I have a mr gasket TPI upper gasket set. They look like good thick gaskets. Do I put them on dry or put some sort of sealant or adhesive on them?

What do you use to clean the old gasket residue off the intake manifold where the runners meet the intake manifold? I want to clean them up good before installing the gaskets?

 

You can use a wire wheel on a drill to clean off the old gasket or a razor blade. You don't have to use sealant but I always us a light bead on them.

 

What kind of sealant?

 

I use black RTV.

 

Do you just put a thin layer with your finger? Do you let it dry a little or put it on right away?

I was thinking on bolting on the drivers side first because of that inside bolt at the back that is hard to get at then put the passenger side runner on loose then slide plenum down and bolt the rest. I'm not a mechanic and have limited tools.

 

I usually use my finger to smooth it out and I install them immediately.

 

Do you have any runner install tips, what is easiest way or what not to do?

 

My last set came with a "tacky" adhesive side to hold them in place. Probably would use rtv for the same purpose. Very light bead.

 

Assemble dry.

 

Agree. I wouldn't want loose rtv getting ingested by the engine. They were never intended to have sealant on them and they seal well without....why add it now?

 

i have done a lot of these and have always just made sure the surface was clean and just assembled dry. I typically use the Fel-Pro set

I have never had a leak other than one time when i was going fast and gotten the bottom runner gasket switched on the wrong sides as they aren't interchangeable!

 

do it dry with felpro gaskets, no need for sealant

 

when scraping your gaskets...use a gasket scraper to apply force, moreso than a razor blade..but, more importantly..plug all the holes where old gasket can drop into motor.....can use wadded up shop towels....scraping and preparing the gasket should take the most time, you want it bare metal....when done scraping, get a shop vac and vac up the loose material BEFORE you pull hole blockers out...Let the vac pull 'em out....Remember to run a generous bead on the china walls(front/back)of black RTV....

 

I coat the gaskets with a light oil so they can be removed and reused without damage.

 

I have taken apart my TPI more times than I care to remember, and I never even replaced the gaskets. I put em on dry and simply reuse them everytime. Only time I replaced them was when I went with the upgraded/ported/SLP runners. ...and I've only used THAT set of gaskets since. No RTV, nothing. Never a leak.

As for install....I get the runners on, with only about .25" of the bolts threaded, then set the plenum in between them. Once all the bolts are threaded, then tighten them. Keeping them loose allows for plenty of wiggle room.

 

FEL-PRO GASKETS, dry install

 

Dry