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Thanks, yours has that slight bend on one end too. I would guess that it fits better up against the side when closed; once I get mine loose that should be obvious.
You opinions respected: why do you not recommend the Remflex 235/261 manifolds gasket?
Thanks, Tim
Tim, for the same reason I can't recommend Pertronix. Too many failures and the basic product is the same as it was on day one. I have friends who can't even say Pertronix without including a long and often creative string of profanity and from everything I've read, this gasket may possibly have a worse track record. Stepping away from the 235/261, for some vehicles the failure rate appears to almost be guaranteed. Subaru for one. I own a Subaru, by the way. I can't recommend this gasket for any vehicle.
I know there are people who consider these gaskets to be terrific, have had great luck with them, sing their praises and that's fine. I just don't like any product that works sometimes for some people in some cases.
I think people tend to forget when a gasket like this fails on a modern vehicle very unwanted things can happen. The list begins with: all of a sudden your vehicle will not pass the state vehicle inspection. Depending on where you live this can be irritating or worse...you may not be allowed to drive your vehicle away from the inspection station in that condition.
As I said earlier, I think Evan's idea was clever and he says it has worked for him for 15 years. A tube of that stuff is what...$8 or so? I'd say try that first.
Grease Monkey, Moderator General Truck Talk & Greasy Spoon
One thing to remember is, we are dealing with antique 6 cylinder engines. The Remflex has proven time after time to be effective at sealing up the exhaust/intake manifolds on Stovebolt sixes. I can’t recall any failures being reported. Your bad experience with Remflex on modern engines is certainly worthy of note but should not deter anyone from using them on our inline sixes. JMO
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne 4dr 230 I-6 one owner (I’m #2) ‘39 Dodge Businessmans Coupe USAF 1965-69 Weather Observation Tech (got paid to look at the clouds)
"I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop!
Martin I said I couldn't recommend these for any engine. So let me offer a little more because it appears I may have been misunderstood or at least I think what goes into my thinking might need clarification. I belong to, participate in or observe several other forums similar to this but aligned with other vehicles, general auto repair, performance, off-road, restoration, etc. And I am friends with and am in contact with people in the auto business who will never participate on this or any other forum. This gasket has been around and has been discussed for about 15 years now and if you search you'll find the complaints are nearly all the same. To say its failure is limited to modern engines is incorrect but the modern-day use example does go to the heart of the problem as I see it and I'll explain that in a moment. This gasket has never been presented as an improvement over OEM gaskets and no vehicle makers use this as an OEM gasket as far as I know. With a failure rate this high I can't imagine even the Vega engineers would consider it. What it is and has been is nothing more than a quick and less expensive "fix" to a more expensive, more sinister and time consuming problem. The other thing I've come to believe is it works best on engines which are not used often and it may have a short life span if used frequently (routinely) or more severely. It may be a convenient answer for a vehicle which needs to be sold quickly without spending much money on it. Pig lipstick. The point of mentioning a modern day vehicle just points out when this gasket is subjected to frequent and routine use (what a modern day vehicle will get) there's plenty of documentation showing it doesn't hold up well in some cases and in some other cases it is almost guaranteed to fail.
But my guess is a lot of trucks like ours don't get used often. Check with some of the Stovebolt devotees of this gasket and let's see how often their engine is used. 15 years of daily use plus long trips? If you hear that, it will be a pleasant surprise to me, because I'm expecting people to say something like "oh, I drive it around town once a month or so and last year I drove 60 miles one day." And let's also find out how many people are using it. 20 or 200? Evan said he had success with an $8 tube of sealant for 15 years, posted an image of it and pointed out he takes long trips in the vehicle. Until I hear something like that from somebody I trust, I won't recommend this gasket any more than I'd recommend taking your family up in an airplane you built yourself from watching a YouTube video.
In the auto industry there have been products which do work and which do solve some problems...but about which full knowledge often must be learned through experience of the user. An example? Drive flat tires. They work and they cost 50 to 100% more than regular tires, but try to have one repaired after you've suffered a puncture and driven on it. Tire shops won't touch it and with good reason. Driving wrecks the structure...the structural integrity to be more precise and the tire is off to the recycle pile now. If it is repaired, belts may start separating, the tire may wear funny, drive unpredictably and some say it may fail catastrophically.
Alignment rings on the gasket? I don't know, but that's a good question. My first inclination might be to say yes, but with this design they're not going to work as originally designed, you know.
I got the manifold off with no problems; it even separated easily. Still working on freeing up the heat valve, but I did find that my thermo spring is broken. I also see that the valve has a bend on one side (see attached photo); is this normal?
Thanks, Lee.
Take care with that shaft and resting pin for the spring. They can be brittle and easily damaged/snapped
Heres the test of my spring and valve when I had it apart 216 manifold on a 235. ...link... [photos.google.com]
Thanks for the pics and videos; I am having no luck with freeing up the valve. I have tried the torch trick too with no success. The side with the weight seems to be free (it will move just a little bit up and down), but not the end with the spring. I’ll be taking it to a local machine shop for cleaning, if I cannot get it free, maybe they can. Or maybe with all the gunk off that will help free it up.
I took the manifolds to a local machine shop for cleaning and surfacing the ports (maybe they will have more luck freeing the heat valve) and I should have them back this afternoon. My question is what kind of lubricant should I apply to the shaft once it is free?
