Why do I keep murdering turbo gaskets?

[litdog83z]

I've been trying different gaskets on the turbo to header connection because it was leaking (car had a graphite gasket when I got it). I got stuck out on the road and tried a paper header gasket (worked for a couple hundred miles to get me home and such), then it blew out.

Then I got the graphite gasket from NAPA for the 84 or so Riviera T-Type and put it on. It worked good for a while, then I started hearing ticking again, and now just a whirring air/exhaust noise from around the turbo. Shined a light on the gasket and it looks like jut plain metal for the gasket again, all th graphite stuff is gone from the back half of it.

Why do the graphite ones keep dying? Could it be my nuts are loosening up some and the pressure is getting by it and killing it? Maybe one of the flanges is warped a little much and creates a weak spot ther ein the back?

It's really getting annoying... I finally killed most of my exhaust leaks with a repaired driver's side header and fiddling with the crossover for hours... Then I fix this one again and have it 99% leak free... then bam... comes right back.

Car also smells way rich cause this is right by the o2 sensor (at least I guess that's the problem).. The blm's show it's a little on the leaner side at idle, so I'd say it would have to be this fooling the o2 sensor.

Then again my direct scan could just be way off (see my other problem in the scan tool tech section).

I'm about to just say screw it and add new headers and turbo to my downpipe order this spring... I'd like it to not have to come to that though.

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[MaxVO2]

****It sounds like the flanges are warped. No gasket will hold up long in that application if the mating surface isn't flat - it gets really hot down there!. If you have an 86 or 87, it originally did not come with a gasket there, just like our exhaust manifolds didn't originally come with gaskets even though lots of people use Fel Pro 1400's (I think its the 1400..) after they get their drivers side header fixed, etc...

Only solution for you is to pull the thing off and have it machined flat (both turbo and header). You might try a dead soft copper type gasket that some vendors sell for that area, if the leak doesn't seem too bad, and you may get lucky - but if the leak is bad, you should just fix it right.

Good Luck

Billy

 

[Sam Colalillo]

The factory does not install a gasket in this location. I decided to run a gasket here also and ran into the same problem you are having. I used many different gaskets and then finally realized the kind of heat being generated in this area. I used a copper gasket from Precision Turbo. When I installed it I applied a bead of gold RTV to both side of the gasket. Never had a problem since.

 

[litdog83z]

Alright, i'll probably try a copper gasket and rtv first, because the next time that header is coming off, i'm just buying new ones, because i'm tired of cracks and that RETARDED crossover pipe with it's lame 2 bolt design that took me hours to get sealed up...

 

[litdog83z]

well... i got a copper one now... but from the looks of this graphite one i'll probably have to pull the headers sometime soon

If the copper will seal at least I wont have to worry about blowing it out.

Do I need to retighten the turbo bolts after a few miles? MAybe they're coming a bit loose and causing the warped part to blow out faster?

Picture: This is a Turbo Riviera graphite gasket I got at NAPA

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/1396/img092816uc.jpg

 

[litdog83z]

Well got the copper 3 bolt header flange gasket on. Got it from oreillys. When I started it up it was extremely rich from that leak right by the o2 sensor. It's settled down now, no more audible tick.. I can hear the turbo again :biggrin:

Spools a heck of a lot faster and I can lose traction in first again... Can't wait till I figure out my scan tool woes and turn the boost back up to stock levels +.

We'll see how long it lasts If this one lasts now, some other leak will pop up anyway

 

[Sam Colalillo]

well... i got a copper one now... but from the looks of this graphite one i'll probably have to pull the headers sometime soon

If the copper will seal at least I wont have to worry about blowing it out.

Do I need to retighten the turbo bolts after a few miles? MAybe they're coming a bit loose and causing the warped part to blow out faster?

Picture: This is a Turbo Riviera graphite gasket I got at NAPA

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/1396/img092816uc.jpg

That is exactly what my gasket looked like, I don't know what I was thinking either when I tried to run that gasket. They work great for header collector gaskets on a small block chevy, but definately can't handle the heat (around 1000 degrees) from 6 cylinders that close to the exhaust ports of the cylinder head. I installed the copperone using copper RTV and never retighten it. It plain works great for me.

 

[litdog83z]

That's the turbo riviera gasket though (the blown out one in the picture), so it's made for turbos and the heat...

 

[CTX-SLPR]

That's the turbo riviera gasket though (the blown out one in the picture), so it's made for turbos and the heat...

There is almost always a cheap and a good version of a part, though if its not a common item... its likely to be just a cheap at a good part price. I bet its designed for it but not to last there.

Just an opinion,

 

[Marc87GN]

1,100 miles on this one and it's still ok.

http://www.seturbo.com/cat-buick/catalog2.php?cate_id=71&main_cat=16