Thread: Thermostat question

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First time here....

I have a 327 stuffed into a Porsche 914. I need a new water neck, the one I have uses a paper gasket. I see new ones can be had with either the gasket or an O ring. My question is, are these interchangeable on the same intake manifold? There seem to be more choices (and cheaper) in the O ring style.

thanks
Fred Emmerich

Be careful. Most of those chrome, fancy ones are made offshore and will leak like a sieve. The best one available on the planet is at the parts counter at your local Chevy dealer. Ask me how I know.

Originally Posted by techinspector1

Be careful. Most of those chrome, fancy ones are made offshore and will leak like a sieve. The best one available on the planet is at the parts counter at your local Chevy dealer. Ask me how I know.

Thats why we love guys like you on here Tech...

EXPERIENCE...

I would agree with Tech, I've never had much luck with the O ring type

I work for a cooling company and when answering tech questions on this same question, I always tell the customer to use a good gasket. You can remove the O ring and just replace it with a good gasket and some hi-temp silicone for insurance as well.

The problem with o rings is that metal expands which causes the leak. I have a stupid o ring on my car and after storing it for the last few months there is anti-freeze laying on the valley pan.
Live and learn.
It will be changed.

I have an "o ring" style on the 302 in my T and knock on wood it has not leaked in the 3 years it has been on there. I too though have heard the horror stories with them. I like the old fashioned gasketed type too. Seems like the old paper gasket is reliable and cheap.
Don Jr.

Do an experiment.....take a thermostat housing and sand it on a
flat surface.....like a piece of glass with sandpaper laid on it.....some
of the cheap chrome crap takes more than a 0.050" cut to make flat....
like Tech said, they leak.

Use a good file and "draw file" the mating surfaces of the manifold and water neck so they are dead flat, use a regular good quality off the shelf gasket, and some heat and water resistant non-hardening gasket sealer (I won't debate the differences between sealer and RTV here), new bolts of the proper length and use the same sealer on the bolt threads; don't over tighten the bolts, and use a torque wrench to make sure they are tightened equally. I've heard it said the God (or, the devil) is in the details; this is one place details definitely pay off, or will bite you in the backside. And, as said otherwise, those fancy chrome "pot metal" water necks are pure junk. Best to use a neck of the same material as your manifold, and if a shiny pretty is called for, get an expensive "manufactured" one, made up from plate and tube that has been fit and welded and surface milled; stainless is a good thing for this.

Each to their own, but I've never had one leak using good old Permatex 2 and a stock style gasket.

i allways hit them on the belt sander or a file till dead flat. i use old number 2 as well even the chrome ones with O ring first take out O ring put back in coat with number 2. to say i never had one leak would be a lie... but after i do this 99 of the time it works. less its mine then the stock one on my chevy was still leaking ended up with a poor gasket .pick up a better gasket and that end of the leak

I've never had a problem with one, but I always use a little silicone around the edge just for insurance.