do i apply rtv to my lower intake manifold gasket?

ok, this will be the 3rd time ive installed the gasket. first 2 times it leaked oil. do i rtv the actual gasket or just apply a little strip in the corners. the other 2xs i applied rtv on the whole gasket, fyi

good thing is that i can have my intake pulled off in about 30 mintues now!!!!

what are you working on?

^A boat engine.

If you have the plastic end pieces, toss them in the trash. put a bead of RTV on it and tighten the piss out of your intake bolts. Your GT40 heads are cast iron and you won't strip them like an aluminum head.

duh, what engine, all engines are different and you do not just tighten the bolts down as tight as you can. That will cause the intake to warp and depending on the engine will crack out the gaskets.

ford GT 40. cast GT40 heads.

Actually, you start in the middle and tighten in a criss-cross pattern to a specific torque setting. Ford recommends 26 ft lbs and that figure is a tad higher for marine engines. However my experience and the experience of those I've talked to say to put a little more torque on those intake bolts. IMO a vacuum leak is more dangerous than a "craked out gasket", whatever that is...

Use all the gaskets supplied, install silicone on the corners where the gaskets meet but not on the entire gasket. Make sure the engine block, heads and intake area clean with brake clean or something that is oil free.

I have always used a bit of automotive whether stripping sealant on the engine side of the gasket just to hold it in place. Then the RTV on the ends don't use those crap ones on the ends. ALWAYS ALWAYS torque the bolts down in the specific pattern. If you aren't doing that, that is where your problem is coming from.

Are you sure that nothing is cracked and/or warped?

allen i dont think anything is warped what do you mean "dont use the crap ones on the end?" are you talking about the little pieces of notched cork. should i cut them off?

can you get your intake decked?

i have been tightening to spec and in order. ive been at 24-25ft lbs. nacho what would you tighten these down to?

the type of gaskets ive been using are cork.

so what im reading is that 1) i can try without any gaskets, just a bead of rtv. 2) use the gaskets and only put rtv on the ends and use the sealent to hold the gasket in place.

I build race engine, mostly ford, and I will tell you first hand, throw the crap cork gaskets away. They always find a way to push out the ends. With that, layer about a 1/4 inch bead of RTV (I use black) on the ends with a little extra at the corners where it meets the head. Wait for the rtv to set a little before starting the engine, the vacuum produced in the crankcase may suck in the RTV if it isnt set up enough yet.

Make sure you are torquing it in the correct sequece. Do it first at 15 ft/lbs, then 20, and I end on 22-23 but I usually do aluminum heads. Just the same they are only 5/15 -18 bolts so I would just do them to 23-24 ft lbs. Go through the TQ sequence on your final tq at least 2 times. Good luck.

don are u suggesting not using any gaskets? just use a 1/4 bead on the whole manifold. or are u saying use some other type of gasket, with a 1/4 in bead at the ends. sorry i was just a little confused

USe a good gasket, except for teh rubber or whatever pieces they give you for the ends of the valley. Throw those away and use RTV

IMO toss the cork/plastic provided gaskets in in the trash. I'd torque them to 30 or 35 lbs personally. Last time I did them to 25 and still had a vacuum leak in a few cylinders. Gasket goes between the heads and the intake. Use RTV for ends of the valley, front and back of the block.

Alan, what type of gaskets are you using between the runners of the intake and the head? All gaskets were NOT created equal and usually marine gaskets are a bit thicker in my experience. I also buy brand name when it comes to gaskets as the quality is usually a lot better. I prefer Fel Pro.

Also, as it was mentioned several times above, ditch the front and rear gasket strips and use high temp RTV sealant. When I do this I usually throw on about a 3/8 in bead and let it "sit" for a minute or two so it gets just a little bit "more solid" before attaching the intake. This way the sealant is just a little thicker allowing it be less likely to push out when you torque down.

I also torque cross pattern according to manufacturer instructions. I also take it in pieces going at 1/3 of torque specs first, then 2/3, then full torque, then add another lb or two. So you end up tightening those bolts in sequence evenly. Also remember to clean the threads on those head's. Make sure you can easily run a bolt through the threads as you dont want any sort of gummy substance to throw off your torque specs.

Keep us posted.

m dizzle i was using fel pro gaskets for everything.

ok im gonna toss the cork gaskets that go on the front and back of the block and just go with a bead of rtv. tighten to 30 foot lbs. im prolly gonna eff this up again, i'll keep you posted! hahaha