Intake gasket installation
 

I had a chronic coolant leak below the thermo housing which I assumed was the thermo housing gasket....replaced 3 times including new housing. Same problem. Using the mirror I saw it was wet at the inside corner where head meets intake and block just below the water jacket. I thought also the intake could have a tiny crack, so....bought a new Victor Jr intake and thermo housing-figured if I'm gonna do it lets do ev thing as this has pissed me off royally (coolant laying on top of the water pump, leaking, stinking in a brand new car wtf??? I also discovered that the water pump plug below the bypass was cross threaded SO>>>>buying a new water pump as well....again unbelievable as it is brand new.

My question is....upon removing the intake, I noticed that when they installed it, they siliconed around the intake ports along with the water jacket. I am told the water jackets need silicone but do you guys recommend silicone around the ports as well? I bought the gasket that Ford Racing told me to use but I didnt think to ask him what they recommend at the time and based on the crappy job done by the installer of mine originally I don't want to simply do what they did-who cross threads a water pump plug??? Was he using an air ratchet while hanging upside down??? Also, which silicone has performed well for you in this application, The stuff in there was gray but again I don't trust anything they did.

Once I fix the leak its on to the emerg brake that doesnt work and the troublesome "THUD/BANG" I get in my ass when I hit a bump the right way-just finished installing the lift in the garage so on to that next. This is sooooooo fun!!!!!

Doh! I thought it was coming up here to get it right this time? What intake was on there originally? Switching to a Vic Jr. may change what air cleaner will fit if they did not use solid motor mounts...

If you still want us to give it a going over let me know. Our March is booked, and April is filling up now.

Don't use a Felpro Printoseal gasket...use a gasket from Mr. Gasket or Edelbrock with the correct port dimensions. I use silicone/RTV around the water jackets, but not the ports.

Sounds like your pissed and over-killing this problem. Be careful here you might make things worse.

Was the old intake also a Vic Jr?

Was the old intake port matched to the heads?

Did you have the new intake port matched to the heads?

The original intake may be perfectly fine. My problem was that the threads in the heads were not tapped deep enough and the bolts were bottoming out before they pulled the intake down.

You may want to slow down and start checking for what was wrong. Don't assume an idiot bolted it together wrong. You might get done and have the same problem and then you will be the idiot that bolted it together wrong. :eek: I hate it when that happens to me!

i use the black 'right stuff' around the coolant ports, and if you use one of the questionable gaskets like printo seal smear some around the intake ports, doesn't take much and shouldn't let the gasket move around. check all the bolts for maximum thread engagement before assembly but nothing too long.

He has to use whatever Ford Racing tells him so if there is a warranty claim they cannot blame other problems on a bad intake gasket :rolleyes:

Gary:
I like to use the gray stuff,have had good luck with it....what I do is make sure the intake side of the head is clean,put the intake gasket on and make sure everything lines up correctly, then,when it all lines up correctly,remove the gasket, I "smear" some of the gray stuff around the water ports and LIGHTLY smear some around the intake ports, then install the intake gasket and press it all around,then let it set until the RTV is dry and install the intake manifold.....
The water ports need a little RTV for sealing purposes, the only reason I use a little and I mean very little around the intake ports is to hold the gasket in place when installing the intake itself..........I've never had a gasket move when installing the intake using this method......

David

Jay-I am still planning to bring you the car if I can't figure the knock out on my lift, if you were a little closer it would have been there already! Yes it always had the Vic Jr...since the intake was installed by the guys down south Im assuming it was not port matched.

The bolts seat all the way, I suspect the original silicone job was leaking-I could be wrong but we will see, if its not that then I don't know what else it could be since we've done everything else. My only other suspicion is that the cross threaded plug in the water that leaked was blowing into the well between the chain cover and water pump so I am replacing the pump as well since silicone and JB Weld would not stop the plug leak-tried to rethread the pump but it was too far gone as I suspect they tried to fix it as well before.

Now the big question is...when I opened up my Ford gaskets, there is no "manifold side" or Head side" and every other time I have done this there is always two sides to the gaskets??? Jay I def am only putting back what Tom at Ford Racing told me to get. Now I need to figure out which side faces the heads...I am thinking the smoother side? YIKES!

You need to use 1262S Let me stress the S or they will leak. Install numbers up.

Ugh. Assembly line engines are so........assembly line.....

I use gasket adhesive (Gasgasinch or equivalent) to attach the gaskets to the heads with a ring of silicone around each water port. Then run the silicone on the ends (no gaskets), overlapping 1/4" onto the gaskets. Another ring around the ports on the intake side of the gaskets, drop the intake in place, and torque in steps and sequence. Never had a leak doing it this way. It does make removing the gaskets more difficult, however, I install them to stay not to be removed.

The method above worked great for me. I set the gaskets and installed 4 threaded studs in the corners to keep the gaskets from moving and then set the manifold and torque into place.

Use permatex, Loctite suks. Ultra black.

You might find this helpful:

Small Block Ford Manifold installation Tips - FFCars.com : Factory Five Racing Discussion Forum

- Allen.