Make it shut up!!!!

[DorianL]

Right-o.

I suffered a couple of failures at the race. All quite minor.

One is that xxxxx exhaust leak.

I found that the gasket that the head manufacturer AFR was too big for headers. There was clearly gaps when I placed the gaskets acraoss header tubes. Significant gaps.

So, since I only had stock gaskets, I used a set of those. They quickly leaked between 3-5. I suspect a bolt loosened during my 300 mile drive. It must have burned though the gasket quick because no amount of retightening would make it go away.

Sooo, I'm going to start over again. With best possible gaskets. And circlip type locking bolts. Checking if headers are flat as well.

The locking bolt may need to have the washers ground a bit to fit.

Any gaskets you guys highly recommend?

Other tips?

I want this to shut up once and for all.

 

[northrnyankee]

I use graphite-impregnated gaskets with a perforated metal core and standard header bolts with no problems but I have read the copper gaskets are the best.

 

[grumpyvette]

if the header flange and heads are perfectly flat, and well matched, copper exhaust gaskets that are usually re-useable work and won,t burn out.

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1045&p=5159&hilit=header+gaskets#p5159

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=4541&p=12105&hilit=header+gaskets#p12105

if they are not, flat, the one time use, the more flexible composite gaskets may be a better seal

 

[mathd]

I have used copper gasket and i could not get them to seal.(my header flange is not really straight, someone has overtorqued/bent it in its previous life.)
I then used the fel-pro gasket that was remaining in the gasket set from the engine rebuild.. and there is not a single leak so far. Am using standard header bolt(with anti-seize) no lock-washer and they stay tight.

I also used red/high temp silicon gasket sealer on one side of the gasket as per the instructions.