^^ the answer is NO grease. turns out to be just as much a bitch to put on as to take off. lining up the recirc hard pipes to the turbo inlet pipes while lowering onto the studs and horizontally onto the MAF seat housing is not fun. of course im dodging all sorts of other lines in the process.
UPDATE: and I'm still at it. The rage is starting to come back with this car. I am really at the limit of patience. Its nearly impossible to line up the MAF housing horizontal guides while also lining up the secondair air pump hard lines let alone the studs on the manifold. I GIVE UP. PLEASE GIVE ME A MAGIC TIP!