pinging is a louid knocking noise from the engine, like droping a heap of marballs on the concrete..

replace the gasket with a standard one drop the boost down to 8 and see how it goes, thats what id do.

Up here we have a engine builder that insertes copper rings in top of the block on turboded old blocks 1 gasket std close to metal ring on gasket if not on the ring ,one per pisten not chep to do.
Mite help.

yeah thanks, we were discussing that in "o-ringing"

as the a-12tt is temporary (until a15ett) i decided not to bother spending the money on that, i would like to do that to the a15 but still it sounds like i have to strip the motor down to do it

Quote:
I think good coolant has enough Magnesium and Zinc ions to keep a copper gasket from deteriorating. They are used quite commonly on L series engines (same thing applies).

Feral
It wasn't the copper gasket that deteriorated, it was the alloy head. None the less, if you have had good experiences with them, then i will defer to your expertise.
Thanks, Chris

It could be that the engines have never had to sit around with them in for a long time without coolant ? When they are pulled down after 6 -12 months, the heads and gaskets appear to be perfect.
Could it be the changes in aluminium casting alloys that make the difference?

I know a guy up here who has a 355 ho0lden v8 with copper headgaskets, it has got a heap of compression and also had been ported heaps, so much that a small crack devoloped in the inlet port and it leaked water into the cyl causing it to hydrolic and bend one of his scat rods, smashed his twr forged piston and a heap of other dammage. all at 3000 revs in netural, boy was he pissed,
Maby if he had been usuing standard head gaskets none of this would have happened, he would have just blew the head hasket?

Don't be worried about using copper gaskets, they don't blow engines. The wrong timing or lack of fuel does along with not knowing whats going on. At the end of the day we are talking about an engine of 1200cc not a 2 and a have litre with crank cradles and all the development of the new modern motors. Don't expect 300hp out of your dayly driver, be senseable only run around 10-12lbs and enjoy showing the V8 your tail lights

Copper gaskets have been round for a while.
The main problem is that they can cause electrolytic corrosion ( they form a little electric cell). This can be minimised if a good quality inhibitor is used.
When buying an engine or car, always look to see if there is evidence of this green stuff in the radiator or in the engine itself.
Also, when an alloy head has been shaved to up the comp. ratio, or has been heavily ported, then the metal with water on the other side is thinner than normal and has less allowance for corrosion.
You have been warned!---but it never stops me.