DIY intake questions

Dude, I had the exact same problem with my Tahoe. I'm almost 99.9999999999999999% positive its not a head gasket...once you replace the lower intake gaskets you'll see why....the gaskets GM put on there are pieces of sh$t!!! My buddy started laughing when he saw them just hanging there corroded to hell. I got the fel pro gaskets I believe...these things are solid bro...has aluminium within the gasket itself...it was nice...these babies won't leak, I guarantee you that....but yeah...both my buddy and I thought it was a head gasket problem, but it wasn't...the work isn't hard, just a pain in the ass...just take your time with it and drink a few beers, no worries.

Thanks, you were right - intake manifold gasket. It's all done now. And I was wrong about there being no external leaks they got worse and more noticeable quickly.

Two Questions.
1. Can the Dexcool be replaced by other anitfreez types. I've seen some comments online about replacing the Dexcool with the green antifreeze. One used a flush machine to suck out all the old. Any comments on this?
2. The gasket choices I've seen here are the FelPro PermaDryPlus or the Victor Reinz gaskets. I've come across another made by ROL. Anyone heard of ROL and do you have any suggestions on which to use? (I didn't understand the nature of this problem and replaced mine with the standard FelPro gaskets last year and they are leaking again -I'm not going to repeat that mistake)

brake lights don't work,changed brake switch,checked fuses,also circuit board. What's next

stuck in 4 wheel drive....changed the switch inside the truck...checked fuse..is there a sensor somewhere on the truck

No you do not just did this Friday and once you remove the bolts in front you can see there is a stud down underneath that you loosen the nut and the bracket will just lay over to the right out of your way. I did not know it but the nut was loose and mine push out of the way and then I saw it.

I have a 97 that has had the intake manifold gasket replaced and I am looking at a 2001 model with a different engine, 5.3 litre I believe. Does anyone know if this engine has the same problem with the gaskets?

The 5.3 liter doesn't have the intake problem.

I'm getting ready to tackle my gasket problem. Do I need the gasket kit or just the lower gasket? I have read soem different answers. I think I can keep the lower and up together and taking the valve covers off is optional. So it sounds like I could get away with just the lower gasket. I have (knock on wood) 180,000 miles on my Tahoe and it starts and runs great except for the coolant problem. I know it would be nice to replace the value cover gaskets but if the worst thing that happens is that it lets a a little oil seep out I can live with that.

What do you guys think? Kit or just the lower gasket?

The problem is if it leaks you are going to purchase the gaskets again and do a lot of work again. I think you should at least take it apart before buying as it would be cheaper to buy a kit than to buy one and then find out you need the other one.
I always find it takes longer to get the parts than to do the job. Since you are doing the work make your own decision.

I would get the kit. I got my gasket from NAPA, they are Victor Reinz brand. I got a kit for about $70. The intake gaskets are great and have built in guide pins so you don't have to worry about slippage. What ever you do, don't mess with the power steering pulley. Check my other post for some tips. Mark all your wires and take your time.

Hylomar (http://www.hylomar.com/)

the only way to seal

I need help with upper intake manifold on a 98 chevy silverado 5.7l r motor all bolts are removed but will not come off. what did i miss?

hey, hope i'm not to late. I had the same problem and after inspecting my new gasket set, I saw one about the size of the electrical plug ( the big one ) in the middle. With some coaxing the plug will push down through the upper intake, just be careful not to break the plastic. Hope this helps you or someone in the near future.

I need help with upper intake manifold on a 98 chevy silverado 5.7l r motor all bolts are removed but will not come off. what did i miss?

If you are certain you got all the bolts, try prying gently on a non-machined surface. A lot of the time they're stuck on there pretty good. The bottom flat part (against the block) is silicon sealant which sticks better than some glues.

Quick note to thank everyone who has posted their comments / solutions to replacing their intake manifold gasket. I did mine over the last week or so with the Fel-pro kit I picked up from AZ. Turned out to be a fairly simple, straight forward task, took my time, took plenty of photos, labeled connectors etc. Marked the distributer, housing, and rotor in about 3 places. I did not have to remove the power steering pump, but unbolted the bracket and slid it forward out of the way. Also, since the radiator was drained, i pulled and cleaned it.

I ran into two snags, the first was the ERG pipe that comes up on the driver's side exhaust manifold, across the intake and connects opposite the heater core quick disconnect. I ended up destroying the pipe trying to get it off of the intake manifold and had to buy a new one (probably should have WD-40'd it the night before, but oh well). The second snag was cleaning out the bolt holes - I was runing the tap down the bolt holes in the head (very back one, passanger side), I slipped and managed to snap off the tap flush with the head. If this happens to you, look for a Walton tap extractor ($13). Picked one up and in 30 seconds had the broken tap out and was ready to move forward.

There has been some discussion on whether or not to put a sealer on hte gasket or install it dry. I opt'd to put a thin smear of permetex on both sides of the gasket aroudn each port. Figured it couldn't hurt. Also sacrificed a few papermate pens to make sure the manifold was aligned properly (Thanks Suburban-97) and installed the manifold and torque'd it down. There was some discepency in the torque setting, I read both 11 ft lbs and 30 ft lbs. Since most were listing it as 11 ft lbs, thats what I went with, seems a bit light tho. Next day I spent probably 3 hours to get everything back on, including replaceing the plugs, wires, and rotor.

After everything was done, I realized that the o-ring in the heater hose - manifold quick disconnect was screwed up. I sprayed the old one down with WD-40 the night before and the next day, it unscrewed without any problem and replaced it with an aftermarket one. If you are getting ready to do the job, just spend the $15 and pick one up with the gasket set, from what I have been reading - I got lucky, its another problem point and would be much easier to fix with the manifold off and on the bench.

Got it all put back together and started it up. Noticed a pretty good leak coming from the rear passanger side of the engine, to the point of having a nice puddle on the garage floor. And after some looking around, feeling for a leak, swearing etc., I pretty much ruled out the gasket as being the source. It was too big of a leak to be coming from the intake. However, before I tore it apart again, I rented a pressure tester and pumped it up to 16 psi, and watched the pressure drop. Water now running down the front of the engine, front of intake manifold? water pump? Then noticed that I never snapped the hose clamp back in place for the heater core line where it attaches to the water pump - idiot, idiot, idiot.. I think the fan was pushing enough air that the water was running along the manifold to the rear and running down the backside of the block. With the pressure tester, gravity took over and it just ran down the front. Fixed that and she held 16 psi for 45 minutes - put on the radiator cap and started it up. Haven't noticed a leak since.

Again, thanks everyone for your previous posts and insights / tips, they were a big help.

There has been some discussion on whether or not to put a sealer on hte gasket or install it dry. I opt'd to put a thin smear of permetex on both sides of the gasket aroudn each port. Figured it couldn't hurt. ... There was some discepency in the torque setting, I read both 11 ft lbs and 30 ft lbs.

It's too late now, but I believe it even says in the instructions NOT to use any sealer except on the block between the heads. The gaskets are designed to be installed dry.

11 sounds right. some are 18, or anywhere in between. GM changed the spec at some point, hoping to aleviate the problem. As long as the torque is even on all bolts (except the diagonal bolts on some...), it should be fine.

I hope this is the right place to post this. I am new to this forum.
I just completed the intake manifold repair on a Chevy Silverado w/5.0 litre engine.
To begin with, my coolant was disappearing from my tank. With a pressure gauge, I found it to be an external leak, an intake gasket. I had no milkey looking oil on dipstick or on filler cap. I did the repair using step by step instructions. Being very carefull not to screw up.But I think I did.
After I got manifold replaced, I connected all hoses then pressure checked. Every thing seemed OK. I then put everything back together.Changed oil and coolent. Started engine and it ran great.Then things went to crap. Service engine light came on and engine started smoking. White smoke. I knew it was water. Oil was milkey now. What could I have done to cause this? I have an internal leak now. Could it be the new gasket?
Will have to redo job. Will I need to buy new gaskets again or can I reuse these? I think I can do job in 1/2. the time this time

Your taking a big chance on doing the job again using the old gaskets. If you used a proper torque wrench. I would say you didn't get the gasket surface clean. Clean bolt holes if any silicon sealer was used.Look real close at the plastic intake it may be cracked. Watch bolt length closely as this can cause big problems. I have had to use washers if my used supply of bolts was slightly longer than the defective bolt. Before tearing down check closely for a missing bolt.
Proper cleaning takes a while if you don't have an air buffer which uses sta- brite pads..

I want to remove the upper plastic part so I can clean the lower part in solvent, and replace a broken injecter shield. I removed all of the bolts holding the upper and lower together. The upper lifts about 1/8 inch, and spins around a bit, but won't come off. I removed the throttle tube and can see a bracket in there, but can't find how to release it. Anyone know how to split this intake in half?

OK ,I figured out how to split the top and bottom. Remove the 10mm bolts around the outside edge.
There is a big oval pod in the top middle of the plactic where the injection wiring pluged into. There are 16 electrical pins inside of it. Push down on that while you pull up on the plastic top. The oval shaped pod stays bolted to the alum. bottom during seperation. WOW is it dirty down in there.

98 Tahoe5.7,
Since it's been a while since your post, you've probably already figured it out by now.
When I split my manifold, took the injection system out for cleaning - broke at least 3 of the retainers (they get extremely brittle) for the poppet valves into the intake.
Had to buy complete new injectors for each one I broke.
Hope your luck was different.

One of the reasons I bought my '96 Tahoe was because the transmission had been rebuilt, and another was because the intake manifold gasket had been done. But, I'm going to keep a close eye on it as I don't know what kind of gasket was used.

I removed the upper manifold this past week to replace the fuel pressure regulator to try and fix a fuel pressure problem I've been having, where fuel pressure drops off after the pump pressurizes the system. I was able to get the intake off and clean the inside, but as you guys have mentioned the fuel injector clips are very brittle. One had both clips broken, and another had one clip broken but also a tab on the bottom of it.

I was lucky enough to find a whole new spider assembly on eBay for the price of two injectors, so it's going in this coming weekend. If I find anything else to add, I'll mention it, but this is really a job anyone can do with a few tools and some patience.

how can i find out were the fuel lines go into the runners on 98 tahoe i mixed one pair up thanks richie e mail [email protected]

how did you know were to put back lines in intake runners they have to be in correct location.

Hello, got a 1998 5.7L with very slowly disappearing coolant. Runs great and Oil looks fine.
Borrowed coolant pressure tester from Autozone. With engine not running, I Pumped up to 15 PSI. Pressure seem to hold, but then drops very slowly. Drops rom 15 psi down to 10 psi in about 5 minutes.
With engine running, coolant pressure is constant, not pulsing like I would expect if I had a bad head gasket. I suspect a small intake gasket leak. Question: does this look like a fix that can wait for warmer weather, or do I need to fix it now??

Water pumps have a habit of leaking then stopping for a week and starting again. Use a flashlight and check all hose connections. If you do another pressure test do it on concrete so if a heater core is leaking you can watch the drain for the evaporator case.
If you actually have an intake leak I would do the repair quickly. Check your dipstick do you notice any antifreeze in the oil. Check the coolant reservoir was any oil noticed.
I think you can rent small propane heaters which screw into a tank like a gas grill uses for your garage.
http://www.northerntool.com/ Model MH24T

Got the intake gasket done. Thanks for all the info posted here. I have a couple tricks to add.
To find TDC #1 cyl when installing distributor: leave belt off and plugs out to make easier to turn crank. Install a hose (from compression tester or leak-down tester) into #1 spark plug and point hose to front of engine where you are turning crank. You can hear the air blowing out when you approach TDC, then watch for the marks to line up.

If oil-pump shaft is not lining up with dist shaft and you want to see which way the oil-pump shaft is turned: Get your digital camera and reach back there and take some photos down the dist. hole. Then look at the photos on the camera to see which way the shaft points.

I am going to try to replace the intake gaskets on my 01 Suburban, but am a little timid to try it. Does anyone have any step by step pictures or know where i can pring something out to help me? I have some automotive knowledge, but rarely tackle a repair like this on my own, HELP!

Here is a tip to avoid a major headache. On the 1996 and up 350 R engines ( R being the eighth digit of the VIN#) it is very crucial to reinstall the distributor to the exact orientation as it was taken out. Failure to get it exact will cause a check engine light to come on and will require a position relearn procedure to be run on it with a GM or compatible scanner. To avoid this I like to use a straight edge centered on the rotor along it's electrode to the firewall then marking where it contacts the firewall. I then make another mark indexing the base of the distr to the intake manifold. Then I make an arrow on the plastic of the rotor pointing towards the firewall ( to keep you from dropping it 180 degrees out). Then take special care that the crankshaft is never turned until the distr is reinstalled with all reference marks aligning (including the straightedge contacting the mark you made on the firewall). Do not even hook the battery ground cable up until the distr is confirmed to be correctly aligned.

What size wrench do I need for the EGR line?

Dan

I have a 2000 tahoe with a 5.7 vortec and replace the injector spider assembly. Can anyone tell me the proper torque for the upper (plastic) intake manifold? I have a chiltons, but it dosen't show this style for the v8's. It shows this style for the 4.3 v6 and shows a torque of 44 in/lb and 88 in/lb. Can anyone tell me if they are the same for the v6 and v8?


Thanks

I'm knee deep in mine right now. Took about 4 hours to get the IM out. Thank you guys for posting up so much good info.

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w272/desertmule/Suburban%20Pics/09a08d1d.jpg

Now for the fun of putting it all back together.

Got everything back together and so far, so good. Need to do an oil change tomorrow. Didn't take much coolant to make the oil a real milkshake. The truck starts and idles smoothly now. First start was a little rough. Didn't want to idle. Forgot to re-connect the brake booster hose to the IM nipple. :banghead:

Thanks again. :cheers:

Here is some pretty good insight on intake manifold gaskets related to the sealing issues on the 5.7L and other motors:

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/75823/closing_the_gap_on_intake_manifold_gaskets.aspx

Well I decided to change the infamous intake manifold gasket on my 98 C1500 with 108K miles. I have owned the truck since it had 20K miles on it. In the past I have replaced the water pump, heater quick disconnect fitting, alternator, AC compressor, and shocks. The biggest issue with the truck has been the premature distributer cap failure. To combat that, I have 2 caps. I take the corroded cap off and clean it with a soft wire brush on a Dremel. Keeps me from buying $45 caps all the time. Overall the truck has been a good truck. I have done all the work myself except for the AC compressor. I was traveling through Arizona and New Mexico in the summer when it disintegrated.
In addition to replacing the intake manifold gasket (MS98000T), I will be putting in a new 2 row radiator (Ready-Rad 0431334), new radiator cap (AC Delco 15982188), a new thermostat (Stant 14119), a new water pump (AC Delco 252-711) and a new heater quick disconnect fitting (Dorman 800-401). The water pump is 5 or 6 years old and the quick disconnect fitting was replaced with a dealer pot metal fitting. The Dorman 800-401 fitting looks to be stainless, though it may just be polished steel. Parts were purchased from Amazon and Rock Auto. I have been working on cars most of my life and consider myself an average home mechanic. I did take some classes in automotive repair at a community college in the late 90's. I have a fairly good assortment of tools. I am also purchasing the 1/2" 14 NPT tap (Vermont American 20374), the quick disconnect removal tool (Lisle 62200) and a heater hose removal tool (OTC 6046). Can't miss the opportunity to gain a few more tools. I anticipate all the parts will be here in 2 weeks. My goal is to complete the job on the weekend of 3-4 March depending if all the parts are here.
I will follow the instructions in this thread along with Suburban 97's web site: http://www.market-place.com/intake/intake.htm. I will also take some pictures and post then here or send them to Suburban 97 for inclusion on his web site. I have access to online auto repair manuals so that should help.
See you in a couple weeks with an update!

I forgot the brake booster hose also. Even though I read this blog several times! I was a little worn out after all the work replacing the IM gasket.

98 C1500 5.7KL

After replacing the intake manifold gasket everything was fine for about 30 days. Then I developed a coolant leak in the rear again. I decided to do the job again with another new gasket. Job went faster this time, but the truck will not start. I had marked the distributer and was careful taking it out and putting it back in. I have fuel pressure at the relief valve. Also verified I had spark. When all else failed I decided to pull the distributer again and reinstall. This time I set the engine at TDC with the timing mark aligned at TDC. I used a compression gauge to be sure I was on the compression stroke. I then aligned the dimple below the distributer gear with the white mark on the distributer shaft. I installed the distributer ensuring the rotor contact pointed to the distributer housing mark with the number 8 on it. Still won't start. Cranks nicely but doesn't kick in. Did several checks to be sure I did not leave any electrical connectors disconnected. Also reverified by TDC settings for number 1 cylinder on the compression stroke and the position of the rotor pointing to the timing mark on the distributer. Lost at this point. Any ideas?

98 C1500 5.7KL

After replacing the intake manifold gasket everything was fine for about 30 days. Then I developed a coolant leak in the rear again. I decided to do the job again with another new gasket. Job went faster this time, but the truck will not start. I had marked the distributer and was careful taking it out and putting it back in. I have fuel pressure at the relief valve. Also verified I had spark. When all else failed I decided to pull the distributer again and reinstall. This time I set the engine at TDC with the timing mark aligned at TDC. I used a compression gauge to be sure I was on the compression stroke. I then aligned the dimple below the distributer gear with the white mark on the distributer shaft. I installed the distributer ensuring the rotor contact pointed to the distributer housing mark with the number 8 on it. Still won't start. Cranks nicely but doesn't kick in. Did several checks to be sure I did not leave any electrical connectors disconnected. Also reverified by TDC settings for number 1 cylinder on the compression stroke and the position of the rotor pointing to the timing mark on the distributer. Lost at this point. Any ideas?
I've missed the compression stroke in the past feeling for air in the plug hole. I would retry and make sure it didn't pass TDC. Normally you will get some backfire if your out of time.

I've missed the compression stroke in the past feeling for air in the plug hole. I would retry and make sure it didn't pass TDC. Normally you will get some backfire if your out of time.

rhandwor,
I used a compression gauge to be sure I was getting pressure. Checked it three times. Always worth another check to be sure though. Thanks.