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To exhaust manifold gasket or not?

8K views 16 replies 6 participants last post by  Coosawjack 
#1 ·
I took the manifold off so I could better get to the down pipe bolts. (which will have to wait until tomorrow at this point)
Turns out my car had an exhaust manifold gasket on it. :surprise:
Might explain why all the bolts were fairly easy to loosen. And there were definite signs of exhaust leaks, although I never heard anything in the short runs I have done of the engine.

Anyway, I know from reading here that these did not have a gasket from the factory. My questions - is there any benefit to using one? Or - Could it be bad if I did?

All I really care about is no exhaust leaks when I am done. Just want to do this the one time.

to follow up, I have read that some use copper rtv. Is that even worth the effort, or is it best just to have metal to metal, much as that sounds wrong to me?

Thanks,
Russ
 
#3 ·
Russ, I still use gaskets on my N/A cars and they seem to last a long time. Unless the 2 surfaces are near perfect, you may end up with an exhaust leak with metal on metal. I also think that the manifolds may last longer without cracking with the gasket, since it will allow the manifold to stretch slightly during thermal heating/expansion.
 
#4 ·
I'm so confused. :surprise:
I am probably going to go with the high temp copper rtv since I have it and see how that works. I can always put a gasket on later if I have to I guess.

I'm getting a lot of conflicting information from various sites. Most are going with the bare metal to metal, some with the copper rtv, and some with the gaskets.

I do know for sure that the gasket that was on this had a bunch of leaks. Not sure why, but that is making me want to not do a gasket at first.

I am going to check the manifold for flatness before doing anything.

Thanks,
Russ
 
#5 ·
I don't know what else to advise; I can give you an example of gasket vs none that I encountered a week ago. Last week I finished another customers head and installed it in his 89' Mustang. I asked the owner if he wanted to use a gasket and he asked me the same question that you did. He elected to leave the gasket out and when we fired up the motor, sure enough we had a leak. One gasket later we were fixed and running. There is a reason that all manufactures use gaskets, sealers or O-rings between mating surfaces.

High temp sealants; from what I've seen over the years (keep in mind I do this for a living) don't usually last as long as layered composite gaskets. In the case of turbocharged 2.3 engines, the exhaust temperatures can be so extreme that a great deal of expansion takes place which compresses and releases pressure against the exhaust gasket. Over time this destroys the gasket, which is cheaper and easier to replace than a cracked manifold. If your N/A manifold is getting that hot, then it probably has a cooling issue or something wrong with fuel or spark trims.

I use to leave the gaskets out of my (turbo) engines, but found that to be a poor solution as well. I made a couple of gaskets out of copper and they seem to be holding up so far. The copper material was kind of expensive though.
 
#6 ·
I've been playing around with my car and I agree with Craig, also did a little more searching it all depends the gasket at this point some suck and shrivel up and become useless while others stretch also making them useless... I'd put a gasket in the exhaust side if I were you go with a good reputable company don't use some cheap gasket..

Craig what's the best gasket for our motors?
 
#7 ·
I thought these engines came from Ford with no gasket. Am I that confused here?

I saw some gaskets available at Oreilly's I think it was for around $8 (USD). I could afford that, but not much more. They had several listed for about that price.
What is a good gasket I can go buy for these engines then?

Thanks,
Russ
 
#8 ·
#12 ·
"I would buy one of those 25$ copper gaskets"

I'm going to agree with Stu on the first part. You don't see failures with copper gaskets typically. Since copper can take extreme amounts of heat and has excellent ductility and toughness, it lends itself well to this application. Most NASCAR engines use ductile copper header gaskets as well. Another bonus is that they can be re-used.
 
#14 ·
Only advice I can give. I have a gasket on the turbo car. And yes the bolts do loosen up. Just a tighten them up once in a while. My major exhaust leak I never solved was turbo to pipe. Reason I put a 90 degree pipe on turbo and use a stainless steel band clamp on it. That problem solved. Maurice
 
#15 ·
The 2.3 never has a gasket between the Head and exhaust manifold. Best thing is to not use one if your setup is flat and seals. Most time there is no issues. Remember no gasket it can not blow out or loosen up. Good luck
 
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