Problem sealing elbow to riser

"About two years ago replaced

"About two years ago replaced the risers and elbows on 1988 454s FWC. Last season I pulled one side of one motor to check if clogged s thought had overheat problem. After carefully cleaning off old gasket and reinstalling i noticed a very minor drip, literally 3-6 drops from the bottom of the joint when ran boat, but not every time.

Removed, cleaned and reinstalled this time with sealant mech recommneded, now seems to drip about the same still but also noticing a white drip looking stain around the two top bolts.

Any ideas? Have tried retightening bolts to spec, etc. Should I just replace this riser and elbow and be done with it?"

what sealant was 'recommen

what sealant was 'recommended"?

did you check the cast iron surfaces to make sure they were flat?

"Right on makomark. I guarant

"Right on makomark. I guarantee you the mounting surfaces need straightening.

You can do this yourself if you have some patience, or pull BOTH parts off and get a machine shop to take a cut off (if you can find one willing to do it--not easy any longer).

If you want to DIY, let me know and I'll walk you through it.

Jeff"

"Could be cracked. Is it wort

"Could be cracked. Is it worth playing with? I know they're only a few years old but they're not that expensive. If they are leaking on the inside as well, it'll cost a lot more.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120340634703

Besides, what else are you going to do over the winter?"

"I just put together a second

"I just put together a second set of risers, using Ultra-Copper. Coated all surfaces of each gasket, but very thin, wiping it on with my fingers. So far, much better than putting these together dry, like Osco recommends.
Need to check used leakers with a straitedge first, though.."