engine help

I pulled the manifold of my engine today (im putting an edelbrock manifold on) my question is the intake on the heads is caked with crap, should I pull the heads and clean them? and what would cause this?

Do you mean where the intake meets the heads that's all gunked up? That's what left of your intake gasket, yeah? You don't have to remove the heads, but that surface definitely has to be cleaned of all debis. It needs to be as smooth/flat as can be since that's where your new intake gasket will seal. Be careful not to get any of that crap down into the valve channels because that will all be headed straight into your cylinders! Also, you don't want all that crap landing down in your oil gallery, either. (I'm assuming this is a V-8 here.) Carefully, put a towel or something down in the oil gallery to catch all that stuff and then pull it out carefully when you're done. Best of luck!

no, I dont mean the gaskets. theres crap lining the intake(going into the heads) on the heads.

Sorry, I misunderstood. Is it a dusting of something almost like soot? Is it oily, greasy, what? When I took mine apart to replace the intake gasket, I remember seeing something like soot, but not quite black. Are you seeing the same or something else?

there is soot but its oily too. would this just be a bad gasket?

I recall seeing stuff like that inside my air plentum and inside the runners between the air plentum and the intake. I thought that may have indicated a problem, too. But I called the guy that usually works on my cars and he said it wasn't unusual and not to worry about it. If you don't already have it put together, can you take pics? I think that what you're talking about is the same that I had.

What are the chances that it's residue from where the "smog pump junk" recycles some of the exhaust? Or am I way out in left field there??

Can someone else chime in here?

It sounds like hes talking about that black sludgelike crap that builds up in there. All that is is sludge from either the oil not being changed enough or at least that oil there not draining out and being changed turning into sludge. He can clean it out carefully with a rag so long as he tries not to let the crap fall into any areas it doesnt belong...coolant passages, air intake passages, etc... It isnt a big deal if thats what it is...failry normal on higher mileage engines. Good luck.

yeah. i have a lot of that crap too. i assumed it was cuz of the airpump too... i got rid of some using carb cleaner...since it evaporates anyways x]