INTAKE GASKET MAIN PAGE, PLEASE POST Q'S&A'S HERE!

Thanks again. I got off the fuel rail and valve cover, but don't know what to do with th p/s pump. I removed the bolts, but it wont move anywhere. The maunal says to set pump "aside" and the hoses do not need to be disconnected, but it seems that unless they are, it wont move. What the hell does aside mean anyway? lol

Thanks again. I got off the fuel rail and valve cover, but don't know what to do with th p/s pump. I removed the bolts, but it wont move anywhere. The maunal says to set pump "aside" and the hoses do not need to be disconnected, but it seems that unless they are, it wont move. What the hell does aside mean anyway? lol

3 Bolts right? The pump has to lifted straight up about 2-3" then just push it towards the bug juice container there is plenty of flex in the hoses. The pump is basically wedged between the bracket and the intake manifold. If you have to pry on it gently make sure you pry on the pump body (Metal) and not the reservoir (Plastic). Did you already pull off the alternator (1 bolt in front you can see and 2 in back you can't 13mm) and the front accessory mounting bracket (3 bolts, inlcuding the 1 in the center of the tensioner pivot, took me awhile to figure that one needed to come out)? The bracket has to come off to get the rear valve cover off.

Sparky

Go to http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=372853&page=2&pp=15&highlight=overheating to see a picture and explanation of that motor mount.

Sparky,

Did you remove the heater pipe?? How did you remove the "quick connect" fitting? I don't see any tabs.
Thanks

Sparky,

Did you remove the heater pipe?? How did you remove the "quick connect" fitting? I don't see any tabs.
Thanks


If you disconnect the fuel lines, you should not need to remove the heater hose, although disconnecting both makes it a lot easier. There are two disconnect tabs on the heater hose, push them in and pull the bypass line forward, it will slide out, you may to twist a bit.

Sparky,

Did you remove the heater pipe?? How did you remove the "quick connect" fitting? I don't see any tabs.
Thanks

Hey WT69, The heater pipe going from the water pump to the heater plumbing on the firewall needs a little TLC. At the water pump end there is one bolt holding the black fitting in, pull the bolt and you can lift the pipe up, need to do this to get the front valve cover off, note: you get a new o-ring for the connection at the water pump with the intake gaskets set and the valve cover gasket set so you'll have a spare just in case. Then the heat pipe is attached to the bottom of the throttle body I think it is a 13mm, you have to remove the nut then you can disconnect the 2 hoses going to the throttle body. Just squeeze the clamps and move them towards the throttle body. The hose in the back curves 90 degrees so it is a little easier to get off, I inserted an awl between the rubber and metal to help loosen the hoses careful not to poke a hole in the hose. The connection to the heater is a quick connect, there are 2 little white tabs that you have to depress to release it, you have to squeeze the crap out of the tabs and then the tabs stay with the metal heater pipe and the plastic hose pulls off. The tabs are sticking out of the the black plastic closer to the throttle body.

Good luck,

Sparky

Thanks alot, I am finally finished taking apart and am now putting back together. Seems like forever since I've driven my car!! lol I am, however stuck trying to replace the fuel injector o rings. There is a sort of black cap above the ring, can that be removed?? The new ring will not fit over that cap, so I am stuck again.

Thanks alot, I am finally finished taking apart and am now putting back together. Seems like forever since I've driven my car!! lol I am, however stuck trying to replace the fuel injector o rings. There is a sort of black cap above the ring, can that be removed?? The new ring will not fit over that cap, so I am stuck again.

The new o-rings are rubber and quite flexible. You don't have to or want to take the caps off of the injectors. Gently stretch the new o-rings over the end of the injector, they won't break. When you are re-installing the injectors in the intake put some vasaline or even motor oil on the o-rings prior to installing them to keep them from distorting on the intake manifold. With the lube they slide in a lot easier than the come out.

Sparky

First of all, let me say, there's 21 pages of this topic, so I'll apologize right now if this has already been covered.
I had my intake gaskets on my '99 Chevy Venture replaced at 80,000 miles.
Now at 130,000 miles, they have failed again. My mechanic says that a metal intake gasket is now available. Is this a more reliable repair?
I hate to put more money ($524 the first time, estimated $556 this time) into this van, but I also am not crazy about having 5 years of payments on a new vehicle right now.
The tranny also has the infamous intermittant hard shifting, which is immediately remedied but shutting the engine off and restarting. And the power door and traction control no longer work.
BUT, its paid off. Bottom line, does the new metal gasket fro Fel Pro actually work?

Never mind, I had it repaired, again. This will be the last time.

First of all, let me say, there's 21 pages of this topic, so I'll apologize right now if this has already been covered.
I had my intake gaskets on my '99 Chevy Venture replaced at 80,000 miles.
Now at 130,000 miles, they have failed again. My mechanic says that a metal intake gasket is now available. Is this a more reliable repair?
I hate to put more money ($524 the first time, estimated $556 this time) into this van, but I also am not crazy about having 5 years of payments on a new vehicle right now.
The tranny also has the infamous intermittant hard shifting, which is immediately remedied but shutting the engine off and restarting. And the power door and traction control no longer work.
BUT, its paid off. Bottom line, does the new metal gasket fro Fel Pro actually work?

I can compltely relate to you I had my 1998 Montana head gasket replaced in 02/05 and the dealership stated it would last forever...They took the $1400 and ran...well now it's 2007 with 40000 more miles and it's gone again...I'm so fed up with this.. and as for the class action suit that is BS it has been going on for years now......Too Bad 60 minutes or 20/20 couldn't get involved I bet that would help:disappoin

I own a 98 Chevy Venture. One day when it was -8 degrees outside my van went redline. I took it in and had the thermostat replaced (wishful thinking) and soon as i drove away the temp gauge started dancing around. One mechanic suggested that the intake manifold gasket was bad and quoted me 1800.00, I checked for a second opinion and was told the same thing. neither mechanic even looked at the vehicle. he also quoted me 1800.00. In reading posts here I see that one of the symptoms of a leaking intake manifold gasket is coolant in the oil. I don't have this. My mechanic told me that air was being sucked into my cooling system, thus causing the jumping gauge (a third mechanic bled the cooling system and told me my guage was faulty). right now it just goes up and down, not redlining, but i stopped driving it for fear of overheating. Am I looking at a bad intake manifold gasket?

I own a 98 Chevy Venture. One day when it was -8 degrees outside my van went redline. I took it in and had the thermostat replaced (wishful thinking) and soon as i drove away the temp gauge started dancing around. One mechanic suggested that the intake manifold gasket was bad and quoted me 1800.00, I checked for a second opinion and was told the same thing. neither mechanic even looked at the vehicle. he also quoted me 1800.00. In reading posts here I see that one of the symptoms of a leaking intake manifold gasket is coolant in the oil. I don't have this. My mechanic told me that air was being sucked into my cooling system, thus causing the jumping gauge (a third mechanic bled the cooling system and told me my guage was faulty). right now it just goes up and down, not redlining, but i stopped driving it for fear of overheating. Am I looking at a bad intake manifold gasket?

Well first of all $1800 is way out of line for an IMG, parts are maybe $200 (I did my own for about $125 including spark plugs and wires) and a good mechanic should be able to do this job in 8-10 hours @ $80/Hr that's another $640 - $800 so no way it should be over a grand.

Symptoms of IMG are oil and coolant leaking out of engine especially around the end seals (by power steering pump on passenger's side and under thermostat housing on the driver's side), White goo in the radiator filler neck or on radiator cap, losing coolant or oil with no noticable external leakage, coolant in the oil and you may also see a black scum in the coolant reservior. There are probably other symptoms but this is the short list (anyone else want to jump in? My feelings won't be hurt!)

Most likely cause of dancing temp gauge is low coolant level and pulling air into the system, this may be due to IMG and it may not, best bet is to find a real mechanic unlike the 2 a-holes you already went to and have him do a pressure test and look for pressure loss. If there is a PSI loss diagnose as necessary, if not then find a mechanic that can vacuum fill system (pump system down to about 25"Hg then let vacuum pull coolant into system). The other thing at this point if you system has been low you may need to do a flush if your system has Dexcool, Dexcool and air makes Orange Jello which could be clogging your cooling system.

Good Luck, post back with what you find out.

Sparky

Well first of all $1800 is way out of line for an IMG, parts are maybe $200 (I did my own for about $125 including spark plugs and wires) and a good mechanic should be able to do this job in 8-10 hours @ $80/Hr that's another $640 - $800 so no way it should be over a grand.

Symptoms of IMG are oil and coolant leaking out of engine especially around the end seals (by power steering pump on passenger's side and under thermostat housing on the driver's side), White goo in the radiator filler neck or on radiator cap, losing coolant or oil with no noticable external leakage, coolant in the oil and you may also see a black scum in the coolant reservior. There are probably other symptoms but this is the short list (anyone else want to jump in? My feelings won't be hurt!)

Most likely cause of dancing temp gauge is low coolant level and pulling air into the system, this may be due to IMG and it may not, best bet is to find a real mechanic unlike the 2 a-holes you already went to and have him do a pressure test and look for pressure loss. If there is a PSI loss diagnose as necessary, if not then find a mechanic that can vacuum fill system (pump system down to about 25"Hg then let vacuum pull coolant into system). The other thing at this point if you system has been low you may need to do a flush if your system has Dexcool, Dexcool and air makes Orange Jello which could be clogging your cooling system.

Good Luck, post back with what you find out.

Sparky

Spark, I'm starting to have the same problem with the temp gage. Just replaced the IMGs and head gaskets, temp gage was perfect, didn't move once it warmed up to approx 165 degrees. This morning coming into work it started to fluctuate wildly.

When I did the gaskets there was orange sludge throughout the engine, I have not flushed the system, just added water to fill. How would you recommend flushing the system?

Spark, I'm starting to have the same problem with the temp gage. Just replaced the IMGs and head gaskets, temp gage was perfect, didn't move once it warmed up to approx 165 degrees. This morning coming into work it started to fluctuate wildly.

When I did the gaskets there was orange sludge throughout the engine, I have not flushed the system, just added water to fill. How would you recommend flushing the system?

Iceman, You get your system figured out. I have been on vacation and trying to catch up at work. You probably need to flush your cooling system and your engine (engine flush I have heard about is called Seafoam or something like that - there is a thread in the Blazer forum about engine flushing you may want to look there). You may have an air pocket in the cooling system which could be causing temp fluctuation. My Van occasionally will have the temp gauge moving around (1 or 2 lines past center line then 1 or 2 under center line) but never over heating.

Sparky

Hello, I like to thank everybody who posted all the helpful information on doing this intake gasket replacement job! I am now half way through with the front old intake manifold gasket out.

I do have some questions:
1. I know I should have a shop manual but haven't found it locally yet. Meanwhile, can somebody tell me the torque spec for rocket arm retaining bolts? I broke them loose at around 40 ft-lb.
2. While I'm seeing the cylinder head bolts, should I check the torque? What should they be?
3. When I detach the short metal pipe out from the thermostat housing, I broke a hard plastic piece at the tip of the pipe (between the metal fitting and the rubber 0-ring). Just wonder whether I can just get a replacement piece from the dealer or the local parts store.

Thanks,
Bob

Edit / follow up:
Great forum! I did some search and have found some answers:
1. Rocker arm bolts torque: First torque to 168 in-lb then torque an additional 30 degrees.
2. Head bolts torque: Torque to 37 ft-lb and then an additional 90 degrees. Head bolts are stretch bolts so I believe they should not be loosen and then re-torqued.

My efforts ended in failure, I am replacing the entire engine on my 1997. After several weekends and several hundred dollars I thought I'd done a great job, I failed to ensure all of the sludge was cleaned out of the oil system and the engine died from metal to metal contact as oil was not apparently flowing to the crankcase, believe the screen was clogged. Lesson learned - flush your oil system (hot) several times right after you change the head and/or intake gaskets, best indicator of this problem will be your mpg - on the 3.4L, you should be over 20, I was right around 15, I knew something was wrong but couldn't figure it out. Also, if you have any kind of metal to metal contact, your engine will warm up very quickly.

Could someone be so kind to tell me the most import things that i need while changing the intake.
e.g is the fuel pump o-ring Necessary to order.
Here in Europe the parts are way to expensive, so i want to order everything i Necessary need in the US. It will be a waste if something appears to be needed, and not ordered.

thanks

Could someone be so kind to tell me the most import things that i need while changing the intake.
e.g is the fuel pump o-ring Necessary to order.
Here in Europe the parts are way to expensive, so i want to order everything i Necessary need in the US. It will be a waste if something appears to be needed, and not ordered.

thanks

Hey OOge, The absolute minimum you need to do the job is the upper and lower gasket set, front coolant bypass tube to water pump o-ring (this comes with the lower gasket if you buy the Felpro gasket), valve cover gasket set and the EGR valve gasket. That being said I would also get the lower fuel injector o-ring set because when you pull the injectors out to get at the lower intake bolts you're pulling the o-rings over all that old aluminum corrosion, it's cheap insurance (Note: don't pull the injectors out of the fuel rail or disconnect the rail from the fuel hoses, just disconnect it from the lower intake and flip it over on top of the drivers side fender that way you won't have to replace those o-rings). You will also want to replace the o-ring for the heater pipe that goes into the thermistat housing, I could find this o-ring only at the Chevy dealership, none of the autoparts stores had it. In addition your going to want to replace the coolant and to do an oil change after you put it all back together.

The standard recommendations at this point is to replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, thermostat (and thermostat gasket), and the distributer plug o-ring (the aluminum plug under the thermistat where the distributor use to be plugged in before electronic distributorless ignition). Since you have to order parts from here you should assess that condition the air filter, serpentine belt, coolant bypass hose and the radiator hoses since all of those parts will have to come out to replace the IMG anyway.

Oh, one more thing....If you don't have a 10mm crowfoot wrench and inch pound torque wrench plan on picking those up too since you can't do the job with out them.

Good luck, hope this helps.

Sparky

Hey OOge, The absolute minimum you need to do the job is the upper and lower gasket set, front coolant bypass tube to water pump o-ring (this comes with the lower gasket if you buy the Felpro gasket), valve cover gasket set and the EGR valve gasket. That being said I would also get the lower fuel injector o-ring set because when you pull the injectors out to get at the lower intake bolts you're pulling the o-rings over all that old aluminum corrosion, it's cheap insurance (Note: don't pull the injectors out of the fuel rail or disconnect the rail from the fuel hoses, just disconnect it from the lower intake and flip it over on top of the drivers side fender that way you won't have to replace those o-rings). You will also want to replace the o-ring for the heater pipe that goes into the thermistat housing, I could find this o-ring only at the Chevy dealership, none of the autoparts stores had it. In addition your going to want to replace the coolant and to do an oil change after you put it all back together.

The standard recommendations at this point is to replace the spark plugs, spark plug wires, thermostat (and thermostat gasket), and the distributer plug o-ring (the aluminum plug under the thermistat where the distributor use to be plugged in before electronic distributorless ignition). Since you have to order parts from here you should assess that condition the air filter, serpentine belt, coolant bypass hose and the radiator hoses since all of those parts will have to come out to replace the IMG anyway.

Oh, one more thing....If you don't have a 10mm crowfoot wrench and inch pound torque wrench plan on picking those up too since you can't do the job with out them.

Good luck, hope this helps.

Sparky

Thanks, but assuming that a OEM GM intake manifold is a beter product, can you tell me the partnumber of the front coolant bypass tube to water pump o-ring. I can't find it.

Thanks, but assuming that a OEM GM intake manifold is a beter product, can you tell me the partnumber of the front coolant bypass tube to water pump o-ring. I can't find it.

Hey OOge,

I tried some of my favorite place to look for parts (like gmpartsdirect.com and rockauto.com) and I couldn't find it either. Here is a picture of the cooling components:


http://i12.tinypic.com/5zpxvsz.gif

The O-ring is on the bypass pipe (number 18), right below the bleeder screw which is number 19. Maybe you can take this picture to a parts place and find out the part number of the o-ring.

Hope this helps.

Sparky

Hey OOge,

I tried some of my favorite place to look for parts (like gmpartsdirect.com and rockauto.com) and I couldn't find it either. Here is a picture of the cooling......

Sparky

Thanks for all the help.
I've made a list at gm-auto-parts.com (they ship worldwide with USPS) and find the following things.

Part Number: 89017279 Fuel system - Fuel induction - Intake - Manifold gasket Manifold gasket, 3.4l 1997 - 2003
Part Number: 24506439 Emission system - Egr system - Valve gasket Valve gasket, 3.4l 1996
Part Number: 10241048 Emission system - Emission components - Egr tube - Gasket 3.1 liter 1996
Part Number: 10189205 Cooling - Radiator and components - Pipe - Seal Seal - 3.1 liter 1995 - 1999
Part Number: 10154775 Engine - Cylinder head & valves - Valve cover gasket Valve cover gasket, all models - 3.4l 1997 - 2005
Part Number: 17113544 Fuel system - Fuel induction - Fuel injection - Seal kit Seal kit, mpfi w/turbo, syclone, typhoon 1992 - 1993
Part Number: 17113034 SEAL KIT
Part Number: 11609991 BOLT Part number 11588914 was superceded by part number 11609991.
Part Number: 11588915 BOLT

Did i forgot something. With exception of the filters.

Hello everyone, AF newbie here. I have a 98 Venture, with 192,000 miles. It's gasket time (at least I hope that's the extent of my van's issues). I have read every page of this thread, and the amount of detailed information based on real experience by 'the average home mechanic' has inspired me to take on the seemingly beastly task of replacing my IMG and head gaskets.
A quick background summary:
- I am the 2nd owner of this van (my MIL/FIL bought it new). I purchased it about 11 months ago, and have driven it approximately 11,000 miles. It has never had the IMG or head gaskets replaced. For that matter, this Venture's still running on factory plugs and plug wires (my in-laws never had it tuned up because "it always ran good.")
- Big problems started a few weeks ago, when my wife informed me she got a CEL, and the van 'ran rough' while she was in town one day. She said no gauges or dummy lights indicated any trouble, only the CEL and idle that was noticeably rougher than usual.
- That evening, I was going to take the van to Autozone to have the DTC pulled. Cold start, then 2 miles down the highway, then redline on the temp gauge and dummy light on for overheat. Stopped the van immediately, checked the upper radiator hose - still cold, not pressurized, and cooling fans not running. No coolant had entered the overflow reservoir, and the radiator cap was cool to the touch.
- Drove the van 2 more miles to my Dad's shop, parked, checked under the hood while idling. Upper radiator hose had heated up and pressurized, cooling fan was running, radiator cap hot. Temp gauge fluctuating from normal reading to top end of normal range. This was the first time that ever happened with this vehicle...temperature had always topped out about a third of the way into the normal range then stayed there.
- Since then, I have replaced:
Coolant Temperature Sensor, Thermostat, Water Pump, Flushed Coolant System and filled with new Dexcool. After all of that, temperature gauge actually read worse - would go to near the red, and park there.
- Made appt with reputable local dealer for diagnosis, as the gauge checked out OK per the check Haynes manual prescribes.
- Started van to drive to dealer, and ran very rough, and a tremendous amount of white smoke billowing from the exhaust. Flashing CEL. Idled very rough, and significant hesitation at takeoff.
- Drove approx 5 miles (highway), in the next town, it died at a stoplight. Restarted only with a lot of pedal while cranking, then wouldn't get over 20 mph. Pulled over immediately, had it towed the rest of the way to the dealer.
- Dealer pulled valve cover, and definite coolant mixed with oil (the infamous milkshake / jelly situation.
- Dealer determined much coolant entering #6 cylinder.
- Dealer took intake manifold loose to inspect gasket, said IMG actually in pretty good shape. Told me they're certain bad HG or cracked head.
- Now I have it back, ready to take this puppy on and avoid the approx $1,000 estimate to replace both head gaskets and IMG.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to provide plenty of detail on what's happening with this van, as this is my 'introductory post' so to speak.

So, procedure-wise, I'm sure I'll be back with questions here and there, but everything appears to be pretty straightforward so far. I just have 2 questions off the top:

1. Does anyone have or know of any pictures of the engine rotated forward (preferably a pic that included the rad support / cooling fan area, to provide me with some guideline on how far to rotate). I would also be interested in seeing some pics of how the rotation was done and the engine secured, as the most detailed posts I have read on this operation refer to using an engine hoist to tie off to, which I do not have at my disposal right now.

2. Once the rear head is loose and ready to remove, how is the clearance? What can I expect there?

I'm nervous as can be about this, as the guys at the dealer service shop told the wrecker driver to tell whoever was doing the work 'good luck.'

Thanks in advance for any input or guidance you can provide.


Andy

Is anyone with experience R&R heads on these vans still monitoring this thread? I apologize for coming across as a little antsy; I'm just targeting getting the heads off of this 3400 this weekend, and it would be great to know that there are folks with knowledge I can draw on as I dive into this project.

Thank you so much for any knowledge and insight you can provide. Have a good one!

Andy

1. Does anyone have or know of any pictures of the engine rotated forward (preferably a pic that included the rad support / cooling fan area, to provide me with some guideline on how far to rotate). I would also be interested in seeing some pics of how the rotation was done and the engine secured, as the most detailed posts I have read on this operation refer to using an engine hoist to tie off to, which I do not have at my disposal right now.

Andy

I did the LIMG on mine this past summer. I used a wratchet tie-down to rotate the engine. Hook it from the bracket on the engine, across the front bumper, then loop it to the crossmember on the engine cradle underneath. Rotate it as much as you need - it'll go pretty far.

Well, I'm about to join the club. After getting a pressure test and estimate , my guy can't get to it right away so I'll do i tmyself. Hopefuly is just the gaskets.

A Chevy dealer did this job in 2002 with 34,000 miles and now it has 100,000 and I keep adding a quart of water every month.

I'll do plugs, wires, gaskets and whatever else needs done. I read nearly every page of this thread, very helpful. Thanks.

I pulled my engine forward by hand and used multiple bugee cords to tie it forward. It's pretty easy, I wish I'd done it a lot earlier.

Here's the latest GM gaskets for intakes with upper, lower, and bolts.

19169127 kit was cheaper than aftermarket (and includes bolts)

The question is do I use the sealing washers for the 4 long bolts that seal vacuum?

The new bolts in addition to haveing loctite also have a white sealing substance under the boltheads.

I'm inclined to think not to use the washers , what you all think?

Here's the latest GM gaskets for intakes with upper, lower, and bolts.
19169127 kit was cheaper than aftermarket (and includes bolts)

Excellent information! I wasn't aware that this was available. I like the idea of the "kit" as it also contains the bolts. Many people elect to not get the new bolts per GM's TSB recommendation. Now it's all included in one handy package.

I pulled my engine forward by hand and used multiple bugee cords to tie it forward. It's pretty easy, I wish I'd done it a lot earlier.

Here's the latest GM gaskets for intakes with upper, lower, and bolts.

19169127 kit was cheaper than aftermarket (and includes bolts)

The question is do I use the sealing washers for the 4 long bolts that seal vacuum?

The new bolts in addition to haveing loctite also have a white sealing substance under the boltheads.

I'm inclined to think not to use the washers , what you all think?

Hey, The 4 center bolts don't actually seal manifold vacuum they kind of go through free space under the manifold into the lifter valley. I would install the gaskets since it acts as a seal for the negative pressure inside the engine from the PCV valve. I seem to recall that the original equipment center bolts had some kind of seal under the bolt head also.

Good luck,
Sparky

The four bolts have a sealant, I decided to not use the old seals. The bolts "pass thru" manifold vaccum so if the bolt heads leak then it sucks air. After they wer tightend it was very evidant that the sealer is put on there for a reason. Looks good, I'm almost done with mine and do recommend the GM intake kit.

After doing this whole job, I kick myself in the butt and highly recommend one to simply tighten at least the outer 4 bolts (in my case it would've fixed the problem) I should've guessed it when I heard that the "bolts come loose" anyways, mine wasn't too late to catch it in time.

Two things also come to mind after seeing things:
The machine job on the intake is terrible with a terrible steps, finish, and hopefully the angle is correct. If I had to do it again I'd get a very light pass done on a grinder as the smooth surface would probably be far more forgiving with metals sliding up against the gasket. The head surface and uper intake wasn't nearly as bad a milling job.

The second thing is the design with in effect 1 bolt per 5 ports is bound to give more trouble than a design with 2 effective bolts per port. The 4 middle bolts help somewhat and probably do more to control flex than anything else. I'm surpised it does as good as it did.

An engineering marvel that went slightly off kilter, lol.

Well, this job turned out to be quite enjoyable really. It isn't particularly difficult, but there's a lot to it just to replace intake gaskets. I'm proud of myself cuz I didn't break one tool or part.

A surprisingly low amount of tools are required for such a lot of parts removal. Couple of nice drops of tools down on stuff, and No, I don't want to do it again. lol. Only reason I did it was becuase my mechanic couldn't get to it for over a month and I had a weeks vacation.



Any body know where I could get just the rubber elbow on top of the pcv?

I can either buy the "3 tube set" with elbow or use an older 90 degree pcv and a piece of hose between the two. I'd rather just find an elbow.

Hey 534BC, Look up PCV Tube on GMpartsdirect.com in the 2001 Chevy Venture section of the alternate part catalog and you'll find the whole tube assembly is less than $5 plus shipping.

Hope this is what you're looking for.

Sparky

That looks like the one, I used an older style pcv valve with 90 on it and a legnth of hose for now.

why do you have to remove the pushrods?

They are run "thru" the gaskets. Behind the bottoms of the gaskets. You can cut the old ones out easy enough and if you wanted to cut the new ones you can install them without removeing pushrods. I recommend removing pushrods instead.

Question: Now that I have the engine well apart, would it benefit me if I drill and tap a 1/8 inch NPT hole in the thermostat housing? I would install a short pipe nipple in it and a stop-cock to bleed the air bubble BEFORE the thermostat. The standard bleeder is in the thermostat exit line and is well below the uppermost part of coolant flow. Air stratifies to the upper most part of the coolant system.

On the left side (front of engine) passenger side there's a bleeder just like the other one that is before the stat.

I called the local dealership and the tech said not to open it because it just sucks air into the system

Open it with engine running.

I was told my 2002 Venture had a leak in the intake gasket at 57K in March 07 and it would cost $900 to repair. Thanks to this message board, I was able to negotiate a free "goodwill" repair at the Dealership yesterday. The service manager balked at first and said nothing he could do since it was out of warranty at 36mi. I referenced the Service Bulletin from Mar 03 and said but you knew the part was faulty before my warranty expired and never told me. The part is faulty. This is not normal wear and tear. I wanted the part replaced free. He said well you need to talk to GM. I said I had called the GM consumer department and was referred back to the dealer. So let's call them togehter and ask for a goodwill credit. He glanced over at my fat folder of organized receipts that showed I was a loyal service customer that had already spent $2400 on repairs to this car (A/C condensor replaced, 2 lower control arm bushings, ..) He approved the repair. I did go ahead a get my transmission flushed per the recommendations on this board.

Hello all, I'm new to the forum. I have a 97 Venture, intake gaskets replaced by dealer at 40K, in 2001. Got it done for $200 goodwill since every RO at the dealer ship had loss of coolent listed. Anyway I have started the task this time myself with milage at 112K. Currently I'm stuck at removing the ignition modules, front two bolts no problem, even with the engine rolled forward I cannot get a socket on the back bolts. Are they the same size? Are they vertical from the engine or hoizontal? The diagram looks like they should be the same as the fronts, but I'm not having any luck.

Any help would be appreciated...

Hi, Welcome. Yes they are same size and I think on a step lower plane as the front ones. They make a rectangular bolt pattern with the front ones.

Much harder to reach, it's possibe to bend the coil pack out of the way some.

Thanks 534BC, I have a date this afternoon with my Venture. boy what a way to spent my new years eve

Thanks again, I'll let you know how I made out.

534BC, one additional question. Can you get a socket on them? It appears that they are too close to the bracket to allow the socket to drop down.

CREWZN, when I initially thought I couldn't get a socket on them, I tried a stubby wrench, but that didn't work because the thickness of my wrench was greater than the clearance between the bolt heads and the bracket. Long story short, I went back to the socket, and decided to try a very long extension (the longest 3/8 drive I had) and it put me at just the right angle to get at them. Removal of the bolts wasn't too bad once I found the right length extension and approach angle. I hope it works out for you; I cussed that design for quite a while before I got it figured out.

Thanks for the update, I'm in the process now. I'll let you know how I make out... I gotta say, GM appears to have packed a lot of stuff in a very small area.

hello all, I hope someone can help. I finished the job, with GM kit including the new bolts. All new plugs, wires themostat etc. when the job was done, engine started first crank and ran just perfect. I took a short trip and engine ran fine no leaks no noise.
After about 45 minutes of running as I was driving the van at about 50 mph and I got a smell of something burning and immediately it began to miss fire and the dash service engine soon light began flashing. I got the van home and thought maybe one of the line going to the module pack landed on the exhause manifold. I did find the two wire connector that is plugged into the right side back of the ignition modules was burned though and I though I found the problem. Even after I fixed this problem I still have miss in the engine and it appears it could be something mechanical. I had the code read and it is cylinder 4 missfire. At first I checked the wires etc but now I'm thinking somehow when the wire burned thought it forced an ignition fire at the wrong time and could have done some internal damage? Any ideas of what could have caused this running great to problems so quickly would be much appreciated.

crewzn

Maybe some more details or a new thread. It sounds like you got the job done just fine and has nothing to do with intake leak anymore.

I think checking for spark on all coils would be first thing I did. I can't remember if they are mounted to a "module" ? If so then maybe that module or one coil is ruined ?

Thanks for the reply 534BC, I think the fact that the crank sensor line had shorted out and on the exhaust manifold it did some internal damage to the number 4 cylinder. Lots of metalic noise, guess the next step will be to pull it apart again and see if I can see anything there. I just wondered if this ever happened to anyone else while the engine was running. I have never heard of a problem like this but I cannot explain it otherwise.

Anyone try the Dorman 615-200 kit?

I used the GM kit with the bolts, actually cheaper than the felpro I looked first.

I ordered the Dorman 615-200 from Amazon last week. It was $34.83 with free shipping.

When I got the package, the box says 615-205 on it. My receipt says "615-205 replaces 615-200 according to the manufacturer." I did some searching, and it looks like that is true. That kit is nearly $60 on the internet, too.

I just looked on amazon.com, and the kit i ordered from Amazon is now listed as out of stock.

The lower intake gaskets are metal and have a "V" on them. I'm guessing they were made by Victor ???

Hey I just got my Intake gskt replaced for $92 and a friend did for $200 here in KC. Here is my thread
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=885584

Hello all- Long time reader, first time posting. I own a 99 Mailibu with the M code 3.1. Of course the LIM gasket is leaking, second time. First gasket replacement used Fel-Pro gaskets. After reading all 24 pages here and numerous pages elsewhere (gasp), I just have a few questions.... 1. Is the GM gasket number 19169127 appropriate for the M-code engines (non-roller rocker engines, i believe)? 2. I've found a few refences to part numbers and I want to replace all gaskets/o-rings/etc. whilst i'm there. Could someone point me in the right direction for correct part numbers. Have seen part names mentioned here and there, but just want to double check the #s while i'm at it. Thanks for your help. Wish me luck.

Ok just an update from GM Part #19169127 is still an vaid part, This is the complete IMG set with bolts, cost is $126.50 Canadian. Most GM dealers have it in stock. Local garage has quoted me $600.00 to do the IGM with parts.

I have an 2001 venture with 3.4 litre, 248639 km's on it, Just needing the IMG now, Oil has changed to an choclete brown and tacky, with over heat.

I have also entered into the canadian class action law suit. Even though it will take some time to get the action resolved, I would tell everyone to put thier name in.

I have also entered into the canadian class action law suit. Even though it will take some time to get the action resolved, I would tell everyone to put thier name in.
Not to be discouraging, but the more people who join a class action lawsuit the less money you will get at the end of the case.(And that's after the lawyers take their hefty chunk under the heading of "legal fees":eek: :frown:

Not to be discouraging, but the more people who join a class action lawsuit the less money you will get at the end of the case.(And that's after the lawyers take their hefty chunk under the heading of "legal fees":eek: :frown:

Ya I know but at least it give some satifaction. GM should have done an recall an just fix them..

Hey Gang, Long time since I've been on the forum, however I received an email today about the settlement of the U.S. class action law suit. Go to this web site for more information:

http://www.girardgibbs.com/dexcool.html

Looks like GM finally caved and settled, the settlement isn't great for the people who paid the full price of having someone do the repair for them but us DIYfer's will probably recover the parts cost assuming you kept all of the receipts and other necessary documents.

I haven't filled out the forms yet, but I plan to do so soon.

Good luck

Sparky

Looks like GM finally caved and settled, the settlement isn't great for the people who paid the full price of having someone do the repair for them but us DIYfer's will probably recover the parts cost assuming you kept all of the receipts and other necessary documents.
Sparky
Actually, I think the ones who paid a garage to do the work might make out better than the DIYer in this case. Reading through all the "lawyer speak" on the proposed settlement, the amount of "refund" going back to the owner is roughly 40% of the total cost of th repair, IF other criteria are met. This includes the time elapsed between the original purchase date and the date of repair,( the amount of "rebate declines in total as the time period gets longer.)Also if you spent over $1500 on the repair and can document it you might be eligible for up to $800, if it was under then the amount drops to $400. I don't believe the average DIYer can include labor charges in their submission, only for parts which can average around $200 or so depending on what you purchased. That is probably why it is stated in the settlement you may be eligible for "$50 on up to $800 for the repair, with $50 the probable payout to many DIYers.

Does anyone know what the proper torque for the valves are? I did the job but I've found that the valves are out of whack! I torqued the valves to 124 inch lbs. I've seen a few different torques and wasn't sure what the proper torque was?