Plenum & Lower Intake Replacement tips 3800 V6

I just replaced the Plenum & lower intake gaskets on my 1997 Park Ave (62k Miles). I did this as a preventative measure. A few things to note: When I removed the plenum bolts there were a few that were lose and came off without any effort - and there the rest were not very tight. I would suggest to anyone with a series II 3800 to retorque these bolts.
The lower intake gaskets showed deterioration especially around the coolant passages. I would suggest replacing these if you are going to do the plenum. Getting the idler pulley bracket off was a pain & you have to be careful here because there is a plastic elbow fitting that you dont want to break.
I examined the old plenum and it didn't look that bad. I wonder if the ultimate cause of plenum failure is due to an overactive egr valve rather than the plastic plenum itself.
I bought the new plenum from NAPA and it came with a new stove pipe that was easy to install. Just tap it in with a deep well socket and a small hammer. Tap it lightly.
The most difficult bolt to get to is the one that holds the throttle body support bracket to the lower intake. I learned that you do not have to remove this bolt. Just remove the bolt on the other end that attaches to the throttle body and push the bracket out of they way about 1/2 inch. You can then remove the throttle body after you removed all the plenum bolts. You will see what I mean.
The car now runs a little better and I dont have to worry about sudden failure in the future.
One last thing - Before I started the job I took pictures of everything with my digital camera. This helped during reassembly.
Feel free to ask any questions if you plan to to this job on your car.

Thanks for the feedback Greg. I get asked about the throttle body bracket (left side) all the time but good point. Just remove the 8mm single bolt at the throttle body and not at the LIM. Too hard to get to.

I have some pics of old LIM gaskets. They were replaced with the new GM aluminum framed ones.

On '95-'98 GM cars with the SII 3800 I have only seen one with actual egr stovepipe damage. All the rest looked good to me. '99 and up zero!!! :confused:

I recommend doing a writeup along with your pics and posting at our new Buick Tips & Maintenance subforum.

Bob:

How can I post pictures in the forum rather than posting a url? I have another pictue I would like to post.

Thanks

Hi Greg,

I posted the answer at your thread below.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=673549