I have uswed enough of the LAs to know when I get a new one to pull out the head screws one at a time and use locktite on each one, let the engine set over night before starting. The screws come loose and you get leakage from the head. Just the nature of the beast. Never once have I pulled the gasket. Even seeing it on the instructions I have never removed one from an LA. Like John I'm pretty sure the head screws came loose. I have cut slots in the top of the screws to ger a flat screw driver onto them to get more torque on them.