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Gasket alignment

R

Rodd

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I have been doing some porting on my new optimizer heads to line up the ports with the gaskets. Got the intake side done and just starting on the exhaust side and there are some lips on the head that weren't ground down enough and it wont allow the gasket to sit properly. I was thinking of grinding them down but I had a thought that I could notch the gasket with some nail clippers or shears to get it to fit properly. See the pictures I attended of the new and stock.
 

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If the manifold ever warps a little and you don't feel like doing the sandpaper/glass trick to sand it flat, then a gasket will help. otherwise not needed. I've had gaskets last years, but maybe was brand of gasket.
 
Will L. said:
If the manifold ever warps a little and you don't feel like doing the sandpaper/glass trick to sand it flat, then a gasket will help. otherwise not needed. I've had gaskets last years, but maybe was brand of gasket.
Click to expand...
Chris said to use high temp silicone instead of gasket which wouldn't matter if the manifold warped, right?
 
And how hot your EGT's get. Most Hi-Temp "Exhaust Sealer" silicones (like Permatex Orange) are good to about 800-900°F - which is fine for gassers but a rich running diesel can reach 1100-1200°F no problem and that turns the the hi-temp silicone into a hard, brittle, crumbly consistency that does not flex at all and will eventually start falling out from between the manifold and head. That causes an exhaust leak that then causes the crunchy silicone to fall out even faster.
 
Will L. said:
If the manifold ever warps a little and you don't feel like doing the sandpaper/glass trick to sand it flat, then a gasket will help. otherwise not needed. I've had gaskets last years, but maybe was brand of gasket.
Click to expand...

I have also always run exhaust manifold gaskets on the 6.5 and never had one blow out. Not that my history is good since I was blowing head gaskets with ever other tank of fuel it seemed.
 
Duvall said:
I have also always run exhaust manifold gaskets on the 6.5 and never had one blow out. Not that my history is good since I was blowing head gaskets with ever other tank of fuel it seemed.
Click to expand...
Same here. Both my '94 C2500HD C&C and '98 K2500 Burb have gaskets and I've never had an issue with exhaust leaks between the heads and manifolds. And I've never used any type of sealer with them, either. Afaik, the gaskets on the Burb are from the factory, as I've never had the manifolds off. The '94 got new heads and I'll be using exhaust gaskets (Fel-pro) when they go on.
 
I learned to try not using them first as most don't need it. If you take the manifold and sand it flat with sandpaper secured over a sheet of glass, just go back and forth until you see you have any high spots gone, then finish in a figure 8 pattern.

On the heads where you indicated, you could sand those off, they serve no purpose. I don't think I would bother with it. I don't remember the fel-pro gaskets fighting anything, but I could have just ignored it if it wasn't detrimental as that occurs on various engines.
 
When I have new heads or rebuilt that have been planed, I always send the manifolds to the machine shop to be planed also and never have had to use the gaskets. They always seal great with nothing. And nice thing is there is no gaskets to blow out.
 
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