a guy at the auto parts store told me it's not neccesary, but i did it any way last time but it also made it a pain in the ***, so if it "really" isn't neccesary than i won't bother this time.

 

no that is not necessary. I have had mine apart numerous times and never even changed the tb or upper/lower intake gasket.

 

cool sounds like it will be much easier for me this time, I just hope there won't be any leaks this time. I'm pretty sure it's leaking now cause I waited too long to put it all together and the rtv hardened. but i will try it and see what happens.

 

mine has had hardened rtv on it for years and it doesnt hurt anything, dont worry. Its kinda like a built in gasket [sm=itsok.gif]

 

if you do use any rtv or other sealer, make sure the label on it says it is O2 sensor friendly as some of those sealers have fumes that will kill your O2 sensors real quickly and they ain't cheap to replace. what I did the one time I had my upper off was to put it upside down in a vise so the gasket surface faced up and was fairly flat. I then applied a thin coating of the sealer and let it set up for about 10 minutes, then carefully installed the gasket on it and pressed down on it carefully so it was properly placed. then I put a block of wood over it and some heavy books and let it sit like this overnight until the sealer cured. next day I just placed the upper over the lower and dropped the bolts through it and tightened them up without worrying about the gasket moving any at all.