Weiand 8020 sealing problems

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have fought sealing this thing from day one two years ago. After initial install had an air leak which caused a ping under a load and would dribble coolant out so it would pool on top the timing cover. I ripped it off, changed the heads to E7's and reinstalled it carefully last summer. The air leak went away but coolant still dribbled on top of the timing cover so it always smelled of hot antifreeze. Never gets coolant in the oil just on the top of the timing cover.

I pressurized the system cold sabout a month ago and sure enough it was just creaping out of the intake between the intake and head and rolling down the silicone on the front of the valley and running down into the pockets on the top of the timing cover area.

I finally got free time that lined up with decent (perfect at the moment actually) weather and ripped the intake off again last night. Since I am getting kind of tired of this I go over it with a fine tooth comb and notice that it seems the intake wasn't sitting square on the engine. The top side of one gasket was crushed and the bottom side of the other gasket was crushed. I followed Weiand's direction both times...

One thing that I noticed as soon as I took the thing out of the box is the contoured edge of the intake rolls down to the endge of the bolt holes so the bolt cannot bear evenly on the intake manifold. IMO if both sides are not tighted at exactly the same time it would be really easy for the first bolt to roll the intake to that side as it is tightened right? Anyone else heard of this?

I have pics but as usual since the big update photobucket is being stupid...

 

[dangerranger83]

I have no problems with my intake but I am running an edelbrock 289 performer intake too.

I haven't had any problems that I know of with mine, got mine used but I don't think it was even ran on the previous engine. I followed instructions off edelbrocks website and I have been good.

It has been almost a year since my swap and I need to inspect everything to be sure it is all fine.

Sent from my rooted SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[shane96ranger]

By saying "roll" the intake, are you meaning it is slightly warped? Or maybe it has a high spot?

I have never had a leak when I use Permatex Form-a-Gasket #2. Can't say the same for silicone.



Posting from the Galaxy.

 

[projectnitemare]

Double check your gaskets to your water ports on the heads. There is an early and late style intake gasket, at least felpros. I don't recall what the break in years is off hand but they are indeed different in water port size and if you have the wrong ones it will leak coolant at the intake for sure. I had that problem once.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

By saying "roll" the intake, are you meaning it is slightly warped? Or maybe it has a high spot?

I have never had a leak when I use Permatex Form-a-Gasket #2. Can't say the same for silicone.

It was the same fore to aft so I don't think that the thing is warped, just that the way it is formed the boltheads can't bear evenly on the top of the intake so if you are not really careful the think may rock to one side.

It may be nothing, just a theory I have going.

I use Ultra Black across the valleys and I haven't had an oil leak yet, I about have to pick the truck off the ground to get the intake off though...

Double check your gaskets to your water ports on the heads. There is an early and late style intake gasket, at least felpros. I don't recall what the break in years is off hand but they are indeed different in water port size and if you have the wrong ones it will leak coolant at the intake for sure. I had that problem once.

The first set of gaskets were robbed out of the Victor kit I got for a '78 I decided not to go through, it had two sets of intake gaskets and I used the set that matched the ones I took off the engine (likely original Ford) The second set were speced for a '87 Mustang (which should have matched my E7 heads) and the current set I just put on yesterday are a graphite Ford Racing set, they matched the coolant ports perfectly.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/fms-m-9439-g50/overview/

One thing I notice about the Ford ones is there is a "to manifold" stamped in the side opposite the rib around the ports. I don't remember which way I had the rib on the other sets (didn't open the package to know it existed until the manifold had been pulled and cleaned) and of course none of them come with instructions...

I ran it in ubber carefully with a ratchet to try to prevent the thing from rocking on me, torqued it to spec, let it sit over night and then retorqued it the next morning and it did retighten quite a bit on more than a few bolts. Letting it "rest" was in the instructions to a German made 4cyl diesel shortblock (for the headgasket) we got in at work so I thought I would try that. I am going to dump coolant in it tonight if it isn't raining and let it warm up so I can rip the carb off and retorque it again.

 

[superdave1984]

If you are criss-crossing when you torque it shouldn't pull down on either side more than the other. I had a big problem blowing the end seals on my 351C many years ago. Would not stay in regardless of what I did. I tried the rubber seals, fail. Permatex only, fail. What worked was using cork end seals and using a bead of super glue to hold it to the block. Never leaked again.

One other thing to note, have your heads been shaved at all or the surface machined? That can make a difference in how the intake seals up against the head.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The original E6's were still sitting on what I am going guess was orignal Ford print-o-seal headgaskets, the E7's were supposedly untouched. I have never had anything done to them anyway, if it had much done the valves wouldn't clear the original flattop pistons.