i noticed my car making that ticking sound at idle...and at WOT the exhaust note will make this awful loud drone sound......here is a pic of the copper gasket....do those black areas indicate that exhaust is getting out?

 

yes... alot of exaust is escaping past the gaskets. Probably caused by the botls loosening or the copper gasket failing.

 

do i have them in backwards maybe?....the side you see in the pic was the side the header flange was bolted to.....this is correct right

 

any tips on how to fix this? hopefully i can reuse these gaskets

 

To me, those look like a combination of 2 things:

1. The wrong gasket; those are the large round hole; with practically any stock heads, you need the small square hole

2. Loose bolts or bad flange

http://www.mrgasket.com/mrgmain.html click on the "Online Catalog" for Mr Gasket, go to about page 10; you need the part # 5900, looks like you have 5902 or maybe even 5904, won't fit your heads, specifically the ring is outside of the flat machined flange it's supposed to seal to

 

wait i thought the stock heads were round port

 

you can use the round port gaskets if you have headers that are round.


since its all of the cyls and not just one or two, what that looks like to me is that the header bolts wernt tight.

 

also, make sure the head mating surface is clean... if its painted, use a block and sand it smooth and clean.

i used copper gaskets for 2 years without leaks. and they were reused many times.

 

We are talking about a small block Chevy, no??

 

i reinstalled the gasket, tightening the header bolts from the center two then outward.....cranked it....no ticking or leaks idling and revving....however, when the car is in 2nd or 3rd and you floor it, it's making that weird drone sound

 

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23....graduated from Humble High in 98....Baylor in 03

 

Our Tahoe does that ticking sound, but it kinda stopped, but when you get on gas it does do it some, but it used to be worse. But it dont got copper gaskets so I can't help you there.

 

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