what went wrong

[citizendick]

on my 390 w/ stock cast intake, i replaced the cylinder head and intake gaskets, cleaned all surfaces,w/ straight edge everything flat and true,head gasket went on dry the intake i used 3m sealer in 3 spots on the head side to hold it in place on the intake side i used a light skim coat of black rtv. torqued it down and let it sit a day.turned it by hand plugs out to check valve train ok, buttoned her up and cranked her coil off to get oil up,didn't sound or feel right, you probably have guessed by now coolant in 6 of the cylinders. i thought intake gaskets backwards or upside down so off with the intake (i'm to old for this) but gaskets look fine. off with the heads gaskets look fine. i don't think i can do this (manhandling the intake) to many more times. help!!!!!!! my back hurts and so does my brain thankyou citizendick

[oddball]

Im having almost the same problem with my 352. You can see my post "water in cylinder". I was very careful getting the intake on also but Im getting water in the number 4 cylinder and the oil is total milkshake. Alot of guys are suggesting the intake gaskets ie "end seals" are to blame, possibly not allowing the intake manifold to sit properly. I ended up using an engine hoist to get my manifold on and off. Its kind of a drag but I scuffed up the first set of intake gaskets trying to struggle the manifold on

[DuckRyder]

Can we see a picture of the gaskets?

Please tell me you are not using Fel-Pro "Perma Seal" on "Print-O-Seal" intake gaskets...

[citizendick]

duck i used fel-pro gaskets from napa #ms90145 , just bought a new set to try again but if they are a problem i'll take them back.seems like everybody here sells them. what do you use and where do you get them, somebody said to use victor gaskets but i can't find them. dick

[DuckRyder]

Napa changed from Victor to Fel-Pro.

Car Quest sells Victor, I like Nitro Seal's but they are pretty expensive.

http://www.carquestgaskets.com/index_ca.asp

You'll get various opinions but I will not use Fel Pro gaskets on an FE intake.

[BobbyFord]

on my 390 w/ stock cast intake, i replaced the cylinder head and intake gaskets, cleaned all surfaces,w/ straight edge everything flat and true,head gasket went on dry the intake i used 3m sealer in 3 spots on the head side to hold it in place on the intake side i used a light skim coat of black rtv. torqued it down and let it sit a day.turned it by hand plugs out to check valve train ok, buttoned her up and cranked her coil off to get oil up,didn't sound or feel right, you probably have guessed by now coolant in 6 of the cylinders. i thought intake gaskets backwards or upside down so off with the intake (i'm to old for this) but gaskets look fine. off with the heads gaskets look fine. i don't think i can do this (manhandling the intake) to many more times. help!!!!!!! my back hurts and so does my brain thankyou citizendick

Why did you replace the head gaskets in the first place?

[citizendick]

i had a leak at the front of the intake, so while i had it that far apart i thought i'd pull the heads and check the valves, pistons and cylinders probably not a smart thing but thats how it all started. damn now look at me. dick

[DuckRyder]

On the head gaskets,

You did not put a "skim coat" of RTV on them did you? Unless there is a specific reccomendation from the manufacturer I put head gaskets on dry!

[Banjo]

on intake gasket sets, I used to throw away the rubber or cork (front and back) peices and use silicone but have recently switched over to something called "the Right Stuff" in a can like Cheese-Whiz. It works better than anything I've ever tried. I gave up decades of grabbing Permatex for these jobs and now go buy that can, BUT the can is very expensive and sometimes the can "release" button just doesn't work well if at all, which is a problem when you're up to your elbows in grime and need to finish. Banjo.

[citizendick]

the head gaskets i put on dry, the intakes i put a skim coat on intake side but did not put a bead around the water jackets, was that the problem? i got a set of victors, the carquest by my house was closed over the summer, found out they bought thrifty auto supply and they stock victor.i'm going to wait a few days to get back to this due to a cold spell we are having here (my driveway is my shop) any other hints or pointers would be great.i really appreciate you guys sharing your knowledge. dick

[fordman]

that is probably it. you put silicone around the water port when installing a intake. no one ever posts that. mainly because i forgot. since its been so long since i've done it myself. that is probably waht happened.

[citizendick]

thanks fordman, it's been years since i've done this' only on gm engines never on a ford, i would like to get it right this time. dick

[DuckRyder]

Did you get the Nitro Seal? Are they black with red lines? If so put I put them on dry as well.

Time for a little rant of mine... RTV/Silicone...

This stuff is WAY overused, if you have quality gaskets and a proper sealing surface it should not be necessary to put a bead around the water jackets, in fact my advice is to follow the gasket manufacturers recommendations to the letter...

[citizendick]

actually i don't have the gaskets in hand, they ordered them for me, i'll pick them up tuesday on my day off, i don't know if they are the nitro ones. the cost for the head&intake was $55.00. sealer no sealer i'm so confused. citizendick

[oddball]

Yeah its confusing every one has an opinion about gaskets and how much RTV to use and were to put it