351W intake torque tips

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Apr 3, 2003 | 09:28 PM

mxpilot1

Thread Starter

New User

Joined: Apr 2003

Posts: 1

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From: new york

351W intake torque tips

Great Website !!!
Question: I had a leaky intake gasket on my 351w, coolant leak at front of engine near head.

I have new Fel-Pro gaskets and ready to install.

My questions are
1. Should I dicard the cork block - intake gaskets and use RTV blue?
2. When I torque the intake what is the proper ft-lbs, and sequence ?
3. Is the sealing of the intake as critical as the heads ?

Thank you for you input

Apr 3, 2003 | 11:05 PM

badassfordpu

Junior User

Joined: Mar 2003

Posts: 96

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351W intake torque tips

I would use the end pieces just bit of silicone. torque on the intake bolts is somewere between 18-25 foot pounds, and yes there is a sequence, but I would check a repair manuel for it.
TAKE THIS GASKET SERIOUS UNLESS YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER
TO DO THAN REPLACE IT AGAIN!

Apr 5, 2003 | 07:33 AM

BlueOvalRage

Cargo Master

Joined: Jun 2001

Posts: 2,571

Likes: 22

From: Oxford, Indiana

351W intake torque tips

Although they are all important, the head gaskets and intake manifold gaskets are probably the most important two gaskets in a small block Ford engine. A leak in either can cause catastrophic engine damage. Opinions vary on the cork end gaskets. Some Fel-Pro sets come with molded silicone rubber end seals and I've used those with good results with only a 1/4" diameter blob of silicone in the corners where they meet the side gaskets. Even though I firmly believe that Fel-Pro makes excellent gaskets and are the best in the biz, I still won't use the cork end seals. A quarter inch bead of silicone along the front and rear of the block has never failed me to date, but I have had a few cork end seals leak after time. badassfordpu gave you the correct torque spec. Make SURE that you go over them half a dozen times in sequence. Yes, half a dozen at least. Keep going over them until they quit tightening. As the manifold pulls down, it pulls away from the bolts at the beginning of the sequence as you tighten the ones toward the end. It will take several passes to get the gaskets compressed and the intake all the way down. Here is to a page with the tightening seqeunce. It's for a 302, but the 351W is the same. There is also some other good information here, too.

http://www.aera.org/Members/EngineTe...297/Hailey.htm

Apr 5, 2003 | 07:55 AM

mjlevi

Senior User

Joined: Mar 2003

Posts: 155

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From: New York

351W intake torque tips

well guess what?! I had the same problem..a coolant leak at the front of the intake manifold, ended up being the two front intake hold-down bolts on each side were snapped off in the heads...and coolant was escaping from the water jacket in the head...and out the manifold gasket....there is no way to perfectly drill out the broken bolts from the heads as they are at an angle...so I had to remove the heads and have them machined out and helicoiled...so it was at this time I just had the heads redone, all new gaskets, cooling system sensors and senders, water pump, radiator, all new hoses, etc..
the engine runs great and no more coolant leak !!!