intake manifold tips

[FadeToBlak121]

so im doing the intake gasket on my 98 and its annoying but doable. Ive only been working on it for a little bit but im calling it quits for the night and need some answers.

right now it looks like the only thing left over the valve covers is the fuel lines and rails and i cant get them out. any tips in getting them out?

once i get the fuel components out of the way, it seems to be pretty easy going. is there anything else real difficult left after that?

are there any small mods or upgrades or whatever i can do while i have it all apart? (Im talking small stuff because i dont have much money. no new rockers or anything like that. I was thinking like along the lines of porting and polishing but i dont know how much that costs and i dont really know where to get it done.) but anything else i can do?

thanks dudes.

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

im going to bed but i really need some advice for morning so i can get this done tomorrow ...

[Skinny]

Re: intake manifold tips

For the fuel rails, once you have the 4 nuts off, just pull up on it until the injectors pop out of the intake. It's usually easiest to pull on one end (front or back) first then pull the other end out. Take a look at the o-rings on the injectors and make sure none of them are cracked. I usually replace them anyway when doing an intake.

As far as mods, there's really not much you can do in there for cheap. Even porting/polishing the intake probably wouldn't work for you if you're on a budget. The only other thing I would recommend when replacing the intake manifold gasket is the themostat, unless you've changed it recently.

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

yeah right now im workin on the fuel rails and i cant get them, but ill go try that. thanks for the tip.

any other tips for when i get into more?

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

there is a little black bracket thing in front of the left side valve cover and its covering the last bolt for the valve cover and i cannot figure out how to get it off. anyone know how?

[Blizzard242]

Re: intake manifold tips

That thing has been a huge pain in the *** to everyone. It's a lift bracket for when you're pulling the engine. What you can do is take a broom handle and literally bend the bracket so you have enough room to get a socket to the valve cover bolt. If that doesn't give you enough room you can easily remove one of the bolts on the bracket(you'll know which one is easier) and push some more with the broom handle to bend it. The other bolt holding that bracket on is hell and good luck if you try to get it off completely.

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

so if theyre only used for pulling the engine, do i need to put them back in? the one in the back on the right side valve cover looks to be impossible to put back on.

[Blizzard242]

Re: intake manifold tips

They're not necessary to have unless you want to pull the engine.

[ssms5411]

Re: intake manifold tips

I would just leave them off, most people drop the engine when it needs to be replaced or rebuilt.

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

ok 2 new questions. just got the intake off and its got so much carbon buildup inside it. whats a good way to clean it out? just spray some carb clean in it? because you cant really get a rag into the whole thing. so whats a good way to clean it out?

also. my boss at work ordered the gaskets for me because nobody had them in stock this past weekend. and looking at them now, i cant figure out what these 2 things are for.


when i first opened it the other day i was thinking valve cover gaskets, but they look nothing like that. i cant figure out what they are and i dont want to start reassembling without knowing what they are.

[ssms5411]

Re: intake manifold tips

Carb cleaner works well or sea foam the one in the spray can, if you can get a brush in there that would be good too. The ones pictured are lower intake gaskets.

[Skinny]

Re: intake manifold tips

Those are the lower intake manifold gaskets. Did you remove the lower manifold, or just the upper?

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

ohhh. i only removed the upper. is the lower real difficult to do?

[FadeToBlak121]

Re: intake manifold tips

ok i cannot get the lower intake out for the life of me. i got all the bolts out that i can see and i still cant get it out. it moves a little like it wants to come free, but it wont. i dont want to pry at it too much in fear of breaking something.is there an easier way? or are there bolts in the rear of the engine holding it down or something? i cant figure it out.

[ssms5411]

Re: intake manifold tips

Do you have a lower intake gasket leak? I'm trying to figure out why your removing these parts?