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Intake Manifold Gasket Leak???

8K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  JayBRO 
#1 ·
Hey,

Was just outside trying to install my Injen CAI and Hondata IMG... Before I bolted up the intake, I thought I would install the IMG. After installing that, I thought I would reattach the battery and turn on the car to see if there was a leak. Sure enough, there is... You can hear the leak and if I spray throttle body cleaner on the gasket the idle drops then picks back up.

I did not crack the intake manifold, and everythign is lined up and tight... how is this possible? Warped Manifold? Could the manifold have warped just from unbolting it after years of heat cycling?

Somebody help me
 
#3 ·
Yes gasket is on the correct way, there is only 1 way it fits on correctly.... Gasket isnt paper, it's a thick, high temp plastic... Yes the throttle body was off as it needs to be for the installation, but it's not a throttle body problem as the air leak from the gasket is evident when sprayed with throttle body cleaner.

EDIT: Just took the gasket off again.. from the marks, it seems to be sealed properly around the bottom, but on the middle at the top it doesnt want to seal good.
 
#4 ·
did you tighten it in the correct pattern?
 
#5 ·
Ok so the paper gasket between the intake & throttle body is ok (it's paper ) I'm aware that you put on a honadata gasket. So only idea left ....have the intake studs been backed out a little when nuts removed ??.... preventing intake to be pulled in flush when tightened??
 
#6 ·
I bolted it back up from the centre, then outwards to then ends.... and I slotted the studs now on the ends, so I can use a screwdriver to turn them all the way in (just to make sure they are all the way back in) and I am reassembling the thorrle body right now... Will update what happens when I'm done... wish me luck :(
 
#7 ·
UPDATE: Negative.... Everything is bolted up tight, and torqued to spec... Turned on the car and same thing... you can hear the leak, and when I spray throttle body cleaner on the top of the gasket the rpms drop.

This is absolutely rediculous.
 
#8 ·
04-01-2007 10:42 PM
by Razathorn Hondata intake manifold gasket install Step by step install perhaps this will help ,,, if maybe you missed something . Maybe the gasket is just goofed ! keep us posted as i have a hondata gasket coming in the mail for mine!!!
 
#9 ·
Next time you have the IM off, check it with a steel straight edge from end to end and see if there is any warp or twist. Also make sure the AAV port on the mani is not leaking.
 
#11 ·
Here is a pic of the little gap I am talking about (sorry about the quality, it's a cell phone pic)




After spending too much time unbolting, rebolting, etc, I decided to take the roll of gasket material I have and cut out the exact shape of the hondata gasket, and contact cement it on to one side, and then I cut out another exact copy and put it on the other side... This gasket material is a fraction of the thicknessed the hondata one is, so it was no big deal.

After letting the newly modified gasket dry, I installed it, and it worked! No more leak!

I forgot to take pics of what the gasket looked like before I installed it because I was eager to put it on to see if it worked.


As for what happened, I think when I unbolted the manifold, it just sprung a little bit, and maybe had a slight slight warp in it, but with the extra gasket material I put on , that took care of the problem.

Thanks for everyones help!
 
#16 ·
Well in the first pic, you can see a tiny space between the manifold and the gasket (a little black crevace)

In the second pic, on either side of the gasket, you see what looks like a think grey gap, but that isn't a gap, that is the grey gasket.


and yeah I knew that it was leaking by spraying the gasket with the throttle body cleaner... everytime I did the rpms would drop for a second (which is what happen when the motor takes in the cleaner.)
 
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