I made a homemade contraption to check my headers for any leaks after I made them.I found that there was some leakeage at the vband where the 2 come together.The spot where you hook the headers to the crossover pipe I used vbands and they do leak.I tightened them pretty good and they aren't on anything so they aren't welded on crooked just leak where they join.Do you put any sealant on them when you assemble or just don't worry about them.I just basically put a air chuck onto the end of a vband that's welded to a pipe to make my checker..

 

Is the one v-band offset onto the tube about a 1/4" so the tube slips into the opposite v-band? Doing this will help align the two tubes together but V-bands are not air tight seals so they will not seal 100%.

ks

 

thanks so much for the response..

 

You could try some ultra copper high temp silicone.

 

I like to hand file mine back straight after welding then use ultra copper and let it cure overnight.

 

be careful not to over tighten(it takes the clamp effect out) ,, we usually use a nut driver, when welding run a little pipe through the flange and use to align the two flanges

 

nice info.I wish I would of thought of that it would make things easier for sure..thanks again

 

Many times the cheap china V-bands won't be 100% flat. Block sanding them and using a thin coating of grease or copper RTV usually makes an air tight seal in my experience. Also of course weld them with the Vbands clamped together.

 

I have considered making a copper gasket to put between the flanges. I wondered if I could even just buy one?

 

You can buy alum ones on bay, I have for 2.5 and 3" v-bands anyway.

 

Thanks! I'll look for them. Alum should be as good
D as copper.

 

Copper rtv sealant and your done. That shit is awesome and I have had it seal even dinged up vband surfaces. I use it everywhere. Headers, turbo flange, vbands etc.


http://www.zoro.com/permatex-rtv-si...m_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PLA

 

Copper RTV is only rated to 700*F. Your hotside usually runs about twice that. It's not gonna help with warped flanges. It burns away almost instantly in the truly hot areas and will also catch on fire. Once it burns, you have the carbon crap that's left over after it burns making the seal. Which works fine, if the mating surfaces aren't too bad. I smear axle grease on 2 flat surfaces and accomplish the same thing. Point is if it's leaking bad, a gasket is the way to go. RTV or any other kind of sealer won't "fix" it.