I am reading several comments that this is the best head gasket. I put a cheap on on and it lasted 25K miles. Now I want a good one. What is the best head gasket, and where do I get a pair? Thanks. CNC

I get the fel-pro gaskets at NAPA. Please read this thread regarding felpro gaskets, and parts manufacturers, and what comes in the box.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=108259&highlight=felpro

 

You will read mixed opinions versus aftermarket or oem gaskets, but you will hear about otheres where oem gaskets are not available (order item) at the dealer based on geographical location.

 

The ea82 felpro gasket is recommended as well as an oem. Felpro manufactures this gasket(permatorque) whereas the later model ej22 HG is oem manufacture sold in the felpro box.

 

Personally, i liked the metal with graphite surface HG's like the oems should be, and as they came from Victor Reinz when napa used to carry that brand.

I think the local Carquest sells Victor. Same outfit?

DO NOT USE FEL PRO intake gaskets. HG by them for ea are ok

 

bad, the IG are paper. get oem they are metal.

The ea82 felpro gasket is recommended

 

EDIT: i am referring to head gaskets by felpro.

 

If you know your sources, you can get each gasket from a preferred manufacturer. Felpro does stamp out their own paper gaskets for ea82 in the kit..

 

Metal with graphite face is best for intake and exhaust gaskets. Try bosal for exhaust.

I got bargain basement brand gasket set about 25k miles ago. Didn't realize I needed to check the head for flatness. Will do so, this time. Also, the intake gaskets were paper thin. Got a beefy-thick set from Carquest. Know how I figured out it was leaking?? Well, I bolted the intake down, torqued the bolts and everything. Left the spark plugs out for initial testing. Filled radiator with water. Turned it over and shot water onto ceiling through spark plug hole. Huh?? Well, turns out the intake manifold on SPFI has a water passage to heat it up or something. Well, at the ends of the manifold, the gasket has to keep the two channels (air and coolant) separated. Not seating down flat, they communicated just fine. Water poured into at least one cylinder and shot out the hole. Imagine my surprise....

wow glad I read this I was about to order felpro intake gaskets...

how are the intake gaskets made by Victor?

 

also what about blocking the cross over? wouldn't coolant still get to the other side via head passages? sorry random thought, but a lot of the time bypassing the intake manifold's coolant lines is a first performance mod.

 

I'm sure that since no one is doing it there's a good reason.

I dunno about blocking off the water passage. It must be there for a reason. I'm guessing the water heat helps. As for the Victor gasket, I really don't know who made it. I do know that Victor is where Carquest currently gets those gaskets. Also, that intake manifold spans a long distance and I'm surprised that the mating surfaces are anywhere parallel, a foot or more away. In fact, mine aren't. Close enough that a beefy-thick gasket will be compliant enough to seal it just fine. Paper thin doesn't work, though.

I'm guessing the water heat helps.

 

usually not.

two of the more common SVX mods are to bypass the throttle body coolant line and to add phenolic spacers. which both are done to keep the incoming air cool.

(the spacers also effectively shift the powerband much like what would happen when you lengthen the intake runners.)

 

I imagine if no nobody had tried it then it's for coolant flow reasons

 

 

Edit: after looking at my haynes I realize that there its a throttle body coolant line to bypass.

(won't need a pre-warmed tb here in Bama... )

Edited November 18, 201114 yr by zukiru

The inale coolant runner iads in the overall circulation throughout the whole block. Otherwise, circulation would favor one half of the block more than the other.

 

It fdoes not take much to make the intake gasket seal, but how you do it may determine how it lasts.

 

the victor gaskets have the graphite and are oem wuality.

 

I have re-used original gaskets, doubled them up, used silicone on them, used cardboard once. I woudl not worry about the pits on the surfacs.

 

I have used ultra grey for sealant.

 

But the idea of the graphite gasket is to allow for expansion.

awesome! the vics are only a buck more!

 

after looking at the Haynes I also realized my ECU coolant sensor is in that crosspipe... haha

thanks for the clarification, Fox.

Edited November 18, 201114 yr by zukiru

in ej engines, there is still a crosspipe, but it is separate than the intake.

Your ecu temp sensor should cross with some sort of nissan if you have trouble finding one. Get a new one for safe measure, if you are having the intake apart., as it will be easy to get to.