Manifold Gasket parts

[CrashCarson]

So I'm almost set on doing the intake manifold gasket replacement myself. Around $450 from local shops. Not a bad price at all it's just that I got some other stuff I need to work on too. Overall it runs fine as it is, just a slow leak.

What are some other things I'll want to replace as I do this? Any tips? The have the upgraded gaskets at autozone so I'll just pick up whatevervelse I need unless there's a better place. I've read that Using the original head bolts isn't recommended? On a budget for this do I'm not wanting to make any major upgrades, thigh if I did what would be useful as im doing this?

 

[Keepinitoldskool]

No need to pull heads for intake gasket replacement.

 

[7echo]

What year and trim level is your truck, and what motor?

 

[CrashCarson]

1997 Silverado 5.7 vortec. Stock

 

[SAATR]

Valve adjustment, or at least just check to make sure they are lashed properly. I would replace the thermostat, distributor cap and rotor if you haven't done it recently, and the heater hose nipples on the intake if they are in bad shape. Check for a clean spot under the fuel pressure regulator to make sure it isn't leaking, clean out the EGR port, pintle valve, and the tube going from the exhaust manifold to the intake. May want to spray the EGR tube connection at the intake with some good penetrating oil for a couple of days before the job to help loosen it. Don't disconnect the AC hoses from the compressor, but unbolt it from the accessory bracket and lay it over on the passenger fenderwell. Oh, and grease the hell out of the O-ring that seals the injector spider connector to the upper plenum to ease installation. Very easy to roll that O-ring and have a massive vacuum leak. Be sure to relieve the fuel pressure from the lines before removing the fuel lines from the spider, and be very careful with the fuel line retaining nut as it is tiny and easy to drop into a lot of inconvenient places. That's all I have for now.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[someotherguy]

Re-use your original cap screws and be very careful putting them back in. The plastic bodied distributor cracks/breaks very easily at the cap screw bosses. In fact it's probably already cracked.

If the valves aren't noisy then no need to mess with them, in fact, you can do this job without even removing the valve covers.

Biggest gotcha is the ignition timing - you can't set these with a timing light. You want to make TWO marks before loosening the distributor. Mark the distributor body position, AND the rotor position, in ways you can get it back in place, with marks you won't easily wipe or clean off. You need to get it back installed as close as humanly possible to those marks, then still fine-tune it using a scanner capable of reading the cam retard angle, set to within +/- 2° of zero while holding RPM's to at least 1,000 for a good reading.

Richard

 

[CrashCarson]

Damn. Not sure if I still want to do this. I know it's a big job, that wiring is what's gonna be a pain

 

[SAATR]

If the valves aren't noisy then no need to mess with them, in fact, you can do this job without even removing the valve covers.

Richard

I don't see how you're getting the intake out of the valley without removing at least the driver side valve cover. The tabs on the intake hang on the lip of the VC, hence the reason the manifold set includes one VC gasket. No point in not pulling them and replacing the gaskets while it's down that far, especially since you already have one gasket and the other isn't that expensive.

You are right that the valves probably don't need adjustment, buy why not run them while you're there, so there is no question? This isn't a flat rate warranty job, after all.



Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[7echo]

Damn. Not sure if I still want to do this. I know it's a big job, that wiring is what's gonna be a pain

The experienced guys can comment on the Vortec but when I did my '93 305 a few weeks ago the wiring was simple. GM made each plug different from the others so they only go in one spot.

 

[Keepinitoldskool]

Yeah its really not that bad of a job. I can do intake gaskets on these motors in about 2 hrs.