Header Leak

[Fuelie74]

Headers are leaking on me at the head flange. I put on my Hooker side pipes a couple months ago and have been loosing this battle ever since. I am using Percy's dead soft aluminum gaskets. The headers are the larger rectangle ports and the heads are the small round ports. Wasn't thinking at the time but I got the large rectangle port gaskets. Which gaskets should be used with this set up?

 

[Twin_Turbo]

What kind of heads do you have? If your heads only have a small sealing flange around the port that may be a problem, do the percys rectangle gaskets sit on the machined face all around or not? You may have to use the smaller gaskets to get it to seal.

 

[Fuelie74]

I have a set of center bolt heads. Not sure of the casting number, what ever cam stock on a 92 Camaro. The gaskets looked like they were making contact on a machined surface all the way around on every port. Although if I remember right it didn't have a lot of contact in some area.

I don't care if I do have to buy different gaskets I just want to know that the round port gaskets will seal against the headers before spending the money.

 

[Twin_Turbo]

Yes, they should seal fine. I used D port gaskets on V-Twins car since he has L98 d port heads. No leaks at all. He has the 1-3/4 primary hooker sidetube headers too.

 

[Ricks82]

I don't have the oval port heads, but I do have the side headers. I just used Permatex Ultra Copper sealant (No gaskets). I think the Ultra Copper is popular with the turbo guys. Anyway, I sealed then once re-torqued the bolts a couple of times, and have had no leaks so far this summer.:thumbs:

 

[badbirdcage]

I don't have the oval port heads, but I do have the side headers. I just used Permatex Ultra Copper sealant (No gaskets). I think the Ultra Copper is popular with the turbo guys. Anyway, I sealed then once re-torqued the bolts a couple of times, and have had no leaks so far this summer.:thumbs:

I used the copper gaskets on my headers WITH the Ultra Copper sealant. Working fine.

Rich

 

[turtlevette]

WITH the Ultra Copper sealant. Working fine.

Rich

if your talking about that silicone RTV with copper in it, i've found that it eventually burns up and blows out. It just can't take the heat over the long term.

 

[pcf_mark]

The aluminum work hardens when it gets heat soaked or something. The dead soft copper from Summit seam to take a lot of cycles and they can seal an ugly non flat flange too.

 

[Fuelie74]

Thanks, I will try the different gasket.