UGH, 6 hrs huh?

So I started my plenum fix today.

Broke the fuel line into the fuel rail. It is rusty, and I was trying to save it, could not find a used one to have on hand for the repair. I'm splitting the cross line between the rails and installing a barbed brass TEE with hose clamps. Should get it back to operational state.

Snapped the inake manifold bolts on the front corners, got both of them out, the back two I cut the heads off and lifted the manifold off, so I have a stud left to grab on while I cook it and twist. back two are soaking for the night.

Changed plugs (7 of 8) back drivers side if frozen, with a socket hammered on. If I break that in the morning (soaking overnight) I'm going to have to pull the head.


Not having too much fun today . But the plenum was GONE, and two of the plugs I got out were terrible, one Oil caked and gap clogged, another had the electrode touching the ground, so when shes back online should feel like a new truck.

 

wow,,, i do hope torromow is better for you

 

See, this is exactly what scares me about doing this plenum gasket. Is there any sure fire way to not break bolts, snap fuel lines, and just generally cause engine bay carnage the likes of which haven't been seen since the mess of an engine bay that the Chevy Corvair was?

 

Just take your time, a buddy helps too. I did my plenum my myself, I went really slow and double checked everything. I made several trips to the parts store, but nothing major broke. If you don't know how to do something look it up before you tackle it. But parts do break so be prepared for that.

 

@ smashed:

this place is awesome for help when you need it..

the first time I did it, it took me about 15 hours.. I went extremely slow, marking every part- took pictures of stuff from the belt routing to the plugs in the a/c, coil, alternator- everything.. I used masking tape and a marks-a-lot to label everything too.. It was a pain in the ****, but I also wrote down every significant thing I did, in case I ran into trouble putting it all back together.

I've done it four times since..

the last time I did it it took me right at four hours.. I was comfortable with every little gadget and location of every plug, and knew what I was up against.. I always work alone, because I hate: a) looking stupid when I draw a blank, and b) explaining everything I'm doing to someone and arguing about better/worse ways to do it, and c) I curse, spit, fart, sing, chug beer, whistle at girls, whistle at dogs when I've drank too much beer, ect.. That is a shame best left to solitude..

anyway- the intake bolts- especially the corners- are exposed to elements.. soak the top with a breaker solvent, and in the corners- soak the bottom of the bolts too.. those are the ones most likely to break on you.

USE NEW BOLTS WHEN PUTTING IT BACK ON..

Make sure your mating surfaces are clean where the manifold meets the heads- both sides both critters.. use alcohol to clean the surface.. don't go nuts with the RTV- put some on all ends of the cross block dowel gaskets where they meet the heads in addition to a stripe of RTV under those gaskets.. the cross block gaskets go on after the intake gaskets..

in the center of the heads, where there is a space of nothing happening, a small loop of RTV is good there to help hold the gasket in place when you put the manifold back on..

when you put the manifold on, drop it straight down and don't move it after it seats.. some folks cut the head off of for used TTY intake manifold bolts (the ones you took off) and use then as a guide to help the manifold go back on dead straight..

make absolutely certain and follow the torque pattern and sequence.. Some do two stages, I do four.. I torque in 1/4 increments and in the proper order..

when you pull the intake, the easiest thing to do is disconnect the fuel rail at the gas supply point, but you can also pull injectors and lay the fuel rail, intact, over the brake booster to get it out of the way.. I highly rec you grab the disconnect tool at teh parts store and just disconnect the line- it is FAR easier that way.

if you run into issues, come back here- 24/7, there is usually someone to help you if you need it.

good luck!

 

change spark plugs before doing the job, this will tell you if you need to prepare to pull the head.

My truck is unusually rusty from serving as a plow truck, so your fuel rail should be better.

Hit the 4 corner bolts really hard with a hammer. If they dont come easy, dont snap them, grind the heads off and pull the manifold straight up. Then you can use a torch much easier with the manifold off.

 

I always use anti-seize on engine bolts.

 

buy a truck from the lower dryer & warmer states! lol
i did mine in my driveway, no broken bolts at all. i did soak all the fasteners in pb blaster for like a week before i attemped the the repair

 

My truck is from North Carolina, 84k miles on the dash. Only thing that's really wrong with it is the trac-lok is toasted (clutches), the plenum isn't filled with oil or anything, but going to change it for peace of mind, and the wheel bearings need changed. Other than that there isn't too much wrong with it other than the annoying transmission shifting issue that seemed to clear itself up with going back to the stock sized tires. (it used to have 265/70/16 on it)

I am going to tackle the plenum next month as it's still a little cold to be messing with stuff. I've noticed on this truck if you work on it in the cold anything that's plastic seems to snap off like it's designed to do that. =)

 

The lower and dryer states isn't 100% tho, cause i'm in nebraska. my dad was the previous owner from 3mi to 110k miles, he had it serviced as per instructed by the dealer for the entire life of the warranty. I got it at 110k, and did the intake plenum, just because i knew it'd need to be done now or later. I took all 12 bolts out with no problem, and put 12 brand new ones in with no problem. (Except the $40 from the dealer for new bolts). So, if u buy a truck from the lower, dryer states, and someone beat the hell out of it, chances are, you're going to have to replace some stuff. Depends on how the ol' girls been treated.