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Exhaust manifold gasket leak

Stoney

Well-Known Member
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Elmira ny
I Got a leaking exhaust manifold gasket on the passenger side.. I'm supposed to be towing a car trailer tommorow with a Jeep Wrangler on it...about 250 miles...will it hurt anything?? Really could use the money but don't want to damage anything..won't that effect boost? I know I need to get it fixed but can't do it tonight..
 
Between the manifold and the engine? Do you mean you just never had them there or didn't come with any?
 
So it shouldn't hurt anything?..I know they have them cause AutoZone sold me a set of new ones..lol
 
Not that I I think this makes a difference.. but I believe that is a GM Goodwrench crate motor that's in the truck I say that because of the stickers on the top
 
Over 20 years they warp, get oil soaked, the bolts rust and loosen up, etc.... if you use gaskets you will be doing it again soon, best to remove it, find a nice big belt sander wood workers use and hit it a lick, use the red high temp or better the high temp copper sealant made for this, thin coat, install and forget... and don't use other kinds of bolts, these exhaust bolts have a bit different pitch so they don't loosen up.... I have a link for them if needed, they aren't cheap but are stock oem replacement's...
 
Let us know if you find gaskets, my bet is their aren't any... and yea I know you can buy exhaust gaskets, a lot of stuff can be purchased that isn't needed and or recommended , like valve cover gaskets..
 
When you say the bolts have a different pitch, I'm not quite sure what you mean..it concerns me cuz if they break and we have to drill them out I want to make sure we rethread them right
 
IIRC the threads are round instead of pointy when looking at the side view. Not necessarily an odd pitch. Also Leroy used to have some Remflex exhaust gaskets. There was someone on one of the sites that had them custom make them and I guess the manufacturer did a small run of them. Supposed to be the ticket for slightly warped manifolds.
 
Okay so for right now just drive it until I can get the bolts and see what Leroy has or line up somebody that has a sander before I go pulling it apart
 
Soot seals them up on these engines. Gaskets just blow out. Be E A S Y on it till you replace the warped manifold. You are loosing boost, will soot coat everything under the hood and can hurt the engine from overfueling.

Maybe you can save it... Knock off manifolds are down from $500 to just $100 on fleabay. Parts on hand or down while you wait. Likely warped so bad the bolt holes won't line up for reinstall.
 
Not ruined would be my bet. Takes a lot to do big damage to iron heads or cast iron manifolds.

Being cautious with egt while leaking is a good idea.
When you can, pull the manifold. Clean it and head then check with a straight edge. Doesn’t need to be a machinist straight edge, a metal ruler is fine.

If it is of slightly out there is technique for diy block sanding to get it straight, that can be done to head in place- hard but doable. Manifold block sand on the bench, so don’t panic.

If both are really straight, You can install the manifold against the head without a gasket. Any fine seeping will seal up with soot and be good in 1 day. Otherwise use a gasket. The metal gaskets last the longest but dont make up for scratches or warping as well as the paper style. You can even stack a couple gaskets against each other if needed. This is done when using the turbo manifolds on the long injector 6.2 heads to clear the injectors. Another option for sealing is using copperkote on the Gasket.
 
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