nolicense Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 I am doing an ea82 manifold swap onto my ea81 tomorrow and installing a weber 32/36 on it. my question is which intake manifold gasket should I get for it? the carbed ea82 one or just a regular carbed ea81 gasket? I am also replacing the front main seal, valve cover gaskets, water pump gasket and oil pan gasket. there is no problem with those areas, i just feel better with new gaskets in place since it hasnt been drivin for awhile. is felpro a decent brand of gasket for these engines? i know with my ford probe 80% of the gaskets I need to buy from the mazda dealer since the felpro are very low quality (my exhaust manifold gasket by felpro is paper and non-metallic, same gasket from mazda is all metal and $4 cheaper as well) thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Fel-Pro is not a good choice for the intake and exhaust gaskets. The dealer is the ONLY place to get those if you want them to last more than 10,000 miles - specifically the Fel-Pro intake gaskets are simply paper and the OEM gaskets are graphite impregnated metal - coolant flows through the manifold so you want something that's going to withstand the pressure - the paper does not in my experience. EA81 and EA82 carb/SPFI manifolds call out the same part number for the intake gaskets. For the rest - the cost difference is negligible so I would get them all through the dealer. On EA water pumps I generally just use a very thin layer of Loctite flange sealant (518 I think) or you can use RTV if you don't have any 518 around. The OEM gaskets for the water pump are just paper so I prefer the flange sealant personally. The front main is just a lip seal - probably nitrile but I have had issues with aftermarket seals not having a good fit on the OD. Use a bit of Loctite 242 (I use the 248 stick form) on the OD of the seal and make sure you drive it in sqaure and flush. Valve cover and oil pan gaskets are cork - the OEM cork material is much denser than the aftermarket stuff and holds up much better. RTV is important here - it is not called for in the FSM but coating the cork in a thin layer (as thin as you can get and not see through it) and letting it dry creates a protective rubber layer that will repel oil. The cork gaskets seal very well but have a short lifespan if not protected in this way - the oil soaks into the cork and breaks down into varnish - causing the cork to shrink and become brittle over time. The RTV prevents this and also makes them reusable if you do it right. Most people use WAY too much of the stuff - one standard squeeze tube of RTV should do a dozen oil pans or more. Use SPARINGLY - the stuff can clog oil passages and filters if it breaks off and gets sucked up. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 (edited) This my thread from when I had to replace the intake gaskets on my BRAT. Take a look, it is why you should stick to Subaru intake gaskets. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81092 Edited August 13, 2009 by Durania Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Hey! I remember that thread! Cool. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolicense Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 cool dealer it is then. I just wanted to ask since my probe is the same way. I plan to EJ swap it after I source a new transmission for my probe but for now I want it to still be in good shape and not have to worry bout that down the road before my EJ swap. and if I end up selling the motor after the swap I dont want a new prospective buyer need to have to deal with that. thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.