I don't know crap about this, but you came here and asked a question and several, if not all of the answers to your question points to something (most likely) other than the gasket. This thread should be locked, allow you to try a copper head gasket, and if it fails, start a new thread. Not one person on this forum will ever change your mind until you prove yourself either right, or wrong.I've had 2 head gaskets blown in my golf already and I'm trying to find out if anybody knows if there is any place where I can get a copper head gasket made for the ALH, I got the bolt ons with my golf, so custom made studs are already in place , pressure from the boost is just killing the head gasket, head can't be kept in its place, if I can't get a copper one I may have to try spray liquid copper on the OEM gasket, any suggestions?
Sounds like you've isolated the problem.....None of that, I started having issues after spraying W/M, car ran fine for a while then it started lifting the head when I turned it on, so the culprit is the meth
on the 4cyl at least the pump is not the first bottleneck, it is the little tiny 3/4" pipe that carries all of the thermostat bypass flowI'm now looking at removing the oem pump which is mounted in the block in my case and fit an extenal electric high volume water pump as to not increase cavitation within the water ways but help with cooling around the hot bits.
on the 4cyl at least the pump is not the first bottleneck, it is the little tiny 3/4" pipe that carries all of the thermostat bypass flow
meaning, when the thermostat is closed all of the flow through the engine is through that tiny pipe
run an external thermostat and you can increase the bypass flow through the magic of assorted plumbing bits