lower intake gaskets

[BerniniCaCO3]

Should I do standard (metal?), or graphite (apparently offered if you source for an exploder)?
Do you guys like to use the rubber pieces provided for the ends, or simply spread a generous bead of "the right stuff" silicone gasket maker?
And speaking if silicone, where do I silicone it, and where don't I, so it doesn't ever, ever leak in the next 20 years?

I want to do this right, and I know others have had problems getting their lower gasket to seal completely/ stay sealed. It's got those opposing angles, not so direct a clamping force as headgaskets say.

thanks!
-Bernard

[Lincolnmania]

felpro permadry for a box vic........use rtv in the corners where the gaskets meet.
i like ultra black or ultra grey.......not a fan of right stuff, it's ok, but permatex is stuff oem's use

[zoomie]

silicone the front and back, i use ultra black ans use permadrys as scott said

[sick88tbird]

Big fan of the permadry line myself. I always use the intake set for the appropriate year explorer when using explorer heads. They are practically perfectly matched to the intake ports on the heads...the ones I've gotten for E7's over the years have been smaller. Any time I install an intake, I use a bead of Ultra Gray instead of the end seals...unless they are the rubber end seals then just a dab of silicone in the corners where they meet the intake.

In other words... what they said! ^^^

Good luck,
Don

[gadget73]

I use the rubber endwalls, but only the Permadry kind. Small daub in the corners and it doesnt leak. The cork endwalls puke oil like crazy if you don't get them exactly right, and its so easy to knock them out of position. I usually just do RTV in that case.

Small trick to help line things up and hold the gaskets in place. Get some threaded rod, or just long 5/16" bolts and lop the heads off. Thread these pins into the corners where the lower intake sits, and use them as guide pins to hold the gaskets and guide the lower intake in position. No worries about knocking the gasket off because the intake shifted a little bit.

[1990LTD]

Permadry have never given me problems. Those metal reinforced valve cover gaskets are great too.



FWIW felpro make the good metal reinforced intake gaskets for GM 3*00 series motors as well. If you ever need to do gaskets on one of them and don't want a comeback, use the Felpro metal reinforced.


If the rubber end pieces for the block rail have those little locating nubs on them, I will use them with a dollop of RTV in the corners where it meets the LIM gaskets.

[BerniniCaCO3]

awesome, sounds like I'm set then.
A coworker was just advising that I also let the rtv cure, just a little bit, so that it's firmer and resistances squishing out completely when I bolt down the intake?

[zoomie]

awesome, sounds like I'm set then.
A coworker was just advising that I also let the rtv cure, just a little bit, so that it's firmer and resistances squishing out completely when I bolt down the intake?

yup thats a big 10-4 , let it sit a little bit , 15 min or so

[gadget73]

something else, you'll need to run through the torque pattern on the lower intake 2-3 times at least. basically when it stops turning the bolts before the wrench clicks, you're done.

[86VickyLX]

And then you're supposed to retorque after 10 minutes of runtime.

[gadget73]

yeah i don't bother with that. Not interested in removing the upper intake again to dick with it all over again.

[BerniniCaCO3]

one last question; do you like to use silicone around the coolant jackets, or leave it alone?

[gadget73]

I've done it both ways, haven't had trouble with it either way as long as the mating surfaces are properly clean. If you do use the silicone, go very light with it.

[85crownHPP]

Go easy on those bolts taking them out... if they resist too much I'd apply some heat and soak some PB blaster. I'd replace them with all new bolts but if you must re-use the ones with studs on the end, make sure they don't look corroded between the head and the threads. I broke three of them when I did my truck, and even broke one that looked fine when putting it back in (before the torque wrench clicked).