Blown Gasket between exhaust manifold and hfc
 

hey guys finally got my exhaust leak fixed and got a new gasket. this has been a common issue for z's. i have berk cbe and berk hfc. the gasket between the exhaust manifold and hfc blew out on passenger side sending off a CES. i got it fixed but who knows if it will come back. thats what im afraid of...my buddy who fixed it said "hey it could blow again tomorrow or in another 20k miles....what do i do..i only drive it hard sometimes. i shift around 3-3.5k sometimes 4k and i jus cruise in high gears....i dont really drive it hard. i just dont want this to be a continuous issue

Z1 Metal HR/VHR Manifold 3 Bolt Gaskets

Try using this gasket from z1 expensive but worth the money never had problems with it for 2 years now. I have ARK cbe and hfc.

You need to make sure the flange between the header and Berk HFCs aren't warped, otherwise the gasket will not be able to sit flush and it will eventually leak. Some people use RTV, but a lot of times it blows out from the heat.

Below is an example of a warped flange...


http://www.titantalk.com/gallery/dat...ide_Bottom.JPG

Only way to completely fix the issue is to run a Donut style gasket. The only option compatible with them are the Motordyne ART pipes.

This is an option if the gasket is what gave out.

If you take a gasket, place it on the flange of the HFC then check between the flange and the gasket for any light shining through. If you do have light protruding then you have an issue that gaskets aren't going to fix.

Agree with what Staples mentioned. Most likely you'll notice a burnt part on the gasket, happens on the drivers side most of the time. I've seen this with HFC and the ART pipes no matter what I used i.e. graphite crush, metallic and copper as well and that too with RTV gasket maker applied.

Apparently under high heat applications such as this, the gasket and everything around it shrink a little causing the bolts come loose a little, so most of the time its good to go back after two three heat cycles to tighten the bolts again. Thats what I did and its been holding up so far.

FYI raspy nature of cat or catless pipes is due to blown gaskets or leaks rather than the pipes itself.

Get long tube headers

Heh, that's my final solution. I had 0420 and 0430 with no gaskets, then installed gaskets and 0420 popped back up. I cleared and disabled the code with Uprev and will be installing LTHs this weekend.

I had same problem, same CEL. the geskets blow on both side after couple track days.