warped block/heads?

[tonyk72]

I brought a few pics of my car into work. One of the pics was a closeup of the intake manifold...two of my co-workers noted that silicon was used to seal the intake manifold to the heads/block. They said that you should never use silicon for that unless
a) somebody is trying to hide a problem i.e. warped/cracked block
or
b) somebody just did a crappy job

option A has me worried, how can I tell if my stuffs OK?

 

[Blue82]

That's not necessarily true. A lot of people will tell you not to use the rubber end gaskets on the intake manifold because they have a tendancy to move around when you place the intake on them. They recommend using sealer on the ends up to the head gasket ends, letting it setup for a bit, and then installing the intake.

I preferr to use the gaskets because I haven't had good luck without them. I always seem to have leaks. Anyhow, if you do use sealer on the ends, it will ooze out when you tighten the intake bolts and will be very visible if you don't cut it away or clean it up before it completely sets up.

 

[GWHITE75]

Blue82 is right.

Also, you would definately know if you had a warped/cracked block. HTV sealants are commonly used to seal the oil valley gaps and assist sealing water passages, when intakes are installed, depending on the gasket sets used.

Unless you have a leak in those areas, I wouldn't let what your buddies said worry you. (Probably just pulling your chain)

 

[tonyk72]

forgive my ignorance, but whats an "oil valley gap" ?

 

[Jack]

oil valley gap: looking at front (or rear) of motor ... it's the gap between the intake manifold and the block ... mating surfaces in horizontal plane ... centered between the right & left cylinder decks. It's that gap that often leaks, RTV often used in lieu of gaskets. IMHO, RTV is fine on this gap & and in small amounts to assist sealing intake manifold gaskets (especially if aluminum intake).
JACK:gap