Which intake manifold gasket to use?

[2manynotime]

I have a 302 out of a 2000 Ford Explorer and a Weiand 4 barrel aluminum intake manifold on it for use with my Fitech EFI. Anyone know what intake manifold gasket I should be using? I installed the manifold with the 1969 gaskets (Fel Pro) and I have a very small, slow coolant leak around the bolt closest to the thermostat housing. I see a very small trace of coolant there after I have driven it to work and back and then let it sit. I originally thought it was coming from the temp sensor in the manifold but after several times of careful checking, I am sure it is the bolt. I used thread sealant on the bolt when I originally installed it and followed the torque specs and sequence detailed for the 2000 explorer. The 2000 5.0 gasket looks similar to a 1969 302, but not identical so I'm not sure what to use.

 

[gick70]

Did u use additional sealant around the water jackets?

 

[2manynotime]

It was about a year ago, but it seems like i remember putting a very thin layer around the water jackets on both sides of the gasket. Not 100% sure though.

 

[73azbronco]

Yeah see I think other than front and rear of intake valley where thick bead of silicone alone with no rubber or cork, only "sealant" on faces of gasket should be copper coat spray or Indian Head shelac. My experience anyway.

 

[73azbronco]

Ihave different issue of small oil leak front intake after sitting 8 years.

Have felpro 1262s-3 for large port and 1250s-3 for small port. See which one fits better, both .065 thick, thicker than usual gaskets.

 

[JWMcCrary]

The machine shop that I am using and have come to trust swear by cometic head and intake gaskets. The intake gaskets don’t even come with the end pieces so you can’t screw up and use them. I was shown comparisons and sure like what I saw. Haven’t used them yet but going to on the engine I’m building right now.

 

[nvrstuk]

JWMcCrary is right on.... Do NOT use Felpro. Use Cometic.

I used Cometic after Felpro failed. I started a post on this Felpro issue 6+ yrs ago. Cruised over to a couple of Mustang sites, posted up and got a lot of hits with Felpro failures... All similar issues... gasket failure.

I'm not going into detail again here but it has been a common issue with them. No idea if they are still the same composition or not...

Go Cometic... just look at them and your mind will be made up.

It's all I use after I found out about them. Not sure if they list them now or not. Just call and tell them what you need.

 

[blubuckaroo]

Most of the aftermarket intake instructions recommend FelPro 1250. The problem using that, or any without a steel support layer, with an aluminum intake, is the difference in expansion rate and the lower torque on an aluminum intake.
What usually happens is the gasket will split around the coolant and/or intake ports. You can end up with either a coolant leak or vacuum leak.
That's why FelPro came up with the 1250s3 gasket. It's got a steel reinforcement layer.
I struggled with this when I first installed an aluminum intake. Especially when Edelbrock had you use their unreinforced gasket. Theirs is pretty much like the FelPro 1250. I had both coolant leaks and vacuum leaks until I started using the newer 1250s3.

 

[nvrstuk]

Some of these were the steel reinforced gaskets. Mine wasn't.

The pics I posted showed the gasket literally dissolved in spots and shrunk severely in others.

 

[lars]

Brian, FelPro actually does make a steel core gasket that holds up well. Been there, done that. The standard "Print-O-Seal" gasket that all the parts sites (Summit, etc) will point you to are garbage. They turn to paper pulp in a few thousand miles. But after a few rounds with the garbage I found the metal core ones. Don't have a part number offhand, but they were the fix.

As for Cometic, yup. Didn't know they made an intake manifold gasket or I would've used them instead of giving FelPro another chance. But I can vouch for their timing cover gasket, which makes for the end of timing cover coolant leaks. They are the only ones other than OEM that makes a metal core gasket for that application as far as I know.

 

[toddz69]

Another victim of the Fel Pro 1250s. Mine lasted about 7-8 years, I think, and they were mush when I finally pulled the intake and changed them. I forget what I used instead (Victor Heinz, maybe?) - they're working fine whatever they are.

I didn't realize Cometic made the intake gaskets but I'll definitely use them if I ever have to do it again.

Todd Z.

 

[blubuckaroo]

I had one set of FelPro 1250 gaskets split open on the #1 & 2 intake runners. I was a vacuum leak right into the lifter valley. It would oil foul those two plugs.
The engine had only 60k miles on it but I figured it had broken rings or something. I found the split gasket when I started pulling it apart for a rebuild. I got over 60k more miles out of that motor.

 

[nvrstuk]

Yes on the steel core, but FelPro still offers the crappy built, non steel core tho right?

Heads up for everyone is all this post is about.

Cometic is still hands down, many x better than FelPro...

 

[lars]

In general, Fel-Pro = a two syllable synonym for garbage. Unfortunately. Was not always so.

 

[2manynotime]

Thanks for all the feedback. It looks like I will be picking up some cometic gaskets and changing them out.