Maybe I fudged it with form-a-gasket

[Guest tony78_280z]

Sometimes it's hard to pick a board, but I guess my question belongs here.

 

Several months ago I removed my intake manifold, modded it and reinstalled it. (Read about it here) Being the first intake manifold I have ever installed I asked the autoparts guy If I needed any gasket sealer to go with the gasket. He said he would use "This stuff" some sort of Form-a-Gasket sealer. It was some black tarry stuff that got tacky and never seamed to dry. I wanna say it was an RTV, but I'm not sure and the tube is long gond. Anyhoo, When putting my carb back in, I used some of this stuff on a carb spacer/gasket that didn't look perfect. I figured if the carb gasket did leak, this Form a Gasket stuff might stop it. If the Form a Gasket is suposed to be used on an intake manifold, then surely it would work on a carb gasket.

 

Well today I took my carb off for an unrelated reason. Needless to say there was some spilled gas. I don't know if that form-a-gasket stuff never set up hard, or if the gas redesoved it, but the tarry stuff was all over the inside of the plenum, and part way down the runners.

 

I plan to take a can of carb/choke cleaner and a tooth brush to get the plenum and runners cleaned. But the intake to head gaskets is another story. Has it run down into my heads and fudged them up with burnt tar?

 

What was this crap I used on my intake gasket? This can't be good.

[patzky1]

Yeah, it sounds like the black permatex form-a-gasket stuff. True, it never really dries up. Also, I don't like the stuff from personal experience. Who needs a goopy gasket? Not you. Has anybody found an acceptable use for that stuff?

 

Pat

[cygnusx1]

Permatex #2 is what you want to use. DO NOT use it as a gasket. Use it on both sides of the proper gasket lightly. It will do two things. 1)Hold the gasket in place for assembly. 2) Seal very well including keeping synthetic oil from leaking.

 

It is great for beading corners that are notoriously difficult to seal with a gasket; like the top of the timing cover against the block. It is much nicer than RTV and comes apart pretty easily without destroying gaskets when you disassemble later. Follow it's directions carefully.

 

Oh....do not use it on HOT parts. Like exhaust and intake manifolds. Use it for the covers and pans and ancillary parts. It's for cooler types of stuff or stuff that sees engine oil.

[midnightzxt]

i've always had luck with the RTV orange gasket sealer.

[Guest bastaad525]

I've had bad luck with ANY color Permatex silicone on anything except coolant passages. Black, Orange, Blue, Light Gray... if I use them on anything with oil going thru it forget it.

 

For manifolds I would NEVER use that stuff either, rather, an intake and/or exhaust manifold should be used dry or with Copper Spray.

 

As for using silicone to hold gaskets in place, I much prefer Permatex High Tack, I used that on my oil pan and it's held up perfectly.