The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop intake gasket

i got my intake a exhaust on and notice the gap were the exhaust meets the head i have it tight , what did i do wroung ?? here is a pic

[IMG]http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g407/robbie1965/intake.jpg[/IMG]

Did you have the intake and exhust manifold apart, and then bolt them together with a new gasket between them?

yes they was apart ,, i put the new gasket on the head in the right spot and had the intake and exhaust loose togther and mounted to the head and tighten down

the gasket was in 3 pcs 2 shjort for the ends and a larger for middle , i gues i need to add a spacer to make it seal up ????

I would think that you needed to do is put the intake and exhaust on the head without the gaskets and then tighten them up and have the new gasket between the intake and exhaust manifolds and tighten them up,then after you tighten them up take off the combo and install the gaskets to the head and then tighten up.NO SPACERS.

Sorry dont understand,,, so you say install the set with out the gasket? and then remove the set and then install the gaskets all together?

Thanks

What he is saying is to install them on the head with no gaskets, except for the gasget between the two manifolds. Tighten up the heat box, remove the manifold and install with the gaskets between the manifold and head. Personally I would not do it this way.

Have you put a straight edge on the surface of the intake and exhaust manifolds to see if they are straight?

There is something wrong here and no, don't use spacers. Maybe your exhaust manifold is warped because it should pull up tight if the four heatbox bolts are loose and the exhaust pipe is not attached.

If they are straight then you should have no problem with mounting them to the head. What i said was to install both manifolds to the head without the gaskets so you use the head to aline both manifolds,then tighten the set(both manifolds) up to each other so both manifolds are one,then take off the pair of manifold to install the gaskets to the head.

I've used a Blockmaster mill to face off the intake and exhaust manifolds together after getting them as close as possible to aligned using the "no gasket/bolt on" method. It usually only takes a few thousandths of milling to get a perfect fit.
Jerry

did you install a new gasket on your heat box?
...pic...


what I like to do is install the two bolts and two nuts on the heat box and leave them loose.

then install the manifold.
then torque in sequence,

heat box 1/3 torque
then torque manifold 1/3

so on.

I did have to take my manifold to a machine shop because it leaked

...pic..

250's manifolds install the same way. I install both manifolds loose to each other and loose to the head. Starting in the center working out towards the ends, I tighten the top bolts so the manifolds are pulled up. 250's have the row of bolts staggered some high some low. If the low ones are tightened first, you can not pull the top tight enough to sell the top edges of either manifold. Once both are tight to the block, I tighten the two manifolds to each other.

Get them as close as you can and tighten the two together. Then remove the whole assembly from the engine and check for flatness with a straight edge or flat steel plate. If they need a little sanding, use some sticky back sand paper on a flat panel and sand the whole manifold at one time. Cast iron cuts really easy and it won't take very much to help them seal.

Joe

I had the exact same problem, but it was the intake that would not cinch up tight. I think that's how I ended up breaking the exhaust manifold in three pieces was because of trying to tighten it down. Mine were never apart though. I took off the intake/exhaust and carburetor as one piece, even left it attached to the exhaust pipe. Removed the head to replace the head gasket, then reinstalled the manifolds. Why did it not go on the same as it came off? It's not that easy to come across an exhaust manifold for a 235, but it is doable. But, once I get a new one, I really don't want to break it as well. Glad I came across this thread!

All i know is it was fine untill i ttook it apart to have it rebuild, i did paint them both ,, could i tighten the heat box up and myabe try to sand the on a belt sander?? or try to ovel the holes in the heat box a little so they will move

so here is what i did ,, i put the intake on the belt sander and sanded it a little after marking just how much i could go ,, then i used the old gasket and just used the exhaust part and it sealed up have to wait and see i guess ,i know i couldnt slide the thin paper under it ,, so we will have to wait ,, i am going to post pics later its coming together real nice

The intake manifold on my 2nd gen. 235 was warped, but it was warped Vertically, the ends were warped up higher than they needed to be, my mechanic made inserts to fit in the manifold so I could use it until I replace the engine. It worked great.