that time i asked my mechanic if this manifold packing need to be changed? he said no... its ok to use the existing one. i bought most of the parts prior gasket job like water pump, timing belt, oil filter, gasket, tappet cover packing, distributor seal, distributor packing, spark plugs, manifold packing etc. but most of the parts been returned to the shop.
you are right that it looks like manifold packing but my mechanic is insisting for rings issue.
secondly, if it is a manifold gasket issue, does it change at a time? or take time?
thanks bro.