LukeZ34 Posted January 8, 2003 Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 I need to change the intake gaskets on the cutlass. It's been having some weird up and down idle problems lately, and I figure this is the culprit. What all will need to accomplish this little repair aside from the gasket itself? Anything else that I should replace while the plenum is off? Any advice if helpful since this is the first time I've attempted this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedZMonte Posted January 8, 2003 Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 I would check rear plugs and also replace the injector seals. I would do upper and lower intake gaskets. so you don't have to do the job 2x. RedZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted January 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2003 yea, I should change plugs too.. Good thing I can get Delco Rapidfires at cost! Something like $2 each I think.. aren't they like $5 each at retail stores? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no1kicker Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 Yes, definitely do both upper and lower. I remember the dealer saying $500 for the lower one. I just did my plenium gasket and used the one I got from GM, that seems to be the best one to use according to the guys on this board. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCRagtopguy Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 Fel-Pros are the best! Take your time, it's a piece of cake. Be sure to seat the lower manifold correctly using the 2 center mounting holes before you try to line up the other holes or you'll cross thread the side bolts. O-2 sensor is easily accessed when you pull the plenum off if you haven't changed that in a while. Just relax and let it flow, get in the groove and all will be cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 Does your oil pump drive leak? If so, this is your only chance to fix it. I slipped a 1/16" thick O-ring (I forget the diameter but can look it up if you're interested) under the head of the oil pump drive. It lifts up only about 1/8" but the O-ring can be stretched over the head of it. As double-insurance, I also squeezed some RTV under the head of it as well. I pushed it all the way back down, cleaned off the excess RTV, let it cure 24hrs, and then reinstalled the clamp. So far, so good! It's a kludge, but it sure beats pulling the rear head! Anyway, you'll just need a normal set of metric sockets. Upper and lower gaskets come in the same Fel-Pro kit. You'll also need 2 bolts and several washers to align the intake manifold, or you could use a couple of the plenum bolts and a ton of washers. I can get sizes for these too if you need them. You'll also need a torque wrench to properly torque the intake manifold, as well as long extensions to tighten down the intake manifold bolts as some of them are hard to reach. I used a torque wrench with 1/2" drive and used a long (10-12") 3/8" extension so I needed a 1/2" to 3/8" reducer. Try getting various lengths of extensions if you can. I found a 3/8" U-joint to be very handy to get to the intake manifold bolt that's behind power steering pump. You might also want to get a new EGR gasket. I didn't bother, but you're supposed to. That's all I can think of right now... You'll probably have to take your time, and it's times like these an extra car is very handy. I know I had to take frequent breaks because leaning over the engine like that started killing my back and legs. It's not a difficult job, but you might want to also take closeup pics of the vacuum tube routings under the plenum and also of the vacuum hoses that are behind the throttle body. There are no good pics of this routing in any service manual! Make note of the order you remove/install things too. Order is very important, I ended up having to undo some stuff (mainly that metal tranny modulator metal tubing) because I forgot to route the plastic vacuum line first (or something like that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCRagtopguy Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 Hey Gnat, what's the size of that damn O ring? I gotta fix the wife's 3.4, that thing is like an oily Niagara Falls! I'm gonna try your method, sounds good. I was also thinking about getting a couple old distributor gaskets, slicing them, slathering them with RTV and snaking them under the plug. I guess it's like 6 of one and a half-dozen of the other! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey River Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 Hey Gnat, what's the size of that damn O ring? I gotta fix the wife's 3.4, that thing is like an oily Niagara Falls! I'm gonna try your method, sounds good. I was also thinking about getting a couple old distributor gaskets, slicing them, slathering them with RTV and snaking them under the plug. I guess it's like 6 of one and a half-dozen of the other! That is almost exactly what I did when I replaced that little O-ring on my 3.1. Only I had the the drive shaft completely removed so I was able to put the gasket on without cutting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse5302 Posted January 9, 2003 Report Share Posted January 9, 2003 The o-ring is about the diameter of a maglite flashlight screw on battery cover o-ring. If you've got one, unscrew the battery cover and look at the o-ring...thats the size, but you may want to go a little thicker. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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