Posted by jim in n.y. on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 8:05PM :
In Reply to: Re: Head gasket - to seal or not to seal. That is the Question posted by Jerry Henry on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 7:38PM :
hi jerry , i spent over 8 years in an automotive machine shop rebuilding everything from lawnmowers to D8 caterpillers.the only time we used sealer on heads was when the gasket was not covered with teflon. this would appear as a shiney, slippery coating applied by the manufacturer.it sounds like the gasket you are using is not teflon coated.in this case i would make sure all old gasket material has been carefully removed then degrease both surfaces using brakleen or something similar that will evaporate quickly. then apply an extremely thin smear of silicone sealer only around the water ports on both surfaces. and i do mean thin! you don't want it gooching out all over when you torque the head down.follow the book on torque sequence . make sure all threads and tapped holes are clean of crap. if the studs came out of the block apply permatex aviation formagasket to the threads that go into the water jacket. 30 wt oil on the nuts and threads outside the water jacket. unless there are any defects any where this should work fine.