ready to blow this van up. over this summer i have replaced the water pump, thermostat, radiator, head gaskets, heads where resurfaced, as far as my knowledge it was just the block side of he heads that where resurfaced, replaced all gaskets along with it. lower intake leaked right away.; you can see coolant bubbling on the passenger side back corner between the gasket and the intake. took back off right away coated gasket in hi temp rtv. worked but not 100%. had better ideal this time, no codes, but was now burning oil somewhere around the back valve cover. Originally i was getting gurgling in coolant. exhaust threw the coolant ports.. the van did end up over heating at some point witch was the cause. after over heated got check light on. was getting p0301 p0303. never had codes come back after head gasket replaced. just replaced intake gasket again and same issue as last. but instead of using rtv this time i used copper gasket sealer or something like that. runs good but can see coolant puddles on intake and still burning oil somewhere and actually using more gas now then before. Had thought of maybe intake needed resurfacing but then thought if i did that then my distance/ separation from one head to the other would be off or i am i wrong and over thinking it? the only thing i keep coming up with is a warped intake from the overheating. Any thoughts or ideas i could try would be great.

 

It may be warped, but it could also be cracked, or for other reasons, the gasket just isn't sealing properly.

There's no reason to worry about having an intake manifold planed - if it's done right then there won't be a difference from one side to the other. A good machine shop will make sure it's evenly planed, or tell you if it's too damaged to be planed correctly. They can also inspect it for cracks or other damage that would be causing leaks.

When you first reassembled the engine, did you use RTV in the corners of the lower intake gasket? This is a common practice, even when installing new gaskets, because the corners don't tend to seal that well. Additionally, you need to give the RTV time to cure, not just dry, before running the engine.

Also, cleanliness is key when it comes to gaskets sealing properly, regardless of whether or not RTV is used. If the gasket surfaces are not clean then the gasket won't seal as well, plain as that. Doesn't matter if it's oil residue or dirt/contamination. My preferred method is to spray a shop grade paper towel with carb cleaner, wipe down the gasket surface (refolding the towel as I go because they break down fairly easily), then wipe it down again with a dry paper towel.

Start by taking the manifold to a machine shop and having them inspect it to see if it's worth fixing - they'll tell you whether or not the cost to have it repaired is less than the cost of a new manifold.

 

DONT resurface the intake..

They use a Valley Pan, not a gasket. What are you using? Any pitting on head or intake surface?

Take some pictures