fel-pro 1250 print-o-seal & general intake gasket info

[76 bronco J]

>>>>>> I noticed a thread lately from bluebuckaroo on his 1250 intake gasket leaking so I thought I add a bunch of links here from some sites I've seen talking about the soft non-steel core printo seal type gaskets.....I've had my own share of issues with the printo seals shifting around the intake ports ,but no coolant leaks luckly.. I use a very very small amount of the "right stuff" sealant these days around the coolant ports......I've glued them to the head with edelbrocks gasacinch & permatex high tack a they still eventually shifted or split(more than once),see below .....I also use the "right stuff" in place of the end seals & use permatex high tac on the bolt threads for oil seepage,since it doesn't harden which is good for repeated retorques........ we have been told time & time again that we must use the soft printo seal style gaskets with aluminum intakes ,but the stock 5.0 has had a aluminum intake with stiff steel core gaskets from day one..... now days it seems ford racing & fel-pro consider the regular 1250 & 1262 printo seal gaskets for race use where you don't leave the intake on for long term street use...... the new part#s are 1250 S-3 & 1262 S-3 ,they are a steel core intake gaskets for long term street use......there is another steel core made by fel-pro only available through ford racing for there Y & X aluminum heads part #M-9439-A50, this gasket showed up back in 2005ish before the other 2 new gaskets from fel-pro & this one is marked 1262-S on the gasket itself .... I'm running the old Y heads with a performer 289 & the M-9439-A50 gasket & it's less than ideal cause the peformer needs a little more material at the top of the runners cause' of the tall ports on the Y heads...... from searching seems lots like the victor reinz intake gaskets....... main thing for intake gasket searching is port size, early or late coolant ports,ERG pre cutout or not,EGR block plate supplied or not & now it seems you need a steel core gasket for long term street use...... anyway here's some reading below >>>>>
http://www.capitalareacobraclub.com/index.php?topic=5095.0 fel pro press release FEb.23,2006>> http://federalmogul.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=89&item=89....... http://forums.corral.net/forums/showthread.php?t=980854 ...... http://www.ffcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178867 ........ http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=37879 ....... http://forums.stangnet.com/527295-intake-gasket-question.html ...... http://www.fordmuscle.com/forums/all-ford-techboard/458218-408w-questions.html ....... http://www.clubcobra.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80530&highlight=intake+gasket&page=4 ....... http://www.network54.com/Forum/7418...ay,+Victor+rather+than+Fel-Pro.+.+.++Question ...... http://forums.corral.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1074956 ....... http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/5-0l-tech/155801-intake-head-issue-1988-mustang.html ...... http://forums.popularhotrodding.com/70/6591003/got-your-tech-right-here/302-ford/index.html ...... http://www.store.partsdinosaur.com/page80.html

 

[blubuckaroo]

Thanks for the info 76 bronco J. I'll call Edelbrock and find out why they suggest Fel-Pro Printoseal or and also the Edelbrock version of the same thing.
I can't imagine why those gaskets in the photos got so distorted unless they were torqued wrong. The gaskets with steel cores have the advantage of staying straight even with incorrect torquing procedures.
I notoced a lot of this info is for FE motors.

 

[iwlbcnu]

Dads 514 has spit out 3 sets of the print o seals, I redid it last with the steel insert. Around the water ports the gaskets had started to disentergrate. I have the 1250's on my 5.0 for at least 10 years with no problems.

 

[blubuckaroo]

OK, I talked to Edelbrock tech line. I asked about using the Fel-Pro 1250 S3 gaskets and he said NO!!! You can't use a permatorque type gasket because it has a steel core. The steel core won't compress enough to seal because you can't torque the aluminum manifold that tight without damaging it. He said to follow the Edelbrock instructions carefully. Gaskasinch on the head side (gasket & head), High temp RTV around the coolant ports only on the manifold side. RTV only instead of the end pieces. Make guide pins from four long bolts so you can hit it right the first stab. This is the most important step since most of the failures are because the gaskets aren't lined up properly with thee ports. The guide pins work better than studs because it makes it easier to clean off the old gasket next time.
I got a new manifold to try this on so I'm ready to dive in again.

 

[76 bronco J]

OK, I talked to Edelbrock tech line. I asked about using the Fel-Pro 1250 S3 gaskets and he said NO!!! You can't use a permatorque type gasket because it has a steel core. The steel core won't compress enough to seal because you can't torque the aluminum manifold that tight without damaging it. He said to follow the Edelbrock instructions carefully. Gaskasinch on the head side (gasket & head), High temp RTV around the coolant ports only on the manifold side. RTV only instead of the end pieces. Make guide pins from four long bolts so you can hit it right the first stab. This is the most important step since most of the failures are because the gaskets aren't lined up properly with thee ports. The guide pins work better than studs because it makes it easier to clean off the old gasket next time.
I got a new manifold to try this on so I'm ready to dive in again.

>>>>>> I'll bet any amout of money most will tell you exactly what that edelbrock tech said because he just regurgitating what been jammed into all our brains over the years...... take a look at the late model 5.0 factory intake gaskets they are a hard steel core type & they seal the alumninum intake ........ as far as the guide pin thing I always do that, my problem may be more with the head & intake I'm currently running,but I can't believe all the problems seen with the these printo O leak gaskets are cause by everyones physically challenged mechanic skills.......... also even though mister tech said to use RTV, the "right stuff" elastomeric rubber sealant in much better than the old silicon.......

 

[iwlbcnu]

The steel is very thin and in the middle just to keep the gaskets shape, the fiber on both sides is still compressing. The problem with just the fiber gaskets is around the ports the material is thin enough that over time it walks out due to the heating and cooling cycles.