71DodgeDemon340
Well-Known Member
Also there was no coolant in the valley
I dealt with some similar problems after going to a six pack manifold and pro Comp heads. gaps the fitting surfaces are close but not perfect . In my opinion the top end will need to be taken down and mating services checked,mocked up , adjustments made top quality gaskets and sealants used reassembled. Good luck.
it shouldnt need to be, it was sealed fine for the first 3 or 4 years after it was rebuilt, after about 3 or 4 years i had a small amount of coolant that would come out of the front pass side bolt but would be one little dab of coolant once every month or so, here the first of this year it had gotten worse which is why i pulled the intake the first time. When i did have that small amount leak i thought the intake bolts went into the water jacket so i pulled that one and put sealant on it, stayed good for a little while but eventually that super small leak came back, ran it for another 2 or 3 years and then this year is when it started leaking worse.
Lay the Gasket on a white paper towel over night. See what colors it turns.
I'm wondering if most of the staining is oil, and you happen to have a small coolant weep near the coolant passages.
I'd still seal the bolt threads when you reassemble. Like AJ said, they should be blind, but aluminum castings have a way of seeping through porosity sometimes. It hurts nothing to seal the threads.
If also put a small perimeter application of right stuff around the coolant passages.
Could your intake have a hairline crack?
on all 4 corners? I wouldnt think so
That's why I'm wondering if most of the staining isn't oil, and it's only coolant on one?
I'm spitballing for sure, you're the one seeing it first hand, and I'm not questioning what you're seeing, just tossing out some stuff to maybe rule out in case it looks like one thing but is some normal mixed with abnormal?
I've gotten hyper focused on one thing before and turned a mole hill into a mountain - some outside perspective sometimes helps with that.
If it is indeed all coolant at all 4 corners then it's odd. The only way for it to really happen is for a lack of clamping on the Gasket, but like you said - it has an even impression.
Maybe felpro got a bad batch of material? Hard to say.
I'd verify everything is straight and flat with a straight edge and feelers, set the Gasket on a paper towel overnight, and then plan to reassemble with right stuff, thread sealer and ample torque. What else can be done, right?
You need sealant around the end water passages too on both sides of the gasket. I don't see where you put any on.the 4 outer threaded holes on the edelbrock heads are blind, they are not exposed to coolant
i cant confirm that all the dampness is from coolant but it was sweating coolant on the four exposed parts of the gasket on the corners that extends past the intake. But would the oil from the valley be seeping through the gasket? I wouldnt think so.
You need sealant around the end water passages too on both sides of the gasket. I don't see where you put any on.
You need sealant around the end water passages too on both sides of the gasket. I don't see where you put any on.
"However" you did it before, didn't last, did it? Just an observation my friend.i cant get a consistent instruction on the gaskets. On the instructions for the intake it says to only use gasgacinch on the head and head side of the gasket. On the edelbrock intake gasket instructions it says to use gasgacinch on the head and head side of the gasket and rtv around the coolant passages but only on the intake side.
Well, I don't know what else to tell you. You've gotten advice from several members, me included who've built engines that lasted for years with no leaks. I believe I would back up and listen. Good luck with it!
"However" you did it before, didn't last, did it? Just an observation my friend.
Just saying, the taste of antifreeze is unmistakably sweet.
Jus asking, were the decks shaved?
i cant confirm that all the dampness is from coolant but it was sweating coolant on the four exposed parts of the gasket on the corners that extends past the intake. But would the oil from the valley be seeping through the gasket? I wouldnt think so.
Well that depends. If he didn't put sealer on the intake bolts, engine oil will migrate up the threads. I think even on aftermarket aluminum heads that all but the end bolt holes go into the inside valve cover area. Even if they're not "supposed" to, there's no guarantee the bolt holes are not porous in those areas.....but I think they go all the way through.That's why I'd lay the old Gasket on a paper towel. Should help you determine oil vs coolant.
I wouldn't expect much oil in the Gasket. But I also wouldn't expect coolant, or the leak you had.. Which is why a bit more info might shed some light.
Gaskacinch is great for reusing gaskets and holding them in place for assembly. But I wouldn't trust it for coolant sealing.
I also wouldn't trust just one surface being sealed with rtv or other goop. All mating surfaces need it unless sealed with a properly designed oring and groove arrangement. Doesn't take much goop, but it should be on the Gasket (both sides), head, and intake IMO. Otherwise pressure and heat will eventually cause a leak.
Well that depends. If he didn't put sealer on the intake bolts, engine oil will migrate up the threads. I think even on aftermarket aluminum heads that all but the end bolt holes go into the inside valve cover area. Even if they're not "supposed" to, there's no guarantee the bolt holes are not porous in those areas.....but I think they go all the way through.