Which Header Gasket To Use

[Hahny]

I'm looking to get my Poston Headers Cerakoted in a week or two and I just wanted to know which header gasket would be best to use for my application. Note: I have the stock 8445 heads. Thanks

 

[chasmat2316]

dont use any gasket

 

[Hahny]

dont use any gasket

Yeah, I have thought about that too, but I hear that some use gaskets and some don't so I'm really not sure what to do at this point. Thanks

 

[Boost231]

RJC makes a nice gasket

 

[Hahny]

RJC makes a nice gasket

I have been looking at those as well as the Fel-pro 1400. Do you run them on your car?

 

[chasmat2316]

Gaskets are a waste of time & a path for an exhaust leak to happen

 

[1KWIKSIX]

Fel-Pro 1400's here. No issues or leaks for me.

 

[ITSAV6]

If both surfaces are flat use no gasket. I have none on mine, if they leak use copper and fill the back of the "O ring" around the ports with copper high temp rtv. Let it cure and then install. This works well. My turbo mustang ate header gaskets till IO did this. Seems to let it compress to seal but keeps a lil pressure from the rtv.

 

[Hahny]

If both surfaces are flat use no gasket. I have none on mine, if they leak use copper and fill the back of the "O ring" around the ports with copper high temp rtv. Let it cure and then install. This works well. My turbo mustang ate header gaskets till IO did this. Seems to let it compress to seal but keeps a lil pressure from the rtv.

Are you referring to SCE copper head gaskets?

 

[Boost231]

I have been looking at those as well as the Fel-pro 1400. Do you run them on your car?

I do now, kept getting leaks with the copper gaskets

 

[Hahny]

I think I may get the RJC gaskets, because my header flanges are thick and it should seal up pretty good.

 

[ITSAV6]

Header gaskets, copper with imprinted ring around ports

 

[Hahny]

Header gaskets, copper with imprinted ring around ports

Thanks for the info.

 

[Mr.Spool]

I'm looking to get my Poston Headers Cerakoted in a week or two and I just wanted to know which header gasket would be best to use for my application. Note: I have the stock 8445 heads. Thanks

i have had the best results with no gaskets and orange rtv

 

[ITSAV6]

As I stated I have no gasket or RTV on my factory headers and zero leaks. But my 91 GT turbo headers went through 2 different sets of header gaskets til the copper ones with the imprint filled with the high temp rtv. I use 2 copper header collector gaskets on my header to turbo because the flange is warped. I filled the voids with rtv and put them together and its been leak free for several years.

 

[earlbrown]

There's two major problems with running gaskets on a TR. One is they are about 1/16" thick. When you put two in there, they engine just got 1/8" wider. That might cause issues with the X-over pipe some sealing issues. Kinda sucks to spend money to 'solve' a problem just to create a new one.

The other issue is that when an exhaust gasket blows, you have a 1/6" slot about an inch long dumping all kinds of exhaust pressure and noise into the environment. If a gasketless flange leaks, you might have a tick, and some carbon tracking.

That being said, sometimes I put a gasket on the PS just because that one's such a PIA to remove due to the turbo, DP, wastegate, oil feed, etc... The DS is a piece of cake if you cut off the stupid studs that aren't needed on 3 of the bolts or have one of my socket head SS bolt kits.

 

[Hahny]

I like what you are saying, but I'm not real sure how both surfaces look such as my header flanges and heads, until I pull them off and if they look good then I may just take your advice and not run any gaskets at all.

 

[turbo nasty]

I use gaskets with zero issues! With that said surfaces are flat and exh manifolds are retorqued a few times after engine is ran. I have yet to work on a car with no gaskets that at least 2 - 3 plugs or plug wires dont have exh soot marks on them. They may not be audibly ticking from a huge exh leak but are clearly leaking!!!