I developed a leak on my intake gasket between the head and intake on the drivers bank, out of the top rail, appears to be right in the middle around #6&7 cylinder runners. I pulled my intake and carb off, replaced the gaskets with new FelPro 1262, just like I took off. I have about 50 miles on my driveline before it started leaking the first time. I changed out the intake gaskets and low and behold it didn't take 15 minutes after I put it back together and got it running, it started leaking again. I ordered another set of FelPro 1262 gaskets and ordered a new intake manifold, just to make sure my intake isn't the problem. I am currently running a Parker Funnel Web, switching to an Edelbrock Victor Jr. I never really had much faith in my cheap Parker intake, even though it looks very aggressive. I'm hoping that when I get back home and swap out the intake with a better made one, it will some how cure my trouble. I have 190cc runners on my heads and when I lay the intake gaskets down on the heads, I hook the tabs of the gaskets around the stubs that sticks out of the head gasket. When doing this, it allows my intake gaskets to interfere or cover part of the very top of the runners. I'm sure this isn't supposed to happen. My questions are: Do you all think this has anything to do with it developing a leak along the top rail? Should I just set the intake gaskets down on top of the tabs and fill in my four corners with RTV? Or should I try and get a 1262R gasket that has the bigger port reliefs so I can still hook the intake gaskets on the head gaskets? Any help is greatly appreciated. I haven't done a leak down test on the cylinders, but I don't seem to be getting any compression into the coolant system. My compression test that I ran before the leaks showed an average of 180psi per cylinder, not a 5psi difference between all 8 cylinders. I ran it in the drive way around 2000 rpms for at least 5 minutes and never saw a drop of coolant come out of the radiator cap.

 

Are you using silicone on the gasket or just in the corner? If you are using silicone on the gasket that will cause a leak. Also be sure everything is clean.
Also i just looked on summits website and the felpro 1262 is a printoseal, my dad calls them printoleaks, that may be the problem.

 

On the first assembly I used black RTV along the entire cork gasket and no silicone on the side gaskets. It was brand new parts, squeaky clean. It was assembled for quite a few months before I actually ran the engine. On the second set of gaskets, I only put RTV on the four cork corners. And I cleaned the crap out of all of the surfaces. I actually took special care for this matter to make sure of it because I'm not a guy who likes to do things over and over with the same response. This is why I swallowed my pride and am reaching out for help on this forum. Usually, I try to figure stuff out on my own. I'm just your average hard headed prideful SOB. But I am at my wits end with this problem. That is also why I spent the extra $ and bought a new, better made intake. If I install the new intake and it still leaks, I will be very drawn to the feelings of burning it down in my front field and shoot the car body full of bullet holes to where nothing is usable again. Not really, more than likely, I will pitch a b**ch, sit in front my shop in one of my LSU chairs, drink a beer or two and mutter curse words under my breath at the car.

 

Try these gasket with a little bit of silicone at the crossover in the coner. http://store.summitracing.com/partde...1&autoview=sku I'm just using summit as an example but your local parts store should have them.

 

They look a lot like a stock replacement gaskets. I have a set of stock gaskets. But the ports in the gaskets are way to small. If I would run these gaskets, I might as well run a stock head, you know what i mean? I would like to know what the size of the ports are on the summit gaskets.

 

Yeah I know what you are saying. I never thought of the port size. They may make the 1262 gaskets but not in the pritoseal. you may have to call jegs or summit and see.

 

Is the surface on the head straight? Around the coolant ports, are they clean? Does the gasket cover them completly around the port?

As far as the gaskets go, I run a 1250 and it works good for me, the 1262 sould be plenty big (what size are your head ports deminsionally?) You could always trim the gasket to fit better.

Here are the gasket options for your intake
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...w=64&N=700+115

I would just give it another go with the new parts. The gaskets should be dry, no silicon. Sometimes I like to use some stuff called High Tack to hold the gaskets in place. Also I would pitch the cork and just use a bead of RTV in its place.

 

I will check the head surface after I get the Parker Funnel Web off of it with a straight edge from my buddies machine shop. Like I stated above, all areas of the mating surfaces were as clean as new. I took extra special care in this matter. I cleaned the block area as well. I talked to my father about it also, he runs his own mechanic shop and he mentioned some kind of sealant that he uses just like the factory uses and I think he called it Good Stuff or Great Stuff. He says it is what they use from the factory during assembly on new engines. I may go with tossing the cork gaskets and using the RTV method for end gaskets. If I do this method, it will allow me to better position the side gaskets on the heads. It is worth a try I guess. What the hell, it's only $30 dollars a pop every time I ruin a set of gaskets, not to mention 2 hours of wrenching.

 

Are you torquing the intake properly?

 

I think I know the problem You are hooking the intake gasket to the head gasket. The gaskets are designed arount stock ports. What you need to do is cut the little hook off the bottom of the intake gasket and raise it up and put some RTV around the coolant passages to hold the gasket in line with the ports. Wait about an hour and then put a bead down the front and back and it should seal up good. I'm going post a few pictures of what I'm talking about so you can see it for yourself.

This is the gasket hooked to the head gasket. Notice how the gasket doesn't line up with the ports or coolant passage



Here is a photo of the same gasket with the hook cut off, raised, tacked down with RTV (very thin) and taped into place until the intake goes on. Before the intake on this engine goes on I'll cut out the coolant passage. I'm glad I had one in the build stage so I could show you what I was talking about.