>>>*As a general rule of thumb, any fastner that will be exposed to serious heat or moisture will benefit from antisieze. So spark plug threads, exhaust manifold bolts are the ones we apply that too.

Some folks will use a tiny amount of thread lock compound on the tensioner bolts, but any fastner that is properly torqued to specs and in good shape will NEVER come loose. The other concern is thread locking compounds rely on friction to work, and the result will be an inaccurate torque reading.

I would not agree on locking compound on critical fastners such as rod bolts or head bolts, far better to make sure the threads are clean and well oiled and get the number correct..

*For gasket removal, there is a special grease called "elbow"...*LOL**....we sometimes use a little penetrant such as CRC or WD-40 combined with a good non-flexible scraper blade. Look for one that you almost can't bend the blade, this saves on fingers. We keep the scrapers a bit on the dull side to feep from nicking metal..

The temptation is to reach for sanding discs but we don't use them in our shop, all will remove metal unless great care is used, even the ones that claim they won't......*EB