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

As many others have been drawn here due to problems, so have I.
I am now at the point where I need to make a decision...

Felpro or OEM?

I'm going to use Felpro head bolts (since i'm doing my heads as well), but i'm not sure about the gasket sets... the felpro set is about 240 CAD, and OEM's are $320ish...

I don't mind paying the extra, but need to know which is better.

By the way, my antifreeze going missing, turned into an overheating problem, which is a confirmed head gasket problem, not the intake manifold... it was replaced in 2003, and was still ok from what I could tell.

I need some experience on this one, if OEM's are better, i'll get OEM, if felpro are just as good... even better for me, but I DON'T want to do this job again anytime soon...

Thanks!

I've seem some good comments on this site lately from members who have used the Fel Pro sets. Also there seems to be fewer issues and comebacks in those garages that have used the Fel Pros over the OEMs. Have you checked the prices on www.rockauto.com ? The head gasket and intake manifold gasket sets runs about $170 total.

Personal experience. Use FELPRO.

For LIM gasket:
Felpro has 2 kits, one uses metal and one uses plastic. The Metal one is the Felpro Pro kit and it is the better one. Costs around $80 and you will have to get the bolt kit separately.

I used felpro for head gasket and bolt kit as well.

can anyone e-mail me the instuctions on the procedure for the intake manifold gasket? I have the book but any additional help will be appreciated.

I have a 2002 Venture, leaking antifreeze from somewhere, i assume after reading all the posts its the intake manifold, been loosing fluid for a year and could never find out from where, now its bad and out of warentee, funny how that happens!

thanks

chris

[email protected]

Chris,

Look here for a very good tutorial on replacing LIM Gasket:

http://www.d-tips.com/General/Articl...sket/art10.art

Also buy this tool:

http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1...d_remover.html

Cheap at twice the price.
It is definitely a time saver, somewhere there is a video on this tool but you don't need the video to figure out how to use it. I wish I knew about the tool when I did my LIMG.

Good luck,

Sparky

This thread is a fantastic read for folks headed toward this repair for the first time. But I have a couple quick questions:

1) I'm leaning towards the Permadry Felpro gasket, what are the torque specs for the bolts with that gasket? Are they the same as in the service for the updated OEM gasket?

2) New bolts re-use bolts with pipe dope? Is the only reason to go with new bolts for the pre-applied sealant?

Thanks in advance...
Tim

2) My new bolts came with loctite , there's no need for sealant.

I'm guessing the old bolts cleaned and loctited would work as well as the new bolts.

In fact it is time to recheck the tork on my bolts , I can't help but wonder how many gasket jobs could have been avoided if the loose bolts were either retightened or removed one at a time and loctited and tightened.

Ok, Started the LIM project at 7 am this morning and quit at 5pm.

I'm to the point of reassembling everthing. I rotated the engine back and forth a couple of times depending whether I was working on the front or back. I have water pump out and ready to reassemble. i had to stop because I realized that I did not have any sealant for the water pump.

My question relates to the LIM gasket. I opted for the fel pro - metal. It came with a small bottle of permitec. I am assuming this is for all the rubber areas on the new gasket. My neighbor who has done countless of these projects (automechanic) told me to use right stuff - I think it's a permatick product.

do I spread this stuff from valve cover to valve cover? This project had been done by the dealer at 50K - I now have 125k and it look like the leaks were along the bottom of the LIM - not up the sides, although one of sides did appear to be cracked, but that might have happend while I was removing. There was some sort of sealent on the bottom and it look like it went up both sides of the LIM. I

I'm heading out in the am to get the water pump sealent and a new batter. The current batter is 9 years old and I guess I should just replace it while I have it out.

Once I'm done, I post a complete comment on the project. I will say I was glad I decided to replace the fuel injector o-rings from the start. They were cheap and the old ones were definately worn.

If I understand , you should use the black silicone at the ends of the block/intake meeting. The gaskets seal the head/intake.

It is the two S shaped rails, heap at least a 1/4" bead there and allow it to skin before assembly.

Your job seems similar to mine where the dealer did it at 36,000 and I redid it at 100,000 miles. I also replaced my 5-6 year old battery. Yours couldn't have had much life left. Good job.

Ok, After about 24 hours of time, I have the car back together. Start her up, and I smell gas. :crying: I can see it coming out of the rear fuel rail - where ther 1/4 tube goes into the fitting. I thought I tightend up. Is it possible that I over tightend it? Do I need to use teflon tape? Is there a tool that will fit in there without having to disassemble the upper manifold?

Is that the one with the o-ring ? Maybe it got sliced when inserting it into the very sharp aluminum fitting. I think it is underneath and the top would have to come off.

Your job seems similar to mine where the dealer did it at 36,000 and I redid it at 100,000 miles. I also replaced my 5-6 year old battery. Yours couldn't have had much life left. Good job.
If it was an OEM A C Delco, I'm not surprised. I've had them go longer than 10 years on some occasions and at least 7 or 8 on the rest. It got to the point that these are the only batteries I buy for my vehicles because of their longevity. My friends and associates also report the similar results.

No, The front has the o-ring - and i replaced that. The rear has screws into the fuel rail - it has the 1/4 in metal tube which goes into a 13mm fitting - must have a flange on it. I thought I tighted it pretty tight, but it's leaking where the tube goes into the fitting, not where the fitting screws into fuel rail.

After you remove it check for an o-ring on the 1/4 inch tubing. Usually they have a crimp with an o-ring in front. This allows for a minor amount of flex as the engine moves. I haven't worked on this vehicle but this is how some other ones work.

Alright, time to put my hat in the ring and go down as another who has done this repair himself. Although I have a '99 Olds Silhouette, and although I realize this is the Venture forum, I think it should be very similar.

Quite frankly I'm a little nervous about this job, but I really, really don't feel like shelling out the $600-800 in labor I've gotten quotes on. I'd much rather spend my money on fun stuff. I'm a fairly experienced DIY mechanic, as I've repaired head gaskets, other various engine parts, intake and exhaust gaskets (on "normal" cars), brakes & wheel cylinders, among other things. I've also had an engine torn down to the point where I have had push-rods out & lying on the floor. I'm self-taught, trained all from books, but don't have anyone else out there that can back me up, other than a professional mechanic. So, with that in mind...

1. Felpro or OEM gaskets? I see both opinions out there. I'm tempted to go OEM since they sell it as a package set and include the bolts. I'd have to itemize everything at the local parts store.

2. When rotating the engine, is there pressure on it to return it to its original position?

3. When it calls for RTV sealant, are we talking about the regular, black high-temp kind? (I think it's high-temp, right?)


I'm so sick of my van that I'm just about ready to drive it off of a cliff. I really like a lot of things about it, but man, the laundry list of things happening is just annoying. The A/C compressor blew two years ago ($1200 to repair and clean out debris from both front & rear air, and replace compressor) and now it's got a freon leak. The automatic power door quite often rebounds and won't close. Many times it pops open sounding like it's going to rip the latch off. A stupid little plastic tab broke in the power window switch, rendering it faulty. The wheel cylinders leaked (replaced) and the brakes are still a bit soft...:banghead:

Alright, just had to get that off my chest. Back to the manifold gasket...I've got a good 18 hours available, easy, given that I've got an upcoming 3-day weekend. I should be able to get it done

I just did this repair on my mother's 01 Alero. It took me one day to tear down and label the parts, one day to clean all of the oil/dexcool goo from the lower manifold, valve covers, engine valley etc; and one day to reassemble.

I went with the FEL-PRO kit for my application. This LIM gasket was made of metal and had rubber molded material around the intake openings and on the end pieces. I got it at rockauto.com and paid $15 less then the locally available ones at Autozone. The kit comes with a small tube of RTV. I bought a tube of Ultra Black RTV as a reserve because I fashioned and applied a small piece of thin gasket material, sandwiched between the RTV, to the end ridges as an extra measure. The LIM seated normally and the gasket material stayed in place with no problems. I choose to reuse the original LIM bolts; however, I cleaned them real well with lacquar thinner/ wire brush and placed blue thread locker on them before installation.

Make sure to get RTV up under the gaskets at the end ridges, and apply a generous bead along the end ridges as well.

I replaced the fuel rail o-rings that are notorious for popping-out or shreadding upon removal.

Replaced the plugs/wires and added a 180 degree thermostat. I also replaced the oil drive shaft o-ring and placed a distibutor gasket for overkill.

Bleed the coolant system real well to remove the air that may get trapped during the refill before initial start-up.

In conclusion, the car started on the first try with adequate oil pressure and no fluctuations at the temp. guage. The three quotes I received from authorized GM dealers in my area averaged $875 just for the LIM repair. Total cost for my DIY job was approximately $250. Goodd luck!

How many hours did you put in, zeta4?

For everyone that has had trouble with the intake gasket the GM dexcool class action settlement may help pick up the tab.
Good Luck

http://www.girardgibbs.com/news.asp

http://www.dexcoolsettlement.com/

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2008/03/gm-pays-out-for.html

How many hours did you put in, zeta4?

The first day I put in about 8 to 10 hours only because it took some time to properly label all the electrical/vacuum connections. This was the first, and I hope only, time I wanted to endeavor on this project so I was real anal about marking everything. This paid off as a time saver too when it came time to reconstruct.

Second day took aproximately 6 hours. Make sure to clean ALL of the gasket mating surfaces. I used lacquer thinner, it cuts oil real well. I placed alot of clean rags in the engine valley to prevent any debris from falling down into the crankcase. Good thing I did, because when I removed the pushrods with the Lisle tool and went to remove the old GM gaskets, they literally crumbled as I attempted to remove them. After everything was cleaned, I performed a trial run so that I would be able to see how the LIM seated with the new FEL-PRO gaskets. Make sure the tabs on the gaskets seat into the matching holes on the head before final assembly.

Started fresh on the third day and put about 8 hours in. In my case, I got everything together; however, I did not start the car until the next day. It was late on a Saturday and I wanted to let the RTV/locktite cure until the next morning. I took the time to make sure all connections and fluids had been taken care of correctly. I primed the fuel system/checked for leaks a few times by turning on the ignition for a few seconds as well. The new fuel o-rings looked to have sealed Okay.

The car started up on the first try the next morning. It ran a little rough for the first 30-60 seconds; however, the oil pressure was good and the temp. guage never went over the halfway mark, so I knew that I got most of the air out of the coolant system when I refilled it with 50/50 dexcool.

No leaks thus far, and the car runs noticably better!:grinyes:

For everyone that has had trouble with the intake gasket the GM dexcool class action settlement may help pick up the tab.
Good Luck

Not quite :lol:
Depending upon certain criteria, ( when it was performed, and the amount you actually paid,) the amount of "refund" isn't a lot. Most cases you'll see up to $400, or up to $800 if you paid more than $1500 and can recover up to 40%. The least amount is $50. Many of us have done the repair ourselves and will probably qualify for an amount at the lower end of the reimbursement scale, whereas those who paid a dealer or independent garage to do the work will see more.

Well,

I'm almost there. The fuel leak was due to the o-ring. It's 6:30am memorial day weekend, and I'm leaving shortly to get the ring. NO local dealer or parts store had the ring. At least it's only going to take me an hour drive (one way). For as many jobs as dealers due, I can't believe no-one local - had an o-ring for the rail.

Anyway. I should be done by lunch time today!

I just finished the lower intake manifold job. I got stuck in the middle of the job because my back went out and the upper intake manifold cracked – rear driver side. I took it off and found that the lower was also cracked, but in a spot that after talking with a few mechanics, I used JB weld – a new lower intake manifold would have only cost me $150, but I would have had to do the job all over again. As it was, the upper intake cost be $130. Worst part was it cracked well before it hit the torque mark. The upper intake manifold had cracked in the air chamber. Two mechanics we’re not surprised - thought it was probably heat stressed – or the dealer that had done the job at 50k had over torque it.. I also had to take the upper intake manifold off twice because of fuel injector leaks.

Anyway, here are my comments on the whole job. This is not a weekend job. I would plan one day for disassembly – take lot’s of photos. I labeled and bagged all the parts. A day for cleaning the manifolds and installing the lower intake manifold, replacing the water pump, oil o ring, and a third day for reassembly

Buy the good rubber gloves from an auto parts store, they have good grip and kept my hands clean. You will also need a degreaser – I used a sea foam product to clean up the manifolds. Locktight for reinstalling the screws. Vaseline for the o rings.

Buy a ¼ inch drive set – metric 5.5 – 14 mm and you’ll need a 15 ½ for the alternator bolts. I had the Ampro ¼, 3/8, and ½ set. I used the ¼ inch set the most. It came in real handy in the cramped areas.

The upper intake manifold has small fiber type rough surface, keep covered with a towel so your arms don’t end up covered – it’s like fiberglass.

I used the felpro metal gasket, but instead of using their gasket sealer, I used permitex’s “the right stuff” – highly recommended by mechanics for this specific job.

Make sure when you reinstall the injector rail, remember to run the MAP wire (green connector). This cost me a lot of time.

Since you have the car apart, replace the water pump.

Replace the oil pump o ring

Replace the wires and plugs, radiator cap, thermostat, radiator hoses, PCV valve, serpentine belt, oil and filter

I went green with the radiator fluid. – screw dextron.

I thought it was a lot easier rotating the engine and removing the coil

Buy the valve tool to remove the rods. It took me 30 seconds to remove all of them. Get a box and as you remove them, puncture the box in the order you remove them.

Replace the fuel injector o rings – both ends. Mine disintegrated after reinstalling and starting up the car.

Before reinstalling the upper intake manifold, re-connect the injector wires and battery. Turn car on and charge the fuel line. If there are no leaks, then disconnect the battery and continue.

This is not a simple job for people who like to change oil and do a brake
job. I haven’t done a job like this in years – I’ve swapped out motors and converted a 5 speed car to an automatic. While I found the job was fun, it was certainly not easy and I think if the leak re-occurs, I’ll dump the vehicle.

In the end, I had one screw left – from the under carriage guard. I’ll get to it one of these days.

Biggest help to the project – read everypage and comment on this topic, put the car on ramps, take lots of photos, have the 1/4 inch socket set, and bag and label everything.

Good luck

The Venture is the LAST GM car I will ever buy.

I am starting the Intake manifold gasket job on my 2000 Venture - 140,000mi. I have oil in the coolant (brown stuff in the coolant bottle) but the van is still running fine.
I have the Dorman gasket kit on order and the o-rings for the injectors (there is only 4 ??) and the valve cover gasket.
I should start disassembling later this week (Thursday ?)
Wish me good luck !

Is there a link to the class action lawsuit filed in regard to the intake manifold gasket and dexcool repairs? If not here it is........http://www.girardgibbs.com/dexcool.html . A claim must be filed by the end of October 2008.

I have had a temperature gauge dancing on me and the van overheated on my wife the other day. I took it in to the mechanic to be looked at....I spoke with the mechanic today..he said it was/is IMG...he can see water just barely seeping out on both the front and back of the engine. He said the coolant system was about 1 quart low...I guess that's enough air in the system to cause steam to go by the sensor and cause the temp guage to go up. ALSO, he said while testing it to see what was going on the guage went up on him and he turned the van off and could hear gurgling...Is 1 quart low on this system enough to cause it to do that? I asked him about the head gasket like 3 times and he said it wasn't the head gasket. How much extra work is going ahead and doing the head gasket...is that necessary/suggested by anyone...

for a blow by blow as to what has happened... http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=933037 He also said that this is a VERY COMMON issue for this engine and for as many as he sees for the work he does....points to an issue GMC would have to know about.

Hello all,

I am doing an upper and lower intake gasket, and head gasket change on a 3.4L V6 GM engine. In the process of putting the thing back together the push rod order got mixed up (kids:screwy:). Can anyone tell me the long/short order on the front and rear heads so I do not cause damage?

Thanks

YOU WILL GET PAID. FYI to anyone that was smart enought to file a claim under the class action lawsuit. My friend got his check a couple weeks ago. He was fully refunded and paid zero for the repair on his Impala.

my son has a 2002 chev venture van had problem with cooling fans not coming on it was a wire broken at the computer now the engine light does not stay on all the time hope this helps

just an quick reply on the classaction in canada I fianlly heard from laywers, Offer was $50.00 for my year of van 2001, there was no scaled moneys, they offer more if your van was newer...Told them to keep it and buy an beer..

Van is now off to the scrap heap..

I'm in the middle of the intake gasket nightmare, but I can only locate two bolts on to remove the pass-side torque strut. It's still on solid, so there must be at least one more bolt.
I got the one visible when you look directly at the mount, and I found one off (and lower) to the left side coming up at a 45 degree angle. Where is the other(s)?
thnks, Mike

I did mine several years ago after letting it go to long. The anitfreeze leaked into the oil and caused a good deal of sludge to form. So, if that is your case, I would recommend replacing the push rods and roller bearings too.

I spent some time cleaning the innards as best I could too.

I also use a quart of Risolene with every oil change to break down the remaining sludge.

The gasket was a big job for a me, but I got through it.

I have a 99' Venture and have 2 questions, 1- How many updrages were there to this Gasket? My Mechanic changed mine in 07' and now I have the same problem again. Question 2- Am I eligible for any settlements? If my first change is too old to claim will this next one qualify? My Mechanic is telling me they upgraded the first upgrade to metal. Not sure if he's just....you know:jerking:

Hi,

I have a mechanic friend who has told me that it is common to have to change that gasket twice withing the usual lifetime of the car. The first occurance is usually around 80 to 90k and the second around 160 to 190K.

Mine is about due.

To my knowledge GM has not offered any funds for reimbursement. Which is one of the reasons I will probably never by a GM product again.

Best of Luck,
Steve.

PS. Yes, your mechanic is correct. They have upgraded to metal.

Just as a side note a Formula One fan who is a coworker says that they use O rings within a groove on those heads and manifolds. That is basically what the gasket is trying to accomplish through compression, but the crap gasket breaks down and the anti-freeze leaks through.

Hi,

I have a mechanic friend who has told me that it is common to have to change that gasket twice withing the usual lifetime of the car. The first occurance is usually around 80 to 90k and the second around 160 to 190K.

Mine is about due.

To my knowledge GM has not offered any funds for reimbursement. Which is one of the reasons I will probably never by a GM product again.

Best of Luck,
Steve.

PS. Yes, your mechanic is correct. They have upgraded to metal.

Just as a side note a Formula One fan who is a coworker says that they use O rings within a groove on those heads and manifolds. That is basically what the gasket is trying to accomplish through compression, but the crap gasket breaks down and the anti-freeze leaks through.

Thanks a bunch because thats whats happening. I changed it at ABOUT the 90,000 mark. Now I'm at the 142,000 mark and it runs GREAT. Except two weeks ago she decided to run hot and shut down on the highway on my way to see my son I haven't seen in 6 months (I'm military). Then she ran great again for a few days. Now upon start up I hear a ticking then it goes away and she continues to run great. She only runs hot and shuts down ocassionally. I decided to retire her to the garage until I get some funds to take care of this problem. I ocassionally get the LOW COOLANT light, My Driveway has a big spot under where I park and when she does shut down I hear a girgling sound from the antifreeze. So sad to say looks like I'll be paying for another seal. Good news is I don't THINK I have extensive damage beyond the seal. Again I don't know why I'm getting the ticking upon initial start up. Good thing my fall back car is a Mustang.

What Year did this Metal Gasket become available?

Hi,

I don't know what year the gasket upgrade took effect, but I think the production redesign by GM took place about 2002. In other words, they knew of the problem, redesigned the gasket, and failed to honor their product with a recall. Probably because the repair was not a threat to life and limb.

Incidentaly, my Mom has a '99 Buick with the same engine and she had to have the gasket replaced too.

I would suggest that your mechanic replace the push rods too when you get the gasket done. These rods have a hole in the center that lets oil squirt up into the top of heads. When the oil and coolant mix and form the goo, these holes can clog. This may be the ticking you hear at start up. As the engine and oil heat the oil gets thinner and eventually lubricates and the ticking goes away.

Also ask him to inspect the rocker bearings. The are probably Ok, but he will be right there anyway.

There is also a small coolant hose that has a 90 degree bend on the right side on the top end of the motor. I forgot if it runs into the intake manifold or the MAP sensor, but mine was clogged with goo when I did the repair. It is a dealer item due to the 90 degree bend. That will need to be replaced too, if it is clogged.

Good Luck.

(Note: I am not a professional mechanic.)

According to a couple sources, the noise at startup and untill warms up is the pistons, there is a TSB on that, some kind of teflon coating or something that wears off, the original pistons have short skirts and when the coating goes, the make noise or something. TSB repair is to replace the pistons or live with the noise......

According to a couple sources, the noise at startup and untill warms up is the pistons, there is a TSB on that, some kind of teflon coating or something that wears off, the original pistons have short skirts and when the coating goes, the make noise or something. TSB repair is to replace the pistons or live with the noise......What is a TSB? Ok, according to my Mechanic he says the Gasket needs to be replaced. I have ticking only on start up which according to you guys can be related to the issue. So a basic gasket seal and piston replacement should go for how much...Average? I know it hasn't caused too much damage because at the first sign I parked it just like last time. My mechanic charged me $400 to change the Gasket seal last time out. He says he'll work with me on the price since it's the second time in 4 years.

Hello there overseas......I'm from Holland (Amsterdam) and owner of a 1999 Chevrolet Venture......
My headgasket went #@$^#^#.......so I have work to do ! 190.000KM on the car.
The symptoms are tiny airbubbles from the overflowtank.....oil and anti freeze are good....no white smoke......

In my search for a goog guide how to fix it I found this article/site ...it can help me...so maybe for you!....

http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74080

greets Jorg