Johnson's Premium Gasket Tape has no cloth backing. Avoid stretching this material when pre-punching bolt holes or when installing this tape on the header surface. For best results, please consider the following:

  1. Proper preparation of the tank and header surfaces before installing a new gasket or gasket tape is essential. Unless corrected, any damaged or irregular surfaces may make it impossible to form a tight tank-to-header seal.
  2. Remove backing and apply gasket tape to a clean, flat, dry header, not the tank flange. Do not buff or polish the header flange. Sand blasting the tank flange surface will help to reduce the extrusion of gasket tape.
  3. Cut out the bolt holes. It is never a good practice to punch or turn bolts through compressable gaskets tape.
  4. Do not apply any separate adhesive or RTV Silicone as it may chemically degrade this gasket tape and/or contribute to its extrusion, crushing and premature failure.
  5. Overlap the short end pieces by 1/4" on each long side piece, not a full overlap. One alternative method is to cut both end pieces out of 6" gasket tape, then overlap the long pieces by 1/4" on each side. Another alternative is to puzzle-cut the gasket tape at all corners.
  6. Do not over-torque header bolts!  Most 1/16" thick gasket tape applications call for 13 to 15 foot pounds of torque, evenly applied to 5/16" dia. bolts, spaced in a regular pattern of 1-1/2", or more between centers; 18 to 20 foot pounds for 1/8" thick gasket tapes. Notice: Somewhat less torque is suggested for larger diameter bolts and/or bolts that are spaced closer together than 1-1/4".
  7. Gasket tapes relax (lose some of their memory) so after 15 minutes, re-torque all the bolts using the original setting, as well as to insure that none were missed.
  8. Using new grade 5 bolts, flat washers, lock washers and nuts greatly optimizes running torque.
  9. Caution: On low-flow radiators where RTV is used to seal the baffle, allow sufficient time for the silicone to cure before introducing coolant into the radiator.
  10. Provide torque information (par 6 & 7) as necessary, to installers with a history of tightening header bolts.

 

INSTALLATION OF JOHNSON’S STANDARD GASKET TAPE

Johnson's Standard Gasket Tape may be difficult to air test in radiators due to tiny air leaks through its cloth backing. Tests show however, when this gasket tape is exposed to coolant (as in actual use), it forms a tight seal, with no field problems anticipated. For best results, please consider the following:

  1. Proper preparation of the tank and header surfaces before installing a new gasket or gasket tape is essential. Unless corrected, any damaged or irregular surfaces may make it impossible to form a tight tank-to-header seal.
  2. Remove backing and apply gasket tape to a clean, flat, dry header, not the tank flange. Do not buff or polish the header flange. Sand blasting the tank flange surface will help reduce the extrusion of gasket tape.
  3. Cut out all bolt holes. Never create the holes by punching or turning the bolts through this gasket tape.
  4. Do not apply a separate adhesive or RTV Silicone as it may chemically degrade this gasket tape and/or contribute to its extrusion, crushing and premature failure.
  5. Overlap the short end pieces by 1/4" on each long side piece, not a full overlap. One alternative method is to cut both end pieces out of 6" gasket tape, then overlap the long pieces by 1/4" on each side. another alternative is to puzzle-cut the gasket tape at all corners.
  6. Do not over-torque header bolts!  Most1/16" thick gasket tape applications call for 13 to 15 foot pounds of torque, evenly applied to 5/16" dia. bolts, spaced in a regular pattern of 1-1/2", or more between centers; 18 to 20 foot pounds for 1/8" thick gasket tapes. Notice: Somewhat less torque is suggested for larger diameter bolts and/or bolts that are spaced closer together than 1-1/4".
  7. Gasket tapes relax (lose some of their memory) so after 15 minutes, re-torque all the bolts using the original setting, as well as to insure that none were missed.
  8. Using new grade 5 bolts, flat washers, lock washers and nuts greatly optimizes running torque.
  9. Caution: On low-flow radiators where RTV is used to seal the baffle, allow sufficient time for the silicone to cure before introducing coolant into the radiator.
  10. Provide torque information (par 6 & 7) as necessary, to installers with a history of tightening header bolts.

 

JOHNSON'S LIMIT OF LIABILITY:

The information contained in this publication has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable and to represent the best information available to Johnson Manufacturing Company at time of printing. No warranty, guarantee or representation is made by Johnson Manufacturing Company, nor does Johnson Manufacturing Company assume any responsibility in connection therewithin; nor can it be assumed that all acceptable safety measures or other measures may not be required under particular, or exceptional conditions or circumstances.