Hey ya all! So I recently brought an old 20r cylinder head in to get rebuilt to a machine shop. Once getting it back, installing it, and installing the intake manifold I cracked the intake. Got another one and I am now maxed out on torque specs and still getting a decent air leak from the seal to the head. Are there anyways to fix this with some rtv or anything else that will be just as good as a seal? Also I got the intake from the same head I had rebuilt which tells me the machine shop made the error. Is that common they would mess up the intake side for a good level surface or could this be just the head was warped? I spent $260 to have them rebuild it. Should I just take it all off and send it back to them?

 

Shops usually check the heads for warping before doing any machine work. You might want to check your intake manifold for warpage. The shop that did your head could machine the intake manifold mating flange if it’s off.

 

Thats the thing though my first intake was off as well and I actually cracked the first intake because it was off and now the second intake is off as well. I know the first one was level too, cause I was using it a couple weeks ago no problem

 

Put a good straight edge along the manifold mating surface on both the head and manifold itself in several different spots. If you see any gaps, that’s your problem. Usually it’s the ends of the intake manifold that have a tendency to curl out. Also, replace all bolt holes with studs (M8x1.25). This will allow you to add more torque without stripping the threads in the head.