Anybody have experience with thermal intake manifold gaskets?

[Rustys14]

Like the title says, I was wondering if anybody has any experience with thermal intake manifold gaskets. Here is an example of what I'm talking about 91 98 Nissan 240sx KA24DE Heat Shielding High Performance Intake Manifold Gasket | eBay

Obviously the advertised 10hp and 12ftlbs gains are bullshit but they are supposed to be reusable. I don't really care too much about the power aspect but I am intrigued by the fact that I can reuse it since I do take the intake manifold off every now and then. All of the research I have done gives mixed reviews (mostly from Honda forums). Some people say they are great and others say they don't seal properly.

The gasket is cheap and I am getting ready to put a new motor together so I was considering using one but first I would like to hear from anybody who has experience with them. More specifically did it seal properly and where you able to reuse it? I would hate to have to deal with a mega vacuum leak because of a crappy gimmicky product.

[dawagarage]

datsuns use phenolic (plastic) gaskets for this same purpose, so the theory behind them is correct. trick is to use one from a reputable company, i would assume.

i think xcessive or one of the other zilvia sponsors has developed one, i would go for them instead of ebay. also, you could always put sealer on both sides of the gaskets to reduce chance of a leak. and if theres still a leak you can hit it with a file/sand paper to get any high spots level.

go for it

[GeneStarWindGSW]

i have one on my car (s14). Personally i don't really notice a different but my gasket did leak by where the coolant runs after driving it for awhile. all i had to do was re-torque the nuts and it was good to go. My head surface was pretty flat so i didn't need to prep it or anything. The re-usability is true, i've taken off my intake manifold a few times to re-clean it and it works fine.

[Rustys14]

Originally Posted by hotboiblaze

datsuns use phenolic (plastic) gaskets for this same purpose, so the theory behind them is correct. trick is to use one from a reputable company, i would assume.

i think xcessive or one of the other zilvia sponsors has developed one, i would go for them instead of ebay. also, you could always put sealer on both sides of the gaskets to reduce chance of a leak. and if theres still a leak you can hit it with a file/sand paper to get any high spots level.

go for it

Originally Posted by GeneStarWindGSW

i have one on my car (s14). Personally i don't really notice a different but my gasket did leak by where the coolant runs after driving it for awhile. all i had to do was re-torque the nuts and it was good to go. My head surface was pretty flat so i didn't need to prep it or anything. The re-usability is true, i've taken off my intake manifold a few times to re-clean it and it works fine.

Good info, thanks! I'm probably going to go ahead and give one a try then. I'll check with some of the vendors and see what they have. Anybody else have any experience with these?

[Kingtal0n]

the gasket is thick enough that you may want to buy some longer intake manifold bolts. I had one of them strip out the first few threads in the head because thats all it grabs with this gasket
(the very tip is all you get inside the head so just installed a slightly longer bolt)

[derass]

I have one from Circuit Sports on my SR20. I used spray gasket on either side and there have been no leaks. Didn't have issues with bolt length, as I was able to torque them down no problem. Haven't removed the manifold since, so I can say anything about reusing them, but I will need to try soon. It was the same price as the OEM gasket, so I figured why not give it a try. I think it is one of the small things that helped me make more power than others with similar setups.

[Jtuned_andy]

I cant vouch for using one for the SR20 but I used one on my Honda. Some tips to getting a good proper seal are let it sit in the sun for a bit so it becomes a little softer and the manifold will sit better. Also pay extra attention to follow the factory torque procedure because you can crank it down too tight and a.) crack your flange b.) deform the thicker phenolic gasket.

Letting it sit in the 'hot' sun will really help if you screw it up the first time like I did. Cracked the flange AND deformed the gasket but after sitting on the pavement during summer it was good to go again.

[zeebrah]

^this
Blow dryer till warm, quickly install, then factory torque sequence.
Biggest sell as you say is reuseability. But would be curious to see some before and after temps of the mani. If youre a baller do it and post

[Kingtal0n]

they do melt if you get them too hot. I had seen a small streak of the plastic material melted to the insides of the intake runner on an engine once.

[Rustys14]

I didn't expect to get so many responses. I'm going to pick one up since it seems like everybody has had a good experience with them.

Heating it up to help with the seal is something I probably wouldn't have thought of on my own but it is a really good idea.

[ultimateirving]

Anyone want to add on for me if these are compressable?
Seems like most of the replies have been using the gasket without issue and i wanted to make sure i had a good seal when i do install the gasket..

Rtv seems to be overkill and i dont really like using it around the intake valves anyways.. Anyone else care to confirm 0 leaks installing the gasket by itself?

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by ultimateirving

Anyone want to add on for me if these are compressable?
Seems like most of the replies have been using the gasket without issue and i wanted to make sure i had a good seal when i do install the gasket..

Rtv seems to be overkill and i dont really like using it around the intake valves anyways.. Anyone else care to confirm 0 leaks installing the gasket by itself?

Do not use RTV. Do not overtighten. ten+ boost leak checks later it holds fine. But I will not use another one because as I said above- it melted slightly and left a streak of plastic inside the intake manifold once.

[hotlavaflow]

Had mine since 2007. Reused multiple times with no problems. HP gains?… idk about that but A+ for reusability.

[S14DB]

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

Do not use RTV. Do not overtighten. ten+ boost leak checks later it holds fine. But I will not use another one because as I said above- it melted slightly and left a streak of plastic inside the intake manifold once.

Must have used ABS or PVC not a Phenolic gasket.

Phenol formaldehyde resin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The binding agent in normal (organic) brake pads, brake shoes and clutch disks are phenolic resin

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by S14DB

Must have used ABS or PVC not a Phenolic gasket.

Phenol formaldehyde resin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

this one
Circuit Sports Thermal Intake Gasket for S13 SR20DET - Enjuku Racing Parts, LLC

In it's defense the engine got hotter than it ever should have.