Help to Fix Leaking Manifold

[Peters02]

The saga continues.  My 318 is in, finally running mostly OK BUT there is antifreeze seeping up along the rear dr side seam where the manifold and the head come together.
Had the problem 2 weeks ago, was told to pull the bolts, put sealant on them and try again.
I did that, let the sealant cure 24 hours, filled it....no issues until today.  AND all I've been doing is running this thing to tune it.  Never overheating it and in fact, today it just ran for 5 minutes when I noticed the leak.
Anyone have any suggestions or should I just call the guy who assembled it?

Thanks
Peter

[firefighter3931]

It sounds like an intake gasket failure. I would pull the manifold and clean all surfaces then reinstall with fresh gaskets. I allways use ultra copper RTV around the ports on both sides of the gasket and let it set-up overnight before final torque. 



Ron

[Peters02]

Wouldn't a bad gasket mean antifreeze coming from the exhaust?
I am just seeing a bit of antifreeze coming up from the seam between the manifold and the head....near the bolts.
(I am hoping it's not a gasket).

Now I tried ultra copper on the bolt itself - no luck.....Just called the engine builder and he said (again) it's the bolt...so chase the threads and put some kind of teflon type sealant on the bolt.
What's the best sealant to use on the bolts?

Also, am I being naive/stupid hoping it's a bad seal around the bolt?

Just figured I'd ask again before I tear the whole thing apart.

Thanks.
Peter

[nvrbdn]

on my 383 ive had water leaks from the exhaust manifold bolts and just use regular teflon tape around the threads. that ends it. if the bolts are what is leaking, that will stop it.

[firefighter3931]

You could try some teflon tape on the bolt first and see what happens. If that doesn't work, the manifold will need to come off. 


Ron

[Peters02]

Thanks guys.
I will try the tape and hope for the best.

I tell ya, I've spent more time stopping leaks on what is essentially a fully rebuilt motor than I ever recall doing when I had 120k miles on the car back in '86!