engine trouble on as gs....HELP....

[anarchy1114]

hey i need to kno how hard it is to replace the exaust manifold gasket , how long something like this takes, and most of all how do i do it. so far all i kno is i have to take off the heat shield......what next. also i need to replace the valve cover gasket is there any certain way to do it other than take the valve cover off and switch the gasket out and then put it back on and tighten it down ??

[ashah000]

All I can tell you, right now, is USE pb blaster or wd 40 and use a lot of it. Spray it on those rusted bolts, otherwise they will break, and be carefull dont put to much leverage on it, there heads will bust off any you will be left extracting them.

I am going to take a guess and say about 1-1.5 hours, but about 3 hours for me

I am taking mine off on Sat., THE HEADER IS GOING ON

[anarchy1114]

cool that should help me out knoing how long it'll take but still as to the mech side of it i have like 0 to go on so i hope someone else will kno how to do it

[gthompson97]

if you are a decent mechanic and don't have any mess ups it shouldn't take long at all. the valve cover should take about 10-15 mins to take off and 10-15 mins to put back on.

the exhaust manifold if you have already gotten the heat shield off should only take you about 45 mins because a few of the bolts are a little tough to get to...and yes, use something that will free up the rusted bolts because extracting them is not fun...if you break a bolt on the head then add about another 2-3 hours because they are a bitch to get out.

[gthompson97]

all you have to do is remove the bolts on the heat shield (there are a few on top and a few underneath) and then remove the 8-10 bolts on the exhaust mani. there are like 4-5 on the top side bolting it to the head and 4-5 on the bottom side bolting it to the head. when you get that off just take off the old gasket and put the new one back on.....i don't think you have to seal it or anything because it has it's own "seal" on it if it's an OEM one (not 100% sure tho).
and if you also want to add some look, when you take off the manifold, paint it with some high temp "aluminum" colored paint. then put the manifold back on (the paint should still be wet) and then when it's on just run the car for about an hr to cure the paint and you have that "custom" look (plus it saves time because you don't put the heat shield back on)

[anarchy1114]

aiight that solves my exhaust problem....thanks everyone on that and then now i'll i need is some info on the valve cover and what to do there

[gthompson97]

to take off the valve cover you have to remove the coil pack and the 12 or so bolts holding the valve cover on. when you get those off it should just lift right off. shouldn't take more than 1/2 hr to take it off, replace the gasket, and put it back on.

[anarchy1114]

cool is there any certain way or pattern i should tighten the valve cover down and do i need a torque wrench to tighten down the bolts

[gthompson97]

no, just take them off however and yes, i'd use a torque wrench just to be on the safe side.

[anarchy1114]

thanks for all the great info and help on this...hopefully i won't have anymore problems with this car...

[ashah000]

Originally Posted by gthompson97

all you have to do is remove the bolts on the heat shield (there are a few on top and a few underneath) and then remove the 8-10 bolts on the exhaust mani. there are like 4-5 on the top side bolting it to the head and 4-5 on the bottom side bolting it to the head. when you get that off just take off the old gasket and put the new one back on.....i don't think you have to seal it or anything because it has it's own "seal" on it if it's an OEM one (not 100% sure tho).
and if you also want to add some look, when you take off the manifold, paint it with some high temp "aluminum" colored paint. then put the manifold back on (the paint should still be wet) and then when it's on just run the car for about an hr to cure the paint and you have that "custom" look (plus it saves time because you don't put the heat shield back on)

You really should put the heat shield back on, it is better for the engine bay temp. It will keep the exhaust heat in the exhaust. That is why people always say to wrap headers with header wrap to keep the heat in

[gthompson97]

the high-temp paint (made specially for headers and exhaust manifolds) will help cool the engine bay temp to though.

[anarchy1114]

hey thanks all for the help on doin this shit. i got the vavle cover gasket put on today with no problems except for i broke the positive pressure hose when i was pulling it off but was able to go to the dealership and buy another one so its all back together and in good condition with no problems

as far as the exhaust gasket goes i have to do it tomorrow...my compression has gone to shit and so has the gas milage so i need to fix this problem quick...i didn't have enough time to do it today. and i shouldn't have any probs with this...wit this hi temp paint where would i get it and how much would it cost my broke ass

i'll keep you upto date and let you know how the repairs go tomorrow

[ashah000]

Get the high-temp paint at autozone or pepboys, i dont remember how much it costs

[anarchy1114]

aiight cool i'll look into it ...thanks for everything and like i said i'll let u kno how everything goes and how it turns out