crack the casting between two valve seats or into a coolant passage. Corrosion of the coolant passages from old coolant, worn valve guides that let the valves rock in their seats, and damaged threads for the head bolts or the spark plugs are the other reasons a head is replaced.

MONTTRON cylinder heads are made to OEM-compliant quality and as aftermarket spare parts: the sealing face, the bores, the ports and the mounting points of the original, so the head takes the original valves, camshafts, manifolds and fasteners. The materials are tested for durability and temperature resistance.

The range covers European and Japanese passenger cars. Each reference is identified by the OE number of the original part; send that number and the vehicle identification number (VIN) and we confirm the matching MONTTRON reference.

For availability and OE cross-references, contact us by email.

Frequently asked questions

How do I identify the right cylinder head?
By the OE number of the original part and the vehicle identification number (VIN). Heads for the same model differ by engine code, by model year and by emission specification: the ports, the injector or spark plug bores and the camshaft arrangement change. Send both numbers by email and we confirm the matching MONTTRON reference.
When is the head replaced rather than machined?
A workshop measures the head before deciding. A face that is warped beyond the limit the manufacturer allows, a crack between valve seats or coolant passages, or a head that has already been machined to its minimum height is replaced. A head within its limits can often be resurfaced and fitted with a new gasket.

Back to Cylinder head and sealing