dreaded 7.4 intake gasket job

[Elroy]

i have a 96 sub K2500 7.4 w approx 220k miles
i have a magnaflow exhaust w new cats and airraid air filter and black bear tune
it runs ok but i think it could be better
the original distributor drive gear wore out earlier this year and a shop put a new dist in
i put taylor wires and new plugs in it
there is coolant seeping out of the junction between the intake/block/head on both sides
it still has the original injectors, i have just bought the five-O 19 lb injectors
mice had at one point were living in the intake and there is some debris from that
i have not bought the gaskets yet for upper and lower intake
i am prepping the truck for this job now, its in the heated garage and i bought the harbor freight mini step for painters to be up 1 foot to reach in easier

ive seen a few threads that refer to this job, and i watched the painful youtube " how to ruin a weekend" video
looking for any advice, specifically on the following before i tear into it
which brand intake gaskets are preferred, or does one upper and another lower as i think i saw somewhere
if i mark the distributor to intake position with a sharpie and the rotor position and take care to put it back will i have any timing/re-learn issue?
besides the FPR is there any must replace parts in there i should buy before i open it up? ( plastic rail?)


another issue, recently, maybe starting with the new dist, the oil pressure seems high when its cold, like 80 lbs, i dont recall it being like that before, should i worry about that? i did have to replace the oil pan a couple years ago due to stripped thread on the plug and it looked really clean inside for an old dog

 

[east302]

if i mark the distributor to intake position with a sharpie and the rotor position and take care to put it back will i have any timing/re-learn issue?

Besides the mark on the intake, mark the rotor position on the housing before you remove it. As it is removed, the rotor will turn counterclockwise about 45-degrees. Mark this second position. When you reinstall, put the rotor on the second mark and it should rotate clockwise to point back to the first mark when it seats.

Assuming that it’s the same as the 350 and V6, the camshaft/crankshaft position sensor offset will need to be adjusted. You can use either a really nice ($) scanner that reads CMP Retard or use a phone app and Bluetooth adapter:

https://www.gmt400.com/threads/car-gauge-pro-can-read-cmp.35275/




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[454cid]

i am prepping the truck for this job now, its in the heated garage and i bought the harbor freight mini step for painters to be up 1 foot to reach in easier

Do you have a link? I'd love to have some sort of stool for truck use. I usually have to stand on a 5 gallon bucket!

which brand intake gaskets are preferred, or does one upper and another lower as i think i saw somewhere

I bought Felpro, but haven't actually done the job yet. There is no redesign for the Big Block gaskets. The failure is usually to the outside like you describe, not to the oil like what happens to the 350.

The manual specifies a certain GM part number be applied to the lower intake bolts... it is not the standard black crap that people like putting on intake bolts. When I google the number, it's a thread locker... the guy that did my intake gaskets years ago used black crap, and I had a bolt start backing out...gee whiz, I wonder if that's why it started leaking again shortly after??? I should have taken it back, but I already had to take it back because of brake work, and he wasn't very concerned that a drum was getting hot.

if i mark the distributor to intake position with a sharpie and the rotor position and take care to put it back will i have any timing/re-learn issue?
besides the FPR is there any must replace parts in there i should buy before i open it up? ( plastic rail?)

I think as long as you get the right teeth engaged, it'll run. The intake doesn't provide much room back there, so I don't think you get it in right, and not have it be able to start. I've never taken my distributor out, but I have adjusted the CMP Offset. Spec is 0 +/- 2, and mine ran fine at -7. There wasn't much room back there to take it much further out of spec.

Other stuff to replace? Thermostat and coolant/heater hoses? Valve cover gaskets, maybe... my covers loosen up and leak oil, and I suspect those should have gotten Loctite. Clean the throttle body and put a new gasket in? My PCV valve seal is starting to get stiff, so you might take a look at that.

another issue, recently, maybe starting with the new dist, the oil pressure seems high when its cold, like 80 lbs, i dont recall it being like that before, should i worry about that? i did have to replace the oil pan a couple years ago due to stripped thread on the plug and it looked really clean inside for an old dog

Mine does that too. It's always been really high when cold, but I think it might be a bit higher now, and it seems to linger there longer. All I can think of is that I haven't changed the oil as often as I should have over the last few years... my dash guage is also a little wonky, and I haven't actually verified the pressure with a mechanical gauge.

 

[Elroy]

i have the harbor freight zurich scanner # 11 the second most expensivest they sell, will that do it?

 

[Elroy]

http://click.harborfreightemail.com...5ca2c615c82d6dfb2661131d375c49e2a5f46449dbdb5

You must be registered for see images

when i bought mine a week ago it was $ 17.99

 

[Christian Steffen]

i have a 96 sub K2500 7.4 w approx 220k miles
i have a magnaflow exhaust w new cats and airraid air filter and black bear tune
it runs ok but i think it could be better
the original distributor drive gear wore out earlier this year and a shop put a new dist in
i put taylor wires and new plugs in it
there is coolant seeping out of the junction between the intake/block/head on both sides
it still has the original injectors, i have just bought the five-O 19 lb injectors
mice had at one point were living in the intake and there is some debris from that
i have not bought the gaskets yet for upper and lower intake
i am prepping the truck for this job now, its in the heated garage and i bought the harbor freight mini step for painters to be up 1 foot to reach in easier

ive seen a few threads that refer to this job, and i watched the painful youtube " how to ruin a weekend" video
looking for any advice, specifically on the following before i tear into it
which brand intake gaskets are preferred, or does one upper and another lower as i think i saw somewhere
if i mark the distributor to intake position with a sharpie and the rotor position and take care to put it back will i have any timing/re-learn issue?
besides the FPR is there any must replace parts in there i should buy before i open it up? ( plastic rail?)


another issue, recently, maybe starting with the new dist, the oil pressure seems high when its cold, like 80 lbs, i dont recall it being like that before, should i worry about that? i did have to replace the oil pan a couple years ago due to stripped thread on the plug and it looked really clean inside for an old dog

If you have time and the price isn't much different, I'd consider switching to a slightly bigger injector if you can still send them back? Then have blackbear tune accordingly. I tuned a pretty much stock truck recently that was close to 100% injector duty cycle at wot commanding 12.5:1 Afr.

If not it will probably be okay but it's just a thought if you can.

 

[east302]

i have the harbor freight zurich scanner # 11 the second most expensivest they sell, will that do it?

Do you mean the CMP Retard? It probably won’t, it’s usually the more expensive ones that do it.

Or download an app and get a Bluetooth adapter. There was a link a few posts back with more details.


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[Elroy]

i thought about the bigger injector, but i bought the 19lb ones

 

[Christian Steffen]

i thought about the bigger injector, but i bought the 19lb ones

Right, I was just wondering if you could still send them back and trade for some bigger ones.

 

[shorepatrol]

http://click.harborfreightemail.com...5ca2c615c82d6dfb2661131d375c49e2a5f46449dbdb5

You must be registered for see images

when i bought mine a week ago it was $ 17.99

I used my weight bench