im replacing my runners, any tips on how to remove old gasket residue from manifold safely? without getting residue in the manifold? ive been using a putty knife but still having no luck. thanks

 

I use my angle grinder with a soft pad on it, and just whiz it all off....but if you dont have that, then try a razor blade, some gasket remover in the spray cans, or continue using the putty knife. Some real fine sandpaper won't hurt anything either.

 

Scraping is safest. If you are concerned about bits and pieces in the runners, use a shop vacuum to clean up after yourself when you're finished scraping.

 

Yeah I should have mentioned it's also advised to spray the part down thoroughly with parts cleaner, or a blow gun.

 

i use a razor blade most of the time.
to help keep any of the old gasket & other debris from falling into the base, stuff a shop towel into each port of the base. blow off the scraped off old gasket material & then pull the shop towels out.
using a shop vac when you pull the towels out also helps keep anything from falling in too.