The intake manifold gasket for an internal combustion engine is a unitized sealing system designed to maintain the seal between the intake manifold and cylinder head. It may also be the system for sealing a joint between an upper manifold and lower manifold. The type and configuration of the engine, its fuel system, along with the design and materials used for the cylinder head and manifold determine the specific design and materials used for the intake manifold sealing system. Intake manifolds are constructed of cast iron, aluminum and various types of plastic materials.
Fuels are gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas and alcohol using a variety of delivery systems.
Each intake manifold gasket application is unique in its design, to meet the specific engine performance requirements. The manifold gasket may be required to seal one or several mediums simultaneously, during all engine operating conditions. Due to the typical intake manifold hardware designs, the available compressive sealing stresses applied to the gasket are low, thus requiring a conformable type of seal. The intake manifold sealing system design and materials utilized must be thermally and chemically resistant to all of the fluid mediums. It must not degrade due to the dynamic and thermal affects created by the specific environment the system is in.