Exhaust leaks (aargh!)

[Jeffyboy]

Hey guys,



I changed out my headers for some used ceramic coated ones this past weekend. The collector flanges were a little warped, but the previous owner said they sealed up fine for him. And my old headers had a little warpage to the flange and they mostly sealed, too. I spent like $60 on Percy\'s gaskets for the headers and collectors and I\'m having leaks. Minor ones at the headers, and the driver\'s side collector is sealed, but the passenger side collector sounds like I either didn\'t tighten it down or forgot the gasket. We\'re talking serious leaks here.



Any thoughts? Do the Percy\'s gaskets take a little time to \"seat?\" It says on the directions to re-torque them several times after a few heat cycles. Could I have over-tightened them? They\'re pretty snug, but I only used a 1/4\" ratchet and a short wrench when I installed them.



As far as the header gaskets, there\'s a smoother side and a rougher side. I put the smoother side toward the header. Is that right? If not, did I screw them up? They are supposed to be reusable . . .



Thanks for any help you can give.



Jeff

[tracker]

i use the same ones but after the first set i experimented with the high heat permatex and coated my gasket with it. so far no problems and it has been 2 years. i check to make sure all my bolts are tight as often as i check the oil. a little over kill but it works.

[bowtie316]

I\'ll second the use of High Heat Permatex. I have used Ultra-blue for years on header flanges with no problems. Just smear both sides of the gaskets, bolt it together and wipe off the excess. Let it set a few hours and you should be ready to go.

[rayL]

pfft what gasket.. i use straight \"red\" high temp sealant. its like hukd on fonics..WERKS FER ME. http://www.s10v8.com/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif

[Jeffyboy]

Sounds like a plan - we\'ll make those babies seal yet! Back under the truck I go . . .



Thanks guys,



Jeff

[RE-KLUSE]

i used the percy\'s with great results,but everything was all new.i dont even like the idea of used headers,but im sure people has used them many times.

[Jeffyboy]

OK - I still have no idea why that collector gasket was leaking so badly, but it\'s got plenty of RTV on it now, so that should fix it. I also figured out why my Percy\'s gaskets were leaking. I bought the square port gaskets because of the square ports in my heads. The headers are smaller than those ports and don\'t have anything to seal them in the corners. I ended up using a set of run-of-the-mill exhaust manifold gaskets and coated them with RTV. I\'ll let you know how it goes either tomorrow or the next day.



Thanks for the help.



Jeff

[Jeffyboy]

It worked! You guys are great!



thanks,



Jeff

[redneckgames]

Im going to have to try that trick on my camaro, I cannot for the life of me get the number 7 to stop leaking.



I have a new set of manifold gaskets I am going to try to use.

What RTV did you use RED? put some on front and back? Let them sit long before you tightened em up?



Thanks

[Jeffyboy]

I used the red/orange stuff labeled as \"high heat\". I coated both sides of the gaskets pretty good, slipped them in and tightened them down. It took me a while to get the collectors done, so that stuff started to cure a little bit before I got them tightened down, but no leaks there either. Good luck!

[tarbaby30823]

i have used just plain ole manifold gaskets for years with headers and no leaks .

[rayL]

On 2006-06-03 11:05, tarbaby30823 wrote:

i have used just plain ole manifold gaskets for years with headers and no leaks .





not on a big port head you havent...i use straight sealant, no gasket at all. skeet a pile of goo on the header. Tighten it, let it sit overnight and forget about it.

[Jeffyboy]

Well, I got the chance to put some miles on the truck this weekend and it\'s started ticking again, but not as bad/loud as before at all. Gotta re-torque everything. Hopefully that\'ll take care of it.