JohnnyMarlin wrote:
Hey friends,
1. anti-sieze compound on the mounting bolts?
This is definitely a good idea, dont use too much, just enough to maybe coat the threads.
2. any special thread sealant for fittings and sensors that screw into the castings?
I used teflon tape on the fittings/plugs, some people say not to use teflon.. But I use it everyday at work, so.. not a big deal. If you don't use teflon, definitely use some type of thread sealer.
3. are the thick paper gaskets that come with the risers OK to use? (the OEM gaskets were metal)
A lot of people use the paper/fiber gaskets (with, and w/o sealant), I went with genuine Volvo gaskets for the risers (the metal ones), and installed per instructions.
4. I was thinking of putting a small ball valve in the rear of the manifold for easy draining of the manifolds?
This is also a great idea, I was going to do this as well with my new manifolds and risers. However, I went with OEM stuff, and Volvo has new drain plugs on the center-bottom of the manifold that make it easy to drain, so i ended up not going the ball valve route.
5. do I use a gasket sealer on either the engine to manifold or the manifold to riser?
Do not use any sealer between the engine to manifold surfaces, just clean the surfaces up @ the engine, and the paint (if any) off the mating surfaces of the manifold. Install with new gasket, no sealant. As for the riser to manifold connection, my latest volvo penta instructions say install their gasket with NO sealant, but I have heard a few people talking about a later service bulletin from Volvo regarding using a small amount of sealant at this connection. Its really preference, I used no sealant on mine, and have no issues. The original risers were installed from the factory with no sealer, never leaked in the last 13+ years.
I would appreciate any pointers from any of you that have done manifolds/risers in the past.........
Depending on how much room you have in your engine compartment, if its tight and you'll be working alone, you can get a few longer studs (same thread) as the bolts holding the manifold on and pre-thread them into the engine, these studs will act as guides that you can slide the new manifold onto, then you can take your time tightening all the other bolts without having to hold a heavy manifold up the whole time, then unthread the studs, and replace with the proper bolts and call it good.
Thank you in advance for any info or advice you can provide.......
Let me know if you need anything else, I've been lurking on this forum for awhile (I'm pretty active on another boating forum), but I'd like to meet some new folk over here as well! 
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'99 Four Winns 240 Horizon 7.4Gi Volvo DP-S