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Coolant coming from intake manifold

11K views 29 replies 12 participants last post by  Tony70Chevelle 
#1 ·
After pulling the motor do to a cam swap and some other things I finally got it back into the car. I’m a few wires and coolant away from starting it. As I added coolant I noticed it leaking from the driver side second bolt in from the firewall. When I initially installed the manifold it was on the engine stand and I forgot to install the kick down cable bracket. So once I got the motor in the car I realized I hadn’t installed it. So I removed both bolts and installed the bracket and re torqued them down. When I installed the manifold I used black permatex around the water jackets on each side of the gasket. Also when I initially torqued the bolts I started from the middle and worked my way out. I didn’t put any permatex on the bolts. Any thoughts?
 

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#2 ·
It’s a sbc 327. I used a fel pro 1204 gasket. I have an edelbrock intake manifold and double hump heads. Is that a correct gasket for that set up?
 
#3 ·
Tony,
1204 would not have been my first choice on an aluminum intake. I would have used the 1205 Printo Seal gaskets. They are a lot "softer" and tend to conform to used parts better in my opinion. I only put a little RTV (if any) on the gaskets. On the Print o Seal ones only on the head side. I have seen too much RTV actually make them slip out of place as you tighten them. Did you use the rubber end seals or just RTV on the ends ? The rubber gaskets can hold the intake up if the heads have been milled etc. When you get it back apart see what kind of shape the intake is in. They do tend to corrode around the water passages over time.

Your only choice now is to pull the intake and see what happened.
 
#5 ·
Ok I’ll pick up a set of 1205’s prior to pulling the intake. I didn’t use the rubber gasket on the ends, I used a thick bead of RTV. The water passages where a little corroded on the inside portion of the heads but looked to be ok on the surface.
 

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#6 ·
I called summit and Edelbrock and they both recommended the Edelbrock 7201 gasket with my manifold. Have you guys used this one or so you still recommend the 1205?
 
#7 ·
Of course Edelbrock is going to tell you to use their gasket :) Summit is just going to look at the Edelbrock instruction sheet and tell you what it says. I dont know if they have changed but I did not like the material that the Edelbrock gaskets I have seen were made of. I am pretty sure they were Corteco gaskets. Fel Pro is pretty tried and true. That is what I would use.
 
#8 ·
I also had a problem sealing my intake manifold. I used "the right stuff". It is thicker, and I like the way it sets up on the china walls. Make sure you shove it into the corners between the head and china wall - this is possible oil leak area.. I also used it on my gaskets and it sealed up real well.
 
#9 ·
I went with the fel pro 1205. Put it on last night so we’ll see. I think this will be good to go. Thanks all for your input

Tony
 
#10 ·
Tony, at least on a BBC ( havent played with SBC since the 70's) the last two bolts on either side of the intake go into water. They have to be gooped with sealant. I use ARP thread sealant, as I like the smell of it. :cool: Importantly, it doesnt harden like RTV or indianhead does.
 
#11 ·
All of the bolts that surround the water crossover passages (4 in front and 4 in rear) need to be sealed with thread sealer because they are threaded into the water jacket. I use teflon thread sealer commonly found in the plumbing section at local big box stores. Comes in a can with a brush style applicator. Try this fist before pulling the manifold. I would suggest draining the coolant down first and blowing the holes out with compressed air to get as much coolant out of the treads as possible.
 
#12 ·
We’ll found out it’s got a freakin whole in. I must of missed it the first time. Although the car was running when I pulled the motor and it had no leaks prior which I find weird. Can it be plugged? Or what’s your suggestion for a new one?
 

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#13 ·
See how thick the metal is at that point,if it's thick enough you could tap and put a small pipe plug in there.
How the hell did that get there ? looks like someone drilled it?
You could pull the intake and weld it but if you're lucky you could probably drill/tap it in place and not have to go through the intake R&R again.
 
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#15 ·
Yeah I’m completely dumb founded especially because I was driving the car back in January just prior to pulling the motor and it definitely wasn’t leaking then. My buddy had mentioned drilling it as well. I’m wondering though bring it’s in that corner
 
#18 ·
I agree J-B Weld will seal that hole up but it needs to be clean and DRY to work right.
Here's a J-B Weld test vs.Gorilla Glue-flex glue-and Loctite glue testing video



evenly matched testing, the JB weld held up good against the other products.this guys crazy but does some great testing of stuff on u tube.
 
#21 ·
Intake is toast. Looks like someone might of done a repair at some point. I ordered a new one
 
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#27 ·
When I pulled the intake, I found some coolant in the valley and around a couple lifters toward the front of the motor(the hole was in the back of the intake). I’m assuming it came from when I pulled it and not leaking. I have brand new cam break in oil in the pan, I don’t know if any got down there or not but was wondering if I should change it or would it be ok to run for the cam break in period
 
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