Greetings,

I installed my Newsouth Power Gasket today and just thought I'd share with you a series of pictures of how it's done incase anyone else fancies doing the same. Job took me a little over an hour to do. The gasket is thicker than the standard gasket and is insulated so that the amount of heat transfered from the cylinder head top the inlet manifold is substantially reduced enabling the air going into the engine to remain cooler and therefore denser therefore reducing power lost as a result of heat soak.

As usual, if you wish to use this as a guide to doing the same job, you do so at your own risk. If you break stuff it's not my fault!

Tools I used:

5mm allen socket

6mm allen socket

Ratchet and socket extensions

Flat blade screwdriver

Torque wrench

Magnetic tray for my nuts and bolts

Jubilee clip screwdriver type jobby

Thin grabbing tool

Thin magnet tool.

Last two tools in the list are especially helpful if, like me, you have fat hands and have a habit of dropping nuts into tight spaces

First I removed the plastic cover in front of the inlet manifold. You will also have to remove the top engine cover aswel if you have one.

Next remove the two 10mm nuts sucuring the plastic pipe to the metal plate in front of the manifold and then also the two 5mm allen bolts securing the plate to the manifold so that t can be manouvured away.

Next, I uncliped the wiring harness from the fuel rail and in order to get to the 2 bolts underneath. I removed the bolts and then unclipped the connectors from on top of the injectors. Also, pull the pipe off of the fuel pressure regulator.

This then allowed me to ease the injectors outs of their holes, whilst still attached to the rail, and position to one side. Also in this picture you can see I have unclipped the inlet pipe from the throttle body.

Next up was to start unbolting the manifold. There is one bolt onto a bracket underneath which is a 6mm allen bolt

And then 8 5mm allen bolts and 2 10mm nuts whch secure the manifold to the cyclinder head.

Be careful not to drop the nuts and bolts as retrieving them is tricky!

Once these nuts and bolts are removed, the manifold can be pulled back just enough to remove the old gasket.

Once the gasket is removed, two mating surfaces need cleaning. I used a petrol soaked rag to clean them.

Once the surfaces are cleaned up, the new gasket can be put in place ensurin the holes at either end go onto the two locating studs.

All that is left to do now is put it all back together which is simply a reversal of dismantling making sure all nuts and bolts and clips are put back in the right place and torqued up correctly.

Torque settings as follows:

Inlet manifold to cylinder head nuts and bolts 10nm / 7lbft

Inlet manifold to support bracket bolt 20nm / 15lbft

Fuel Rail mounting bolts 10nm / 7lbft

Once it's all back together, fire up the motor, mine struggled to fire for a few seconds which I reckon was probably just down to the fuel pressure building up again, but don't worry, it should go fairly quickly.

Then go for a drive, get the car nice and hot and then feel how nice and not hot your inlet manifold is

Edited 9 January, 201016 yr by niceyellow vrs

dont you have to put a proper gasket either side of the powergasket as its just a thermal spacer?

EDIT, I am thinking of the Phenolic one: http://www.034motorsport.com/product_info.php?cPath=28_61&products_id=764

Nice writeup

maybe i have smaller hands but i managed without taking the injectors or wiring off, theres just enough slack to get the manifold away and slide the gasket in, the only fiddlily bit was getting it over the locating holes at each end, only took 20mins or so

maybe i have smaller hands but i managed without taking the injectors or wiring off, theres just enough slack to get the manifold away and slide the gasket in, the only fiddlily bit was getting it over the locating holes at each end, only took 20mins or so

You must have the hands of a Gnome to get anywhere near the bolts then

nice one buddy, this is on my list of things to do once my manifold is painted

You must have the hands of a Gnome to get anywhere near the bolts then

just a flexi head allen key socket with a long thin extention and bobs your uncle, and yes magnetics screw retriever is a must lol

Bit of an update to this, tonight has been the first chance I've had for a proper test and it seems to be working really well. After a spirited drive from Cheltenham to Oxford, the engine was nice and hot (oil temp just over 90 degrees C) and the manifold is still cold

Next test will be when the car goes on JKM's rollers next month to see if the power stays consistant rather than tailing off due to heat soak.

which gasket fits the octavia?? is it the small port or the large port, im assuming all vrs engines are the same. cheers

Small port for a standard 'AUQ' engine vRS mk1.

Steve

Small port for a standard 'AUQ' engine vRS mk1.

Steve

oh well there goes my ebay find :'( cheers anyway

you can get a better gasket cheaper form badger 5 on seat cupra.net its the nuts

you can get a better gasket cheaper form badger 5 on seat cupra.net its the nuts

its only 99p on ebay but its a large port one

made by who prob cheap crap??

made by who prob cheap crap??

no its a new south power gasket but large port

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330399424507&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

bit strange why wouldnt he fit it.... limited tools lol its about 8 5mm bolts

maybe one to watch buy to sell

bit strange why wouldnt he fit it.... limited tools lol its about 8 5mm bolts

my thoughts exactly

maybe one to watch buy to sell

im watchin it just to be curious but i agree if its cheap enough my be able to make a quick quid