[sydneysdad]

hello everyone, i've read the white smoke tread about the intake/head gaskets.. (didn't want to hijack that tread so i started this one) well i seem to to have the same problem.. no white smoke yet but i did notice water out the exhaust and a strong smell of coolant and also a lifter (tick tick) noise.. well my 1st q: can i remove the heads while the engine is in the van? and my 2nd q: how the **** do you take out the fan? i took out the 4 bolts but the *** thing does not want to come out...
any help would be greatly appreciated...

thanks mario....

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

Yes you can remove the heads in the vehicle. I would suggest replacing the lifters as well if they are making noise.

Here is some information on water pump removal by "chemist":
viewtopic.php?f=34&t=2707&p=17442&sid=faaa0ddbaeeb26af2c1f728b09506a90#p17442

Could I ask you to go over to the link below and follow the instructions their to fill out your "Signature" with the information on your vehicle so we can better help you, Thanks.
Link:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2171

 

[sydneysdad]

thanks for the reply.. as for the signature, i will all the info later and put it up...

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

The VIN would be the metal plate that is located on the drivers side corner of your dash. Count over 8 digits from left to right and that will be the engine code for your vehicle. "W" or "Z". Thanks.

 

[sydneysdad]

i'm little stumped... i took out all the front stuff, then pull out all the wire harness plugs (and tag them).. now my wuestion is how to take out the intake. how to get to the inside 2 bolts, do i have to take out the (seems to be plastic) housing over the intake and should i worry about this(spider injection?) is there any safety precautions about taking these bolts off? (plastic housing).. thanks in advance...

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

The plastic housing on top of the intake does not have to be removed when you remove the "Lower" Intake,no? The fuel lines at the rear of the engine do have have to be disconnected though.

As for the inside 2 bolts SD, I'm sorry you lost me on that one, I have no idea what your trying to remove their.

If you can give me the engine type you have ("W" or "Z"), I can try to give some instructions on how to remove the Lower Intake if that's what your trying to do.

Let me know, and I'm sure others will chime in if they can to help.

 

[sydneysdad]

sorry for not being more clearly, as this is my fisrt time doing this kind of work.. what i meant was the bolts on the intake manifold (that bolt into the heads) i believe there's 6 per side.. and the ones i can get to are the 2 fronts and the 2 backs.. how do i get to the center 2 bolts?
btw the 8th letter in my vin# is W.. will it be more informative if put the first 8 #'s and letters? or is the W all you need...

thanks again for your time and help...

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

Thanks for the engine type. You only need to put (W-engine), that will be fine thanks.

Here is some information on the Intake removal procedure. Their are only 8 bolts holding the lower intake in place (2 at each corner) and they are accessible without removing the upper plenum:

-The very first thing to do here is to disconnect your negative post from the battery:

 

[sydneysdad]

i can say that i'm suprised that there's only 8 total bolts holding the lower intake.. thank you for the info.. :cheers:

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

I was surprised as well when I saw that, not much holding it together is their. As long as it works is the main thing. Please keep us updated on your progress SD, Thanks.

 

[sydneysdad]

ok the lower intake is out, but now i'm contiplating if i should do a cylinder compression test before i continue to take out the heads? i've been reading more on the lower intake gasket failures, and it's making me think that it's more than likely what my problem is.. as i said in my earlier posts that there was no smoke and a lifter started to make noise and the my temp guage went above normal (did not reach 240) so after that i checked the coolant and it was very low (put in 3/4 of a gallon) before i noticed the smell and water come out the exhuast... should i do a compression test first before ripping out the heads? as for coolant in the oil.. checked the dip stick and nothing but i did notice some milk (i know about the milky stuff from previous exp..) maybe 4 drops of it when i pulled the oil filler tube from the valve cover... what's your thoughts..

thank again..

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

I would have a look at the spark plugs, they will reveal a lot on how each cylinder is running. The oil should be changed when you have completed the intake gasket replacement. You really don't want to leave anything to chance here is the way I look at it personally. Please keep us updated, thanks.

 

[sydneysdad]

hi matrixx...

well i took out all the spark plugs and they look normal, but then i did a compression test on all the cylinders and i'm getting 210 on five and the pass rear cylinder is getting 185 but lossing pressure at a rate of 10lbs. per minuite.. i've read here that 210 is high, so what am i doing wrong? and by the last cylinder (rear passenger) loosing any pressure does that mean that (1) head gasket is gone (2) head is cracked or (3) the valves are not seating right? i understand ultimately i'll have to remove the heads, so should i have them sent to the machine shop and have them pressure checked? :banghead: :banghead:

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

Here is a link:
viewtopic.php?f=43&t=2779&p=18012&sid=f25fda50dd34bb3210686150e74ac3fe#p18012
which I'm sure you're aware of as you mentioned 210 psi as being high which I feel it is, but it could be the way your doing the compression test, it's nothing serious. The part that concerns me here is the difference in compression with that rear cylinder if you're doing the compression test the same way as the others.

That much difference from the others isn't good at all, no. As mentioned in the above link, add about a teaspoon of oil to that low compression cylinder and do the compression test again the very same way as you did the others to see if the compression rises or not. If it does, then you have a ring problem, if it doesn't then you have a gasket or valve problem (are the usual causes). As for the bleed down, that could be coming from a number of things, just make sure the tester is connected securely when doing the compression test. Do the same thing to another cylinder and see what results are from that to compare.

I'm sure others will chime in if they can. Please keep us updated, Thanks.

 

[sydneysdad]

hi matrixx..

well i decided to pull both heads out and try to do this from a fresh start. after i pulled the heads off i checked the piston and walls and their in great shape.. (a mechanic friend also looked at them). now my new question is, what parts should i go with, ie: gasket kit? i hear felpro is quality stuff or should i go to the dealer and get the kit from them? i'm going to use ac delco for the rest of the rebuild, plugs, rotor, cap, wires, and filters.. so is felpro as good as what i hear?

thanks...

oh! what coolant should i use the red/orange or the yellow stuff?

thanks again...

 

[Matrixx]

Hi sydneysdad

Yes Felpro is the way to go for sure. They also make an "Enhanced" aluminum intake gasket in the "Pro Series" line which I would highly recommend, it is a better design than the "Enhanced" intake gaskets from the dealership.

Hope this helps. Thanks for the updates.

PS: You mentioned noisy lifters in your first post. I would highly recommend replacing them as well if you can while your in their.

 

[sydneysdad]

hi matrixx..

thank for the reply.. felpro "Pro Series" it is..
and i found the bad lifter.. but i am going to replace all the lifters. this might be a silly question, but what coolant should i use? i read/heard that some coolant is no good for certain gasket materiel? is this true?

thanks...

 

[Matrixx]

I run the Prestone Long Life (5-year) anti-freeze. I dumped the Dexcool on my first intake gasket failure.
Prestone is my suggestion here for sure, been running it for about 7 or 8 years now with no problems.

 

[Matrixx]

Just a recommendation here and what GM calls for if your not aware of it, is to use Permatex Medium Strength (blue liquid) on the intake manifold bolts.
Link:

Liquid
http://www.permatex.com/products/Automo ... r_BLUE.htm

Gel
http://www.permatex.com/products/Automo ... UE_Gel.htm

Just a heads up on that.

 

[sydneysdad]

hi matrixx.

thanks for the heads up on the coolant and the threadlocker, i didn't even think about using threadlocker.. should i use it on ALL the bolts?

thanks for the info..