Is FelPro 216 #2 Non-Hardening Gasket Sealer the same as Permatex #2 that seems to be recommended here on the Forum?

Many thanks,
Joe

 

I like to use ARP thread sealer myself. It is supposed to be formulated to reduce the thread friction for a more accurate reading when torquing the bolts.

 

I've always used Fel Pro Grey bolt prep. It works as a non hardening sealer and anti seize.

 

Permatex #2, it takes me 1/2 hour to that crap off my hands so it has to work :lol:


[Modified by MotorHead, 8:00 AM 6/10/2003]

 

:iagree:

 

Thanks for your help and tips as always!

Joe

 

I used a product from NAPA. Thread sealant from Loctite. The part # is 765-2681. It's white pipe dope with Teflon. I used it on the head bolts and intake bolts. Tom

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! :eek:
NO!
BAD!
WRONG!

That B.S. Teflon CRAP cost me a brand-new engine once. Lots of plumbers don't even use that junk anymore on water pipes. How can you expect it to hold a seal in an automotive environment?

You may use it. Others may, too. You may not have ever had any problems with it. But, IMHO, it's just a matter of time.

Stick with the Permatex No. 2...

 

I'd still like to know if FelPro #2 (part #216) is the same as Permatex #2.....they sure look the same

Thanks,
Joe

 

Just put a new set of heads on my '76. Got brand new head bolts from GM, and they came already coated with white stuff. Sure looked like Teflon to me.......This from a Michigan Licensed Master Plumber/GM Pipefitter who still uses LOTS of Liquid Teflon for LOTS of things... :yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod:

 

Is it a tube that's smaller and skinnier than a tube of RTV? Does it have a big orange "2" on it? Does it have a smaller, designation printed elsewhere on the tube, like "2A" or "2B"? Are the contents sticky and brown/black with a scent similar to that of pine tar? (Think baseball.) Do you have to use laquer thinner or similar to get it off your finger from the aforementioned smell test? Then you're good to go.

And, like I said, lots of people use that Teflon paste stuff, too. Lots of people haven't had problems with it. It killed a brand new engine of mine the first time I ever used it. I never will use it for anything ever again and will encourage others to leave it alone, too. Once bitten, twice shy...
Several SoCal plumbing contractors I told this story to back when I was writing for a plumbing trade magazine seemed amazed that people were still buying the Teflon stuff to seal anything. However I can't tell you what they were doing instead.

Probably Permatex No. 2 :lol:

 

DUDE -

How does the teflon stuff kill the new engine? Do you put the ARP thread sealer in that class?

 

:iagree: Has worked great the three times I used it, no leaks from neither the head bolts nor the rocker studs.

 

I can't address the ARP sealer because I've never used it.

The PTFE (Teflon) paste killed a new engine of mine at cam break-in. The engine was a 406 that had aftermarket 4-bolt main caps added. The machinist, when drilling the outside holes for the main caps, drilled all the way into the water jackets. That's not the best situation, however they were "sealed" by me with the PTFE (Teflon) paste. So were the head bolts. That's what the "professional" recommended.

I primed the oiling system and started the engine for the first time and ran it to break in the cam. I noticed that it started to run a little rough about halfway through the procedure, but I chalked that up to a bad tuneup. After that I went to change the oil to get rid of all the assembly lube, etc. Well, the oil was chocolate milkshake. WTF?

I dropped the oil pan and noticed water dripping from inside the crankcase! I pressurized the cooling system and crawled under the car and EVERY SINGLE ONE of the splayed caps was leaking like a sieve. Turns out, after pulling the engine and stripping it again that the head bolts were leaking, too. The PTFE (Teflon) paste was simply WASHED OFF all the fasteners by the plain water I was running in the cooling system for break-in. WASHED OFF--That's the best way I can describe what I found.

So, for the 20-minute break-in, the engine was circulating watery oil. And, since the leak kept happening, the longer the engine ran the waterier the oil became. The main bearings were shot. The rod bearings were shot. The cam bearings were shot. Two of the cam lobes were wiped pretty good, too. That's why it started running rough during the break-in.

Now, is it possible that I applied the stuff incorrectly? Yes, but not very likely.
Is it possible that the ARP hardware I was using has some kind of coating that prevented the PTFE (Teflon) from "taking a set?" It's possible but I've never asked this question of ARP tech. But that's what the machinist suggested. Seems like B.S. to me. He's no longer my machinist.

The short version is that I went through the whole rebuild process again after having the block tanked and cleaned by another shop to get rid of the metal from the cam that was killed. I rebuilt the engine again and sealed it up with Permatex No. 2 and it was leak-free from the get-go.

Some folks use and have used the PTFE (Teflon) stuff on engines with no problems for years and years. I used it once and got burned. I'll never use it again.