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Best Header Gaskets? Temp sending unit? Volts?

trevmountain

trevmountain

1/2 ton status
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Oct 28, 2007
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Location
Jackson, WY
Ok 3 questions on this one. First after buying what I thought was the best header gasket for a getting a good seal (Percy Gaskets) and putting them on my new big block both the header gaskets and collector gaskets are leaking like crazy. Need to get the something that actually seals.

Second I can't seem to figure out why my temp gauge isn't working. I realized after bolting the motor back up I didn't recall anytemp sending unit to hook up. Is this what I am missing?

The other question I have is regarding my volts. When driving down the road my volt gauge shoots all the way up to 18 or 20 or whatever it is that is max on the gauge. Is this alternator issues?

Thanks
 
trevmountain said:
Ok 3 questions on this one. First after buying what I thought was the best header gasket for a getting a good seal (Percy Gaskets) and putting them on my new big block both the header gaskets and collector gaskets are leaking like crazy. Need to get the something that actually seals.

Second I can't seem to figure out why my temp gauge isn't working. I realized after bolting the motor back up I didn't recall anytemp sending unit to hook up. Is this what I am missing?

The other question I have is regarding my volts. When driving down the road my volt gauge shoots all the way up to 18 or 20 or whatever it is that is max on the gauge. Is this alternator issues?

Thanks
Click to expand...

So far the best (no leaks ever yet) header gasket (both at the head and collector) that i've found is Remflex. They are made of graphite and will compress up to 50% for a perfect seal everytime.

There should be a temp sender in the drivers side head and if not then someone removed it and put a plug in instead.

The volt gauge should read somewhere between 13.5-14.5 with the engine running. If the volt gauge is reading higher than that then the voltage regulator is bad (either internal or external depending on the style of alternator). Running the engine with an over charging issue will kill the battery in short order.
 
Ok so I have the oil pressure sending unit that screws in on the drivers side of the motor. Looks like a bulb with a little connector sticking out of it. What does the temp sender look like?

Thanks
 
i do as sweetk30 does and it works real well.i used the mr gasket style though.had in the performance section of most auto parts stores.double them up and crank them down tight.check the bolts after running them for a couple of days and crank them down again,its been 7 years since i put mine on this way and they still dont leak.on the alt problem it is bad if its putting over 14.5 volts or under 13.i would test it with a multimeter as i dont really trust guages all the time.temp guage is usually in the block below the head on the driver side.i bought a water neck with a fitting for it and put a universal sending unit in there.since the guage wont get hot until the thermostat opens,i know that the thermostat is working or not and also where the actual temp is as thats the hottest it will be returning back to the radiator.
 
I checked my Percy's aluminum gaskets probably 3 times over a few hundred miles. Ended up taking them off, doing some work, and putting them back on. Checked a few times over a couple hundred miles. After 1500 miles, no leaks. I've torn the engine down and will reuse them again after it's back together. Will have to see how they do.
 
4X4HIGH said:
So far the best (no leaks ever yet) header gasket (both at the head and collector) that i've found is Remflex. They are made of graphite and will compress up to 50% for a perfect seal everytime.
Click to expand...


I second these. Got them on scott's suggestion. They rock.

Save yourself the trouble, and order the matching gaskets for the other connections in your exhaust system when you order the header gaskets. My headers never leak...but the other connections in my system loosen up and burn gaskets.
 
Nice, thanks for the tips. Feel like a tard I just didn't see the temp gauge, it was hiding under my wire loom. I took it off when I pulled the motor but just forgot about it. Hooked it up and works great.

Ya the problem from the get go with the Percy's was they just didn't seem to match. I could literally see where they might leak when I was bolting them up. They just didn't match the exhaust ports on the block as good as they should have. Checked the part numbers and everything was correct.

Thanks again
 
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