Vacum Leak? Spacer crack?

[TheNicky]

I have a 83 ranger 2.8
do the spacers crack? read more below

So me and a friend replaced the valve stem seals last weekend
replacing every possible gasket... adjusted the valves... cleaned the intake manifold and spacer... got all the carbon out of the cross over...cleaned and painted some things put it back together started her up no blow by yay!
Still is quite loud?
and stumbles like crazy?

I spent about 2 days trying to hunt down a vac leak using
Smoke
Carb cleaner
Starter fluid

i pinpointed a section and this is where my question lies
i spray near the egr and aluminum spacer (where the egr mounts to)
and it revs up there...
it has a new gasket
my egr works as it should
im wondering if the spacer has a crack in it?
we are so stumbed?

i cant figure it out...

any help or opinions please help!

 

[Shran]

Could be cracked or warped...anything can be broken. Maybe pick up another one from a junkyard and see if that fixes it?

 

[TheNicky]

I was told from a friend that the spacer likes to warp? true?
I took my spacer off and painted steel blue on the bottom and took a flat stone and bridged across it to see how bad it was!
Holy crap horrible...
After taking it off i noticed a gas puddle on top of the gasket where the leak was so i knew it was there just didnt know if it was on my intake or the spacer...

so i made a real thick gasket and am gonna use some rtv make a real nice seal and see if that fixes my stumble!

 

[Shran]

No, no RTV. Gas dissolves it. Try the gasket alone, if that doesn't work, get another spacer.

 

[TheNicky]

no i left a little left on the outer part of the gasket to bead some rtv on the outside not on the inner part of the gasket...
Still a bad idea?
or no?


Thanks shran

 

[Shran]

RTV should not be used on anything that may come in contact with gas.

 

[srteach]

After taking it off i noticed a gas puddle ...

If you saw gas there, what makes you think RTV won't be dissolved? RTV is dissolved by gasoline, no matter where they come in contact.

 

[TheNicky]

Im not talking about putting RTV on a gasket surface or on a gasket...
I left about a quarter inch of gasket on the outiside(No contact to gas)
and was thinking of beading a small amount on the outside of it...
I understand gas dissolves rtv... cool no biggie i wont do it...
but im tryin to hunt down a vacum leak... and it wasnt a puddle just the gasket was soaked with some gas where it shouldnt... but the thicker gasket should handle that... it dint however fix my vacum leak i still have a stumble and cant for the life of me find...
driving me nuts