SR20DET intake gasket sealant? Huge ports ahead!

[Seraphim38]

I have an extensively built SR20DET with a Greddy intake manifold and ported head. It uses a phenolic spacer as a gasket, since the intake manifold, gasket and head are all port matched. Recently I found that the first intake runner had a broken stud, so I extracted it, cleaned the phenolic spacer, and re-mounted it using red high-tack gasket spray.

I bought ARP M8 x 1.25 studs but they turned out to be too short to work with a Greddy intake manifold and phenolic spacer.

With the idle set at 900, it idles at around 1300 RPM due to a small leak around the bottom side of the first intake runner.

The engine has less than 2k miles since being built with all brand new components.

One suggestion was to use some Honda sealant or something, with no phenolic spacer or gasket and bolt the intake directly to the head after cleaning both surfaces with brake cleaner.

Suggestions?

Pictures -

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/seraphim38/240sx/20140201_181542_zps0c1a70ca.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/seraphim38/240sx/20140201_181259_zpsc7e71950.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/seraphim38/240sx/20140201_181308_zpsa936da18.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/seraphim38/240sx/20140201_181253_zps8499eb40.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/seraphim38/240sx/20140201_181546_zpsfa1488d3.jpg

[jr_ss]

I think a small amount of RTV around the port outside edge would be fine. A lot of people use it for exhaust manifolds.

[Seraphim38]

FYI to all, I re-mounted the intake manifold without the phenolic spacer and used Hondabond HT. That stuff is awesome. I just used too much since I have never used it before, and it got squeezed out from between the manifold and the head, which left a small seam on the outside of the manifold and inside the intake runners.