Until yesterday, I've never seen or held an exhaust manifold - engine block gasket. One gasket came out as 3 separate stacked/sandwiched gaskets. The other gasket came out as one unit but coming apart or "delaminating" into three separate layers at one end.

I can't tell if the gaskets I removed are:
a) 3 individual and separate steel gaskets stacked/sandwiched one on top of the other?
or
b) a single steel "composite" gasket component, made of 3 laminated layers of steel that have come apart?

Two pics of "Gasket #1- three separate and/or separated pieces"
gasket #1 pic 1

gasket #1 pic 2

Two pics of "Gasket #2 - stuck together on one side... single laminated or composite component starting to separate into 3 pieces?"
gasket #2 pic 1
gasket #2 pic 2

If these are three separate gaskets stacked/sandwiched together.....
Does anyone have any ideas as to why someone would want/need to do this, how common this is or isn't, and any other insight they could share with me?

Thanks very much...

Thomas

 

Yes they are different layers of steel and come apart easily. FYI there are other kinds of exhaust manifold gaskets but these are the kind that came on the engine from the factory so that is what you generally get from AB or wherever.

 

thanks very much for the info......

 

I concur...and I got mine from AB...