Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement
Reply #1 –
Have you ever done anything like this before?You'll need the gasket set (of course),a tube of Permatex,oil and a filter.It's a good time to swap the valve cover gaskets and thermostat while you're at it if they need to be changed,otherwise,leave them alone.I leave the distributor as-is in the engine.The intake will come off without moving it.
There's a lot of little steps.It'll take longer to type it all up than to do the job.
TAKE YOUR TIME AND DO IT RIGHT>>>>>>>>>
-Remove the upper intake (6 bolts...there are two under the top cover plate)
-remove the hoses to the upper intake (be careful with the hoses to the heater core !!!)
-Unplug the harness and all of the connectors and move them up to the cowl out of the way
-Unbolt the fuel rail from the lower after pushing the schrader valve and releasing the fuel pressure (fuel may spray)
-unbolt the fuel rail from the passenger side of the block
-cover the fender with something like an old blanket and gently pull the fuel rail over to the fender
-unbolt whatever bracket supports you may have going to the lower intake (all of mine are long gone)
-unbolt the lower intake making sure you get all of the bolts and an extra nut where the water pipe is bolted down
-pry up on the lower intake and lift it off of the engine....lift the back up first,and pull it up and away from the distributor and set it aside
-clean the head and block surfaces very well and keep a towel or something in the valley of the block to keep from falling into the block
-Clean the mating surfaces of the lower intake very well and clean off the oily areas.Smooth and dry surfaces are good.
-This part is different for different people...I put a very thin coat of sealant around the water ports on the heads and lower intake before I install the gaskets....some don't.I've never had a leak.Others leave the gaskets dry and also have very good results
-I use a nice thick bead of black sealant on the block front and back instead of the gaskets because I've had the gaskets squeeze out an a couple of occasions.
-Let the sealant set up for a few minutes,then,carefully set the lower intake into place (after removing the towel and from the lifter valley).
-start the intake bolts by hand and then torque the bolts down in the specified sequence (I'll try to grab that info)
-Once all of the intake bolts are tightened correctly,reverse the process and re-install everything back where it came from.Triple check the vacuum lines.Leaks are very common (vacuum leaks) after an intake swap or gasket change.If you have any cracked or bad hoses,replace them.Don't cheap out.Do it right the first time.
-drain the oil and add new oil and filter.Remember to re-install the drain plugs.
-check the water lever in the radiator
-check again that all clamps and hoses are tight and as they should be,fasteners are all accounted for and installed
-once you're comfortable with everything,start the car and check it out.
If I missed anything,hopefully a fellow member will chime in.I'm swapping gaskets for you at the computer desk.It's a little different than looking at the engine.