gonna hang myself out for ridicule here but if i can save another my headaches, so be it.
as some of you may know, i have been chasing exhaust leaks on my new header system. i have broken a dog ear on a stub pipe which has slowed me down but i also had some leaks that just didn't make sense.
i used new gaskets... no good. i doubled up as some suggested... no good.
so today, i took a moment and took a REALLY good look at the seating area for the manifold gaskets. i scratched at the seating area and hmmmm.... copper color! an old gasket was still there. nothing was ever gonna seat right and i was TRIPLE gasketing (is that a word)!
so with a little encouragement, i was able to get out the old gaskets, cleaned up the seating area and put new gaskets in waiting for the repaired stub pipe.
ya, it is a stupid mistake, but it looked like it was just black, not copper up there.
so scrape a little at the seating area for the manifold gasket and make certain an old one isn't still sitting there. it may save you the headaches i have had.
cheers and now back to listening to someone who knows what they are doing!