Re: gasket sealant on Weber carb intake manifold?

Avoid silicone gasket goo on inlet manifolds and carbs - it goes all crumbly/stringy and falls apart.

With you being in Merka, I can't recommend any particular brand that'd be known to you in your neck of the woods, but if you go down to your nearest trade plumbing suppliers and ask for a jointing compound for fuel systems, they should come up with something suitable.

Having said that; if the manifold and carb faces are in good condition you shouldn't really need anything in the way of gasket goo - the standard gasket dry fitted should be adequate.

I applied some RTV "gray" stuff, only to find out after it wasn't meant for gasoline-related stuff.

I also struggled with the new studs I got from Spitbits, only to find they aren't the optimal length. One got threads stripped, so I improvised.

I fired it up, and it works! I'll be damned the thing idles smoothly, even at under 900 rpms.

I drove it around for 5 minutes and it's got serious pickup now. Got it back in the garage to find steam underneath the front of the hood, and found it split a coolant hose. No biggie. Couldn't be happier, in fact.

There shouldn't be any need. I was taught to smear some grease on a new gasket, though.

But if you feel you must, my favourite is Hylomar. Easily removed with cellulose thinners but impervious to just about anything found on a car.

Hylomar in common with most other gasket sealers does degrade when exposed to petrol. If you have fitted a new manifold with new gaskets, and it leaks, it is likely that the faces are distorted in some way, and while gasket sealer may stop leaks, the correct way to proceed would be to get the faces checked, and rectified if they are not straight and true.

Incidentally by far the best gasket sealers are those made by Japanese motorcycle manufacturers.........these are expensive, but are far far better than anything like Hermitite, or Hylomar (both products formulated more than

Simon