LIM Felpro part number

[oldnslo]

Please be gentle, I am new to this site and have done some searches trying to find the recommended gasket set for an 2000 3.4 liter.

As a Newbie I will some dumb questions that have probably been asked and answered 100's of times.

This will be the third gasket in 80K so what am I doing wrong?

Changed out stock gasket 11/08/05 at around 60K. Now at 80K it is starting to leak again both internal and external.

Note: Oil has not changed color just saw some foam / sludge on the oil filler cap and inside of the valve cover. What is your best guess on whether the bearings, cam etc. have been damaged?

Does the LIM have a history of warping or cracking? Bought the car new and it has never over heated.

Leak is in the typical area along the head to manifold joint. First time both ends, this time only on the trans end and appears to be only the front not the rear.

Last year when I replaced these gaskets the head and intake were both free of any visual cracks or pourosity.

Checked flatness with machinist scale and feeler gauges. Could not find more than .001 out of flat using the above method.

Thanks

Roy

[ChevelleSSLS6]

The LIM gasket is notorious for not sealing well; it's a simple case of poor engineering on an otherwise excellent engine. The GA I had (2000 SE v6) has 140k on it and is running strong with the new owner (a friend of mine).

[rixGAphx]

Use the FelPro set that is available.

Use brand new LIM-to-Head bolts this time, as yours have been used/stretched enough by three prior torquings.

Chase the threads in the head to receive the new bolts, and use the proper assembly goop (don't know if it's "antisieze compound" or "thread-locker").

Make sure you have the proper torque values and pattern for the bolts.

All the engine components should be at 'room temp', about 70*F, when doing the assembling/torquing (just don't assemble it outdoors on a snowy morning in MI, or on the patio on an AZ summer afternoon).

With all the trouble you've had, I think I'd take the LIM itself to a machine shop and have its two head-mounting faces checked for 'squareness' relative to each other.
The thing might have literally 'twisted' so the faces aren't meeting properly, causing difference of clamping force when assembled.

The LIM doesn't have a strong proclivity to twist or warp, but if the bolts aren't properly tightened it can happen.
The plastic LIM in Ford V-6's cracks; ours doesn't crack, it just remains so rigid that the gaskets fail.
(New-design gaskets have improved sealing characteristics, but they are still dependent upon precise assembly/torquing).

Ideally, checking the squareness of the head mounting surfaces should also be done, but you would hafta roll the hulk to the machine shop.
* * *
The 'hints of moisture' in the crankcase are *prolly* normal winter condensation (from products of combustion), rather than water having seeped into the crankcase thru a LIM gasket or other leak.

If the oil itself still looks like oil, then no damage has occurred to the bearings from this issue.

Just wipe off the white stuff with a paper towel whenever you see it.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

PS:
When the coolant system is filled, but not burped of trapped air, then the air bubble will remain at the top of the cooling system, which is basically the passages in the LIM.
So when running the engine, the iron block is at a nice temperature (say 180) and so are the aluminum heads (actually a bit warmer, say 195).
But the LIM is sucking in a ton of fresh, 25*F ambient air, and it isn't being warmed by the coolant ('cuz there's a bunch of air in it).
So, warm aluminum heads + cold aluminum LIM = tremendous difference in temperature and expansion/contraction, right at the interface (the gasket).

Yeah, overheating is Death on LIM gaskets, but so is any condition of 'low coolant', even if the gage never shows temps above 'normal' (195*F).

[oldnslo]

Thanks for the feed back. Got real lucky yesterday and the parts store / machine shop I deal with gave me a different Intake. They sell Victor brand gaskets (not the same shaop as last year). From all the posts are the Victor Gaskets a bad design? They have the Rubber Three rib seal around the water jacket and seem to be built very well. Not having looked at a Fel-Pro not sure what the difference is. Parts store / machine shop say they have had good results using them. Not trying to cause trouble just looking for additional feed back.

Will pick-up a set of intake bolts though.

Thanks

Roy