making own aluminum turbo gasket....

[meangreens14]

hello- here's my setup: stock redtop sr20det engine with megan equal length manifold to factory t25 turbo with megan pipes (built-in flex pipe) all the way to my apex n1 catback system.

ok here's what going on. i have replaced the foil steel gasket between the mani and the turbo many times now (even before the upgrade to the megan manifold) and the car just seems to rip them apart in a matter of a couple weeks. now that i have put the manifold on, i have ripped through the "industrial" reusable gasket that came with the manifold and another factory gasket in a matter of five days!!!

im really tired of having to replace these so damn often..thats why i got the downpipe with the built in flex pipe! so in my venture to fix this for good im going to try something that may seem drastic. i want to run this by all of you guys on hear to see what you think and if anyone has any potential concernes or issues with the material i want to use.

HERE'S WHAT IM PLANNING: make my own mani to tubo gasket out of solid (most likely 1/8 inch thick) alumium. yet to make sure it stays in there and limit movement i also plan to tack weld the top of the studs (upperside of mani) and then tack a spot weld onto the nuts once i know its forsure tightened on there. hope that holds for good.

please let me know if using solid aluminium may have any potential issues. i saw a website that has graphite gaskets, but they too seemed flimsy for my cars hot gasses.

thanks guys and gals!-eric f.

[theclub]

I don't think aluminum will be able to handle the extreame heat the turbo will generate. The cly. head and compressor side of the turbo shouldn't reach more than 250f but the exhaust side (witch is cast iron) will get 600f+ under normal operation.

[LayNLow240]

yeah, dont use alum. that **** will melt like plastic. use mild or stainless steel for this. mild can and will rust, stainless is more expensive, but both can handle the head.

[neverlift]

how about mr gasket header gasket? So far I have it at my cat and head to exhaust manifold gaskets.... they seem to hold up(well the cat one is(just did the exhaust to head yesterday)).

its paper(well I think its fiber glassy)

[teddy]

You're blowing multiple gaskets? And you've switched manifolds, so have thought of replacing the manifold studs and have the ports milled so you're getting a good seal. To me, it sounds like the manifold isn't sealing right and is continuously blowing the gaskets out

[meangreens14]

i just today found out about my gasket part number 77...some sort of fiber flexible material. im gonna give that a try. and to the gentleman above...you are partially correct. because i have been doing this all in car, i have not been able to get proper torque specs on the nuts...so im gonna pull it all out and assemble it outside of the car properly tightend and then put it back in and HOPE that does the trick. i am also going to use the factory nut plates to keep those suckers from backing off. any other questions or concerns are welcome still...thanks guys!

[meangreens14]

mr. gasket part number 77 does not work on hot turbo manifolds...just so you all know...looks like its time to find another solution...any ideas guys/ gals?(i fried through that fiber gasket in less than a day...should've known) also..so that i do not have to drain all my engine fluids again, is it ok to just plugg the line (oil and coolant) holes with some bolts while i do the other work? should be, just want to make sure it wont cause any issues.

[DukeBoy]

I have had the same problem with a customer of mine with megan header and stock t25. I have replaced his gasket numerous times and i recently changed it the other day. He has gone through stock nissan gaskets (the thick good ones) as well as the megan ones. I replaced that turbo gasket on tuesday with a new megan one and it was leaking by wednesday. The entire back section of his gasket was gone now. I replaced his studs with stainless studs and brand new oem locking plates. He brought it back and said it was leaking, but when I tried to tighten the nuts, they were tight already. He has an ebay downpipe and it doesn't line up with the rest of his exhaust. I'm thinking his downpipe is putting too much stress on his turbo due to the misalignment of the rest of his exhaust(Greddy Catback fits perfectly). That and his motor mounts might be bad and causing more stress. I'm ready to weld the header to the turbo inlet but It shouldn't require welding. I have had my gasket in my car for over a year now on a rebuilt motor and rebuilt turbo with stock manifold and a bee*R misfiring system and I havn't had any of these problems. I am at a loss too and I cant afford to keep working on his car.

[meangreens14]

I have had the same problem with a customer of mine with megan header and stock t25. I have replaced his gasket numerous times and i recently changed it the other day. He has gone through stock nissan gaskets (the thick good ones) as well as the megan ones. I replaced that turbo gasket on tuesday with a new megan one and it was leaking by wednesday. The entire back section of his gasket was gone now. I replaced his studs with stainless studs and brand new oem locking plates. He brought it back and said it was leaking, but when I tried to tighten the nuts, they were tight already. He has an ebay downpipe and it doesn't line up with the rest of his exhaust. I'm thinking his downpipe is putting too much stress on his turbo due to the misalignment of the rest of his exhaust(Greddy Catback fits perfectly). That and his motor mounts might be bad and causing more stress. I'm ready to weld the header to the turbo inlet but It shouldn't require welding. I have had my gasket in my car for over a year now on a rebuilt motor and rebuilt turbo with stock manifold and a bee*R misfiring system and I havn't had any of these problems. I am at a loss too and I cant afford to keep working on his car.

well duke...i really hope im not jinxing myself by saying this...but i think i (crossing fingers) i found out why this problem keeps happening on our cars with this setup (or thereabouts)...the issue seems to be the nuts want to back out because of extra stress from down pipes elbows etc...what i have done is

"phase one": to use the locking tab plates, all new studs>>>>spot welded these to the top of the manifold!!!<<< (on the mani/turbo) HERES THE KEY THING...i filed down the manifold and turbo flanges so to ensure proper sealing due to being flat...because its stainless its tends to warped under manufacturing heat...the nuts i used on the new studs were the oblong shaped locking type...i built this assembly out of the car..wrenched that "ISH" down as hard as my hands could, and put it back in then moved on to

"phase two": i purchased a second flex pipe from summit racing, cut my exhaust piping, realigned everything with the second flex pipe, and rewelded it back together...i also added an extra exhaust pipe hanger near the gas tank to keep things more stable. i then made sure the existing hanger setup was atatched to the proper transmission mounting point (welded another hanger at the location) and well so far a day later its holding strong.

KEY POINTS are to make sure your exhaust can flex WHERE it needs to but not place stress on the turbo/manifold assembly. and also keep those nuts on there tight. WERD!...let me know if any of this info helps you out...feel free to ask me questions if you need...or if you want to see some pics. i will be happy to take some and shoot em over to ya. good luck!

[NAKA24DE]

I never used gaskets on the Turbo to manifold and turbo to D/P ... I use Wurth Exhaust paste ..... never had a leak ... And used Flange nuts to bolt it all down ...

[meangreens14]

never heard of that stuff...but will keep it in mind if the issue comes up again...knock on wood that it does not happen again. how long has it been on your setup?

[ddgsxr504]

If you are going to make your own gasket, make it out of copper since copper is maluable and will seat better thus compress and fill in the gaps.

It also sounds like your turbo and manifold aren't seating correctly as is, try new studs and make sure the faces of both are smooth and flat.

[Ligouri Rd]

If you are going to make your own gasket, make it out of copper since copper is maluable and will seat better thus compress and fill in the gaps.

It also sounds like your turbo and manifold aren't seating correctly as is, try new studs and make sure the faces of both are smooth and flat.

I have been using a Mr Gasket copper exhaust manifold gasket for the past two years. No leaks what-so-ever, plus I can remove my manifold and re-use the gasket.

[meangreens14]

It also sounds like your turbo and manifold aren't seating correctly as is, try new studs and make sure the faces of both are smooth and flat.

thanks, but really wish you had read the post i left just above yours.... thanks for the tips though.

[BigJuiceSr20]

http://www.missioncriticalcomp....html

It seems you may definitely have a slight leak when you bolt the flanges up. This leak will destroy the single layer SS metal OEM gasket. I went through 2 of these on my GT28 powered SR motor. I'm now using the Flex Graphite from these guys on that link. It is steel reinforced flexible graphite which is also thicker than the OEM steel gasket, has better compressiblity hence better sealing. No problems so far and it been on the car for a year a half.My buddy with his 750HP Supra is using a T4 flexible graphite gasket and it holds up fine to 35psi of boost so I know this gasket will last a while on my measely 15psi. I paid $11.99 + $3 shipping.

[DukeBoy]

I never used gaskets on the Turbo to manifold and turbo to D/P ... I use Wurth Exhaust paste ..... never had a leak ... And used Flange nuts to bolt it all down ...

According to the Wurths webpage, the exhaust assembly past is only rated up to 1292 degrees F. I have had my turbo manifold glowing red after a hard continuous drifting run. That's about 1600 degrees F to get cast iron to glow red. I'm reluctant to try something like that if it cannot sustain the high temperatures.