Well, so much for Remflex being the ultimate solution. Both gaskets failed. They blew out at the rear.

I called Remflex and at first it looked like they'd warranty them no problem. Then they called me back about how it had been so long since I purchased them. Instead of just coming out and saying that they wouldn't warranty the gaskets or that it was simply too long since I had purchased them, the gal went on and on doing everything to insinuate the above but never really admitting it when I asked her. She finally said that they'd be willing to look at the gaskets and assess whether they'd warranty them and THAT IS WHAT THEY WOULD REQUIRE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT WAS WITHIN THE WARRANTY. I put that in all caps because this means that even within their warranty period your truck will be out of commission while the old gaskets are shipped out to REMFLEX, the old gaskets are analyzed, and then (hopefully) the new gaskets are sent out. I wasn't near a pen and paper so I asked her to email me the address to send the gaskets to. The email never came.

The process of removing the gaskets is not fun. The REMFLEX gaskets stick to the surface they seal against. I had to remove both manifolds entirely and then scape the sealing surfaces with a razor blade in order to get all the crap off.

I doubled up two sets of Felpro exhaust gaskets, followed the heat it up, let it cool down, and re-torque routine. So far so good.

I'd point out that it has been less than six months for other gasket to fail.

I thought I'd found the sure fire solution but unfortunately it looks like both the product AND the company are lacking.

It's a shame. I really wanted to like them and the product is made just a couple hundred miles from where I live.

Cook

 

That's what I said back in February, I hope the new gaskets work out for you and they should.

 

That's where I got the idea! I've followed the instructions precisely.

Cook

 

I can't picture which bolt you are talking about, but if it's a header/manifold bolt, you might try bending a wrench (you need to heat it up red where you want to bend it) and try that. It worked for me, but for a different reason, so the pic below is only to demonstrate what might work:



The only time I had a exhaust gasket go was because I installed one side and only sungged the bolts up, then did the other side and tightened the bolts to final torque. I forgot to go back to the other side. Thanks to engine vibration and "never-seize", the bolts backed out, the gasket failed and I had loud backfires when I let off the throttle.

I have headers (with individual primary pipes), so gasket "sliding" isn't a problem, but I think exhaust gaskets have a steel side that allows the gasket to slip when the heads and exhaust expand at different temps...or so the theory goes. I've never had to use RTV or other sealant either. I just use plain old Fel-Pro gaskets.

 

I got a message asking how the repair is holding up. I told him that the doubled up Fel-Pro gaskets are holding up great! They have held up MUCH longer than the Remflex, were cheaper for the two sets than the Remflex gaskets, and if they fail it will be super easy to replace them compared to scraping that remflex graphite crap off both the manifolds and the cylinder heads.

Double Fel-Pro is the way to go (follow the heat up re-torque procedure).

Cook

 

Which way did you double up the gaskets? I assume one side is metal and one side paper. Did you have the metal sides facing each other? or the paper facing each other, or the metal facing outward on both? or the paper facing outward on both?

Did I cover all the possibilities? LOL.

Forgive me if the info is already in the thread, but I did read it over and didn't see any mention of how double gaskets are oriented.

 

I did it with both gaskets facing the metal side to the manifold. I was told a long time ago that those gaskets should always have the metal side facing the manifold to reflect the heat away from the gasket. I wasn't doubling them up then but I figured that with this arrangement the outside gasket wouldn't experience anything different and the inside gasket would be doubly insulated.

I don't know how much that matters.

I also did not glue them together. I had guessed that gluing would primarily aid in assembly and that the contact adhesive would not survive the heat. Since assembly for me was pretty easy I skipped the contact adhesive.

Cook

 

Yes, I never glue exhaust gaskets either.

Seems to me I once read the metal side was to allow slippage if the manifold and heads don't expand the same amount, but the idea of the metal facing the hotter manifold, and acting like a barrier, makes more sense.

 

Gaskets on FE exhaust manifolds? Not necessary. Here's what you do and if you care too, look it up in the original shop manual.

First, go to a good Ford-oriented machine shop with your manifolds in hand. The first thing the guy will do is lay a machinists straight edge across the flange surface and check them. If you've been doing the shivvy thing with gaskets, you'll find your manifolds are both warped and twisted out of line. That's why the gaskets are blowing.

Now here's the bad news. When your shivvy-style gaskets blow, they blow in a tiny hole out the side. The hot exhaust gasses then act like a blowtorch across the face of the head and will cut a channel. Any exhaust channels across the head surface where the exhaust manifold seats have to be machined out. That's right, you have to take the head/s off to do the job right.

Okay, now you've got the manifold surfaces of the heads PLANED (not surfaced. yes, there's a big difference). And you've got the exhaust manifolds PLANED to match (not surfaced. yes, there's still that same difference). A good machinist will then chamfer the edges of the manifold so a nick of a sharp edge will not hold the manifold out slightly from the head surface as it seats preventing it from sealing correctly. Yes, it matters.

Paint the manifolds with POR 15 High Temp Natural Iron paint for a nice appearance. When you're ready to reassemble your manifolds to the heads, turn the manifolds upside down with the planed surface up. Apply a liberal coating of graphite grease to the surface. That's LIBERAL and GRAPHITE, not lithium. If you can find white graphite grease, use it. Otherwise use conventional black graphite grease. This is what the shop manual instructions call for.

Carefully place the manifolds against the head and start running NEW bolts into the CLEANED head threads. You can put an anti-seize compound on them if you wish, but it's really not necessary.

Put all the bolts in HAND TIGHT. Grease should be pressing out fairly uniformly along the seam of the manifold/head juncture. Now very carefully start gradually working the bolts in tighter using the correct torquing sequence, meaning alternating top to bottom, center to out. Gradually means GRADUALLY. DO NOT USE AN AIR RATCHET!!!!

After your final torquing, a lot of the grease will have squished out. Clean it off as best you can. Some is just going to cook off and really smell. That's the way it goes.

After you've reattached your exhaust pipes, start the engine and let it warm up fully. I like to run mine for an hour at least, letting the manifold completely heat to its maximum temperature. During this process the grease that squished inside the manifold is going to cook off and the exhaust is going to smell bad. That's why you go for a highway drive instead of letting it sit in the garage.

Let the engine cool completely, then correctly retorque the bolts. Run the engine for a few days, then retorque again.

That's it. You'll never have to mess with the exhaust manifolds again. The grease cooks and forms the final seal and the torqued bolts hold everything right where everything is supposed to be.

Or... you can keep screwing around with manifold gaskets, blowing your money over and over and over again on one set of snake oil gaskets after another.

There's only one right way to do a Ford engine and that's the Ford way. The Ford shop manual is your friend!

 

You responded to a thread that is a couple years old . I hope it didn't take this long to address the issue . (No gaskets on my FE manifolds!)

 

get a set of ramp-lock exhaust bolts from arp. I also put a thin coat fo hi-temp rtv on the block and manifold surfaces. Never had a problem doing that. I also have a 428cj that doesn't use gaskets and the ramp-locks are golden.

 

I have to drain the water off of my above ground pool cover in winter. That is the only good use I have found for the stock Ford FE log. I use it to hold my drain hose underwater......

 

I know this is an old post, but thought I'd add my two cents.

When I disassembled my 390 for rebuild a few months ago, this is what it had on it. Fel-pro heat shields and nothing else. And, there were no leaks. This was on stock manifolds. I put it back together the same way.

Also, found some good header gaskets that I used on a small block in my Mustang. Made in USA. They are called Percy's Seal-4-Good. Installed a couple years ago. So far no leaks. They have several thin layers of metal that crush together. Found them at Autozone. Summit has them, as well. Haven't tried them on an FE block yet. But, when I switch to Headers, I probably will use these.

 

i use FelPro gaskets on my 427 with headers. BUT i double them up on both sides. Only way i was able to get my headers to seal.

 

Good stuff, and you are absolutely correct. I remember reading, I think in official Ford service manuals to use anti-seize between the head and exhaust manifold.

Which makes sense. The biggest reason FE manifolds crack is because they actually "seize" to the heads. The manifold gets hot, it expands, moves against the head. As they cool off and contract, if they are stuck to the head, they crack between the ports.

Grease on the other hand might just act as carbon (or graphite) which is another anti-seize technique.

As to the age of this thread, it's never too late to add valuable information to an existing thread.