Topic: header install q's

[Skinny_Pedal]

im gonna be putting a different gasket on my truck in hopes to get the header to seal correctly. has anyone ever used rtv on the header to give a better seal? anything on the threads?

[oddball]

What gasket, the collector or at the head? Ive seen people use it but I would try and get a copper gasket

[Skinny_Pedal [OP]]

at the head. its a paper gasket with metal inserts around the ports and a heat shield. what color rtv would u recomend?

[oddball]

Im not sure, I think its the super gray, make sure it says hi temp though, permatex has it and there is another brand that I cant think of but its just as popular

[Skinny_Pedal [OP]]

i have the grey stuff, i dont belive its hi-temp. ill go get some tomarrow though in hopes of no more leakage

[oddball]

It wont hurt to try, good luck

[KYOTA]

Nothing on the gasket-If you use a quality gasket and keep the bolts torqued properly there shouldnt be a problem, use anti-seize on the fasteners

[Uncle Jesse]

paper gasket with orings and a heat sheild sounds like a stock manifold gasket.  If you use this on a header the only problems would be a fitment issue with the ehat sheild, but it can easily be bent.  The copper gaskets that i have seen, like the one from LC Engineering do not have holes for air injection, so if you still run air, then that gasket wont work.  I agree on keeping proper bolt torque.  I use a star washer under the nut in an attempt to keep the proper torque.  Also, if you do use some type of silicone, this is one of those occasions where more isn't better.  Just a thin layer.  Too much and gobs will smudge out and go down the exhaust, where they could damage the O2 sensor or the catalyst.  See if they have a high temp "sensor safe" type.  what type of header is it?  If it is they type with "welded orings" on the flange to header surface (like a thorley), then make sure you put something behind the centerof the header, as this area isn't the same height as the rest of the header.  I used a washer on all the three center studs then put the header on to take up space.  With out this you run the risk of overtorqueing the center nuts and making the ends of the header pull away warping the flange.  I fought that for a while before i figured that out.

[WHITE_TRASH]

You need to reweld the o-rings around the ports and sand them back down flat.  That flange is warped to hell and back so no matter how much rtv you try and use to seal it its gonna blow in a hurry.  BTW ultra red is the only way to go if your gonna try silicone.

[BigMike]

You know you might want to put some old used grease on both sides of the gasket. It will smoke a bit the first time it warms up and then it will seal really nice. This is a little trick that Marlin does whenever he doesnt trust an exhaust gasket.

BigMike