good news i got it all done :) i found it easier just to take the fan off to get to the bolt on the bottom of the ac mount . but thanks again for the video it really helped me today. now its time to take the blazer back out in the mountains for another video
Man, this job looks a LOT easier than I was expecting. All the garages around here want about $600 to do the job. I'm glad I watched this first, Thanks for posting!, You probably saved me tons of money and who knows how long being without a vehicle.
I'm doing this job on my 98 Astro AWD, and it's like building a ship in a bottle. Thanks for the added detail on removing the large elec connector from fuel injection. The hidden clip under the back of the plug had me stopped for an hour. Cheers
@dsj0501 I would highly recommend cleaning the bolts off with a thread chaser or a die, I ran all the original bolts through a die real quick and then you get a good even torque value on all the bolts. and nope you don't have to take the valve covers off, but it's easier to replace them while you're already that deep into it! that is up to you though! if they aren't leaking then your call!
I like to thread a stud into a couple of intake bolt holes so that when I set the manifold in place it drops straight down, thus not smearing the silicone end seals and/or disrupting the positions of the gaskets.
yeah if you have the right tools and some mechanical know how you can get this done in 2 days! it took me 3 days taking my time on this job here. I cleaned everything up all nice and what not so if you need to just git r dun yes 2 days!
Nice video. I have to replace my intake manifold gasket on my GMC(5.0L)work van. I also purchased a Fel-Pro gasket set. The instructions say to not use any sealant material(RTV)as they are dry-fit gaskets(except on the ends....and then extend the sealant about 1/2 inch up the gasket where it joins the head). I take it this means applying the sealant ON TOP OF THE GASKET (1/2 inch) at the ends, not UNDER THE GASKET(so no sealant at all actually applied under the gasket?) Is that right? Thanks.
Great video. Thanks. '96 S10 with 145K. What did you end up doing with the AC/pwr steering bracket? It looks like you just loosened it. And the Haynes manual says there are bolts under the plenum. I assume this is wrong. I can see the 4 bolts on either end of the lower manifold. Seems like a good time to replace the water pump.
Young Man...I have been a mechanic for 35 plus years and I must say, I am very impressed with your video. Over the years, I have seen others attempt what you have done with as little experience as you have, and 99% result in more damage. Kudo's to you... good job. Only thing I want to add is the price quote you stated at 400-600 in a shop. Ummm, not so much. Try 1400-1600 just for labor. Your uncle should be quite proud of you. Happy wrenching young man.
@dirtymoney765 yeah man that's the plug that goes by the EGR valve there, it's a bit below it IIRC, just go ahead and take a sweep around and make sure everything is all plugged in nice and tight! all I can really give you advice on is check all the wires trace all the plugs etc and push every connector make sure they're all tight!
your video was awesome, we share the same passion for Automotive, my 1999 blazer has 258,564 miles on it and runs like a champ. to keep these trucks running you need a regular oil change and a clean cooling system and I don't recommend using GM Dex Cool, keep it green ! Anyways, what made your videos so interesting is that you go into very good details about what needs to be done, keep them coming and great job !
Thank you so much for this vidieo it helpped me much . The hardest thing was trying to get the 10 mm distributor bolt out ,finaly got a 1/4 inch socket on it .Be sure to use a tork wrench I used one but broke the first new bolt that i went to torkx, so i had to take it all back off and get the brken bolt out ,also broke the oil sending sensor off back by the distributor when reinstalling 2nd time.But thanks i had no ideal what i was in for this made it so much easier.
Wow that's huge! Thank you! I'm just a self taught backyard mechanic that means a lot coming from someone with major experience! I will be replacing intake bolts on the next one I do, hopefully I don't have to do one but you never know eh! This truck is still running/driving strong for my uncle as his daily driver been a few years now! Thank you and have a good one!
I actually think that the wires, the spark plugs, or the starter are hay-wiring...jk...I probably have to re-set the distributor. Thanks for the guidance, man:)
That actually would of been a good idea I didn't even think about it, I just cleaned the bolts up and put them back in, and the truck is still running great to this day, my uncle is very satisfied with the job. And he is a professional mechanic for over 35 years now I believe, he just wasn't in shape to tackle this after breaking his ankle. If I get any more of these to do I'll get new intake bolts thanks! :) Cheers! I don't THINK they are like head bolts but they are prolly weak yes!
I've been working o GM vehicles since the mid 1960's and I just wanted to say you done a good job with this video. I do agree with new bolts on the manifold too.
I agree, I didn't even think about buying new ones, I will be next time if there is a next time for me an a 4.3 that comes my way, I'm sure there will be!
OMG just today I found this same problem on my 01 S10. Coolant from the same spot. This video just saved my butt! Nice work and thanks so much. Out of curiosity it just started knocking around the same time as the leak. Any thoughts?
@dirtymoney765 hey man, I'm sorry I don't give out any numbers, just gonna be straight up honest. when you are putting it back together though it really lines up nice, all the vacuum lines, fuel lines, everything usually just lines right up, all the wiring falls back into place right by the sensor it needs to be plugged into, and no 2 plugs are the same so that helps a lot as well. best of luck, if you have any questions hit me with em and I'll do my best to respond quick
@mostshockingtrutv hmmm... milky oil, typically a head gasket or really badly blown intake manifold gasket. dig into it and you should be able to tell if it's intake gaskets, if it doesn't appear to be the intake do the head gaskets. a trick, pull all the spark plugs, fill it with coolant, pressure test the radiator, see of coolant flows from any of the plug holes! if it does blown head gasket, if not betting on intake gaskets! good luck man! cheers
Thank you for your post and expertise! I will be doing new intake bolts next time I do a job on one of these, I just didn't know they were like a stretch bolt, now I know, thank you! So far this truck is working just fine my uncle still is driving it and no issues! Cheers!
Thanks for the detailed video. I have a 4.3 vortec, which is a bit backwards. I might have to change out my lower intake gaskets due to coolant leak and figure I will change the valve cover gaskets too. It's nice to see that the upper intake/plenum can come off in one giant assembly. We just replaced the spider injectors and upper intake gasket, and I don't want to pull that apart again if I don't have to. Thanks again.
I am waiting for a thermostat to get delivered. First I was having coolant leaking from a crack in the radiator, right above the upper oil coolant line, and luke-warm air coming out of defrost. Replaced the radiator and over flow tank, flushed the heater core. Then the engine started leaking like a siv and over heated once for about 5min (it's never over heated). I was initially thinking my leak might have been a small pin-size hole in the heather core hose, after the flush. So I decided to change all my hoses and thermostat since my engine was never reaching temp. But after getting my Thermostat off, I now see coolant pooled on the rear the engine near the distributor and near the heater core hose that attaches to the water pump. Vehicle has 194K miles. At this point I"m pretty sure its the lower intake seal, but for formality sake I'm thinking of getting the t-stat and new hoses back on and pressure testing it, since it's basically free. I think the intake gaskets will be easy, just a lot of disconnecting. I live in Denver, and we just had 6in of snow and sub-zero temps this weekend.... I'll let you know my thoughts on the intake seal in the next few days when I start to dismantle everything.
Bart Black For me I believe it`s a bad thermostat sensor that caused it with mine. I`m guessing whoever had it didn`t know shit about cars or anything so never noticed it`s been reading low. I just got a fox body while ago with 197k on it so ill be replacing everything along with a new radiator when I can.I`m hoping they just turn into 2 day projects for me since i only work a few days a week.
btw, I started the lower intake gasket project. I have about 12hrs into it and have the intake cleaned and ready to go back on. I was hoping to get it back on today, but I wanted to clean up the bolt holes/threads. Really, the project is not that bad. For me it is overy complicated because it's cold outside and I have to do everything in my apartment complex parking lot. So when it gets dark at 5pm and drops down to 30F, I tend to stop. I was scraping gaskets off on my apt kitchen floor last night....someday I'll have a garage.
Bart Black Honestly doesn`t sound bad time wise. I have the same issue with working on cars since I don`t have one either, I just have a dirt driveway that`s inclined so I usually park it on the side of the yard on the grass.
I hear you, yeah the hardest part is making sure you get the distributor in the correct place, just mark the postion of the rotor on the firewall and don't turn the engine over at all while it's out and it will drop right back in where you marked it, and you can't rotate the distributor at all it has a 10mm bolt that just goes in to hold it, that's it, no rotation, it's electronically controlled timing on this motor. If you just take your time and mark things well it'll be just fine! Cheers!
yeah that was my first time tearing into the 4.3 vortec and it wasn't too bad! save yourself the money and have fun doing it yourself! win! :D yep you can get it done in 2-3 days tops! :D
@JoelsBackYard welcome ! i actually have just been able to determine where the ks is, at the back of the block near to the distributor, very pain to get to .. i wanna ask you on this fix, did you take off the engine's heads while the engine still in place !? i do not think you ever said in the video !. is it even possible to service your engine heads while the engine is not taken out !?. i want to do some service on an overheated engine just like yours , i wanna be sure if that possible. thanks.
@paspartoogmc the 1/2 inch bead is in the valley plate area and then put a little more sealant up on the gasket to make sure the valley plate gets sealed fully the end seals, you just do the beads and then keep the bead going for 1/2 inch onto the gasket, not on top of the gasket all the way around correct. thanks for the feedback :)
very good! I'm in about the same boat as you, I've done a little of everything but had never done one of these till this one rolled in and needed it done, Cheers glad you were able to do it!
@JoelsBackYard hey man i dont know what i did but now i have a check engine light on . i scanned it and got code p1345 . saying camshaft to crankshaft position correlation fault...... what could i have done to cause this to happen? any ideas?
Just a little trick. When you get to the e8 socket part, if you don't have an e8 socket, put another nut on it, loosen the original nut until it tightens against the nut you put on, and wrench the whole thing right out. No e8 required. Worked great for me. No boogered threads, good 2 go.
Im pleased to say i have mine being done in the shop right now. Recovering from throat surgery and dont feel like getting my hands dirty with this stupid gasket :)
Probably a good idea, but if you don't want to drain it all, take it down to at least half a radiator, you really don't want to pull the intake and have coolant gush down into your engine then you need to do an oil change as well haha! Best to just drain it all and be safe! If the vehicle blew the intake gaskets then most likely it needs a good flush anyway. Cheers!
Again thank you for all of your help for everyone out there having this issue! That's why I made this video just to help out as best as I could, if I ever have another one I will be making a better video! Thank you for sticking your neck out there with your phone number to text and ask questions. That is very cool! I hope people do not abuse that privilege you gave them. Thank you for being a good honest mechanic! Cheers!
@8020johndeereseries it was I believe 80 for the lower intake gasket kit. the gaskets aren't too expensive, make sure you get the good felpro gaskets or good dealer gaskets. I really liked the rubber felpro gaskets, very well designed!
I didn't make it out to be easy, I said it looks easier than I was expecting. I thought I had to go much deeper in the engine to fix the problem. It ended up taking me 2 days and the fix has yet to fail after about 45,000 miles since I did the job.
Im kinda curious, it seems like the most difficult part of this tear down is the marking and lining up of the dist. Does that make sense to you? Not really familiar with the GM motors as this is my DD and I don't do much wrenching on it. lol
very valuable video !! thank you for it ! do you have any idea where the knock sensor is located in this engine ?!! i wish you tell me where specifically because i have been having hard times to find it . thanks again .
Nope :) IIRC you just rotate the pulley to get through it if it blocks any bolts, it's been a while since I did this job but I know I didn't remove the power steering pulley, Cheers!
So I just ran through this job - Took me two Sundays more or less, with most of that time being disassembly. I spent an hour or more searching through youtube videos for a how-to video, and yours was far and away the best one. Thanks much, Joel - You saved me untold hours of headaches!
@GodofThunder66 I believe so, been a while since I worked on this truck. it has been running great ever since the rebuild!!! but if I remember correctly it either twists off or pinches and lifts off!
@jfgoodrow are you sure all the bolts are fully out, all wire connectors are off, hoses, distributor is fully out and everything? fuel lines disconnected? just go around and trace everything making sure everything is all nice and disconnected, after you verify that give it a firm wiggle and see if that pops it loose, they can be stuck on there good sometimes!
Sounds like you got it going good with some fresh head gaskets, rebuilt the heads, that's awesome man, yeah that sensor is a tough one to get out by the looks of it! Cheers!
this video is very informal and I used it to guide me on my 2000 S10 with the same engine, the 4.3 V6, and I took it one step further and did head gaskets as well as intake gaskets.
Makes it teal easy if you take the distributor out first, then you can access the fuel lines easy and have plenty of room to maneuver a regular wrench.Although having a crows food made for future projects Good Video!!
@TeDuaMalakie I actually didn't dig down where the knock sensor is located I do believe it's going to be along the bottom sides of the block somewhere but I really don't have any idea where it is, might try a component location chart for it. Thanks for the positive feedback :)
I would leave the stud for the p/s in place and pull the pump and bracket away from the engine and leave it on the stud, easier to align later. Before unbolting the distributor would mark the base and intake so you have the distributor orientated correctly when reinstalled, would also mark the lip of the dist. right where the rotor Is pointed. would put a dab of silicone in each of the 4 corners where the heads and end seals meet before putting in the new gaskets. Before installing the intake ALWAYS check each intake port and water crossover to make sure no debris has fallen inside. If you have compressed air available blow out the intake ports. Best way to install the intake is to put a stud in the front left and right intake bolt holes in the head, this way you will be lined up and not have to adjust the intake forward or backward. This helps make sure you don't ruin the silicone bead end seals. Nice job of actually cleaning up the parts!!! Shows you have pride in the work you do. Guys who brag about how fast they can do a job rarely ever clean anything.
Thank you JoelsBackYard, Your vid is awesome and very professional. You were a GREAT help to me. Thanks Again for your upload. Greatly appreciated, made my job soooo much easier. Thanks again Joel. Best of wishes to you and yours.
where ya located? ive got a 98 thats overheating, but the water pump is fine, so i'm thinking its the intake gaskets... still blows hot air, thats for sure. any ideas?
Hey ! what did you use to clean the upper intake and throttle body and did you use sea foam after re-assmbly ? This couldn't of happened to me except n0w in 1oo degree weather lol. Great Video !
@ironsidesaz I was hoping it would help someone out at least! :D well check the oil, if it's milky and looks like a mocha then coolant got mixed in with your oil and could of gotten all up in the lifters and rod and main bearings, so start by checking the oil and all that carefully and good luck doing the lower intake gaskets man! cheers!
Oil filler tube removal- turn tube 1/4 turn CC. Comes off just like the oil fill cap. Bad call on using V-8 specs for torque. Anyone doing this job, get an in/lb torque wrench and follow specs for the 4.3 Vortec. Using a ft/lb torque wrench for 10 ft/lbs is NOT EVEN just barley better than nothing. Final torque is 132 in/lbs. Use an in/lb torque wrench only. ft/lb torque will NOT be accurate at that low setting. You'll likely over torque and possibly break off a bolt. You can borrow an in/lb torque wrench from most auto parts stores. If you do mechanical work, just by one. Be sure to turn the wrench slow and steady. Low torques are easy to mess up. Do it right.
0 ok ! I'm not gonna lie man you had me on the edge of my seat towards the end of the vide0 lol. I was like " N0 WAIT " Looking for part 2 and shit lol. I'm sure it's operating well. Is your GM a straight gear or automatic? I followed your advice and did this work on a 2oo2 LS Blazer 4x4. Though for some reason this motor didn't have a EGR Valve or EGR Exhaust tube so it made it a little easier. Werid th0 since i thought every engine had one. Thanks again! It helped my dumb ass out al0t !
You also want to mark the distributor housing to the intake just marking the rotor button won't get it back in time. These motors have to be set with a computer of you don't get the distributor back in the same spot. I think you're only allowed + or - 1 degree.
@cartoonist1975 Hey thanks man! I used brake clean to get all the oily carbon gunk off that upper intake there but sea foam would work just as good I would think!
good job for the first time!! but you made too much work of the fuel lines... take them off at the injector and remove the bolt attaching the fuel lines to the intake,,, they will simply flex up enough for R&R of upper & lower intake as an assy. once you have done a few it takes less then 2.5 to 3 hours. depending on clean up & possible milk shake. Milk shake or oil and coolant mixing have great potential for a short lived engine. may last for a while but may start to knock or worse! flush oil
I broke the vacuum line coming out of the top intake directly above the #3 cylinder Can't find where it goes Lots of vacuum Truck idles like crap But if I plug that line off it runs great.
+bigcartoonyIIV He was specific to show ample use of RTV sealant to front and rear of lower intake manifold. Your vaccum leak is most likely at upper intake manifold or vaccum line(s) not attached, leaking or broken. Joel's good. Hope this helps.
+bigcartoonyIIV Do not use any gasket sealers to upper intake manifold gaskets. Just make sure you torque your upper intake manifold gaskets to their proper torque and proper sequense
good news i got it all done :) i found it easier just to take the fan off to get to the bolt on the bottom of the ac mount . but thanks again for the video it really helped me today. now its time to take the blazer back out in the mountains for another video
Man, this job looks a LOT easier than I was expecting. All the garages around here want about $600 to do the job. I'm glad I watched this first, Thanks for posting!, You probably saved me tons of money and who knows how long being without a vehicle.
I'm doing this job on my 98 Astro AWD, and it's like building a ship in a bottle. Thanks for the added detail on removing the large elec connector from fuel injection. The hidden clip under the back of the plug had me stopped for an hour.
Cheers
@dsj0501 I would highly recommend cleaning the bolts off with a thread chaser or a die, I ran all the original bolts through a die real quick and then you get a good even torque value on all the bolts. and nope you don't have to take the valve covers off, but it's easier to replace them while you're already that deep into it! that is up to you though! if they aren't leaking then your call!
I like to thread a stud into a couple of intake bolt holes so that when I set the manifold in place it drops straight down, thus not smearing the silicone end seals and/or disrupting the positions of the gaskets.
yeah if you have the right tools and some mechanical know how you can get this done in 2 days! it took me 3 days taking my time on this job here. I cleaned everything up all nice and what not so if you need to just git r dun yes 2 days!
Nice video. I have to replace my intake manifold gasket on my GMC(5.0L)work van. I also purchased a Fel-Pro gasket set. The instructions say to not use any sealant material(RTV)as they are dry-fit gaskets(except on the ends....and then extend the sealant about 1/2 inch up the gasket where it joins the head). I take it this means applying the sealant ON TOP OF THE GASKET (1/2 inch) at the ends, not UNDER THE GASKET(so no sealant at all actually applied under the gasket?) Is that right? Thanks.
You can leave the stud in place on the AC bracket, just take off the nut and slide it foreword on the stud for access to the intake bolt.
Great video. Thanks. '96 S10 with 145K. What did you end up doing with the AC/pwr steering bracket? It looks like you just loosened it. And the Haynes manual says there are bolts under the plenum. I assume this is wrong. I can see the 4 bolts on either end of the lower manifold. Seems like a good time to replace the water pump.
Young Man...I have been a mechanic for 35 plus years and I must say, I am very impressed with your video. Over the years, I have seen others attempt what you have done with as little experience as you have, and 99% result in more damage. Kudo's to you... good job. Only thing I want to add is the price quote you stated at 400-600 in a shop. Ummm, not so much. Try 1400-1600 just for labor. Your uncle should be quite proud of you. Happy wrenching young man.
@dirtymoney765 yeah man that's the plug that goes by the EGR valve there, it's a bit below it IIRC, just go ahead and take a sweep around and make sure everything is all plugged in nice and tight! all I can really give you advice on is check all the wires trace all the plugs etc and push every connector make sure they're all tight!
Thanks for the video, but how do you get that A.C. bracket to move? Do i need to remove the PS pump????
your video was awesome, we share the same passion for Automotive, my 1999 blazer has 258,564 miles on it and runs like a champ. to keep these trucks running you need a regular oil change and a clean cooling system and I don't recommend using GM Dex Cool, keep it green ! Anyways, what made your videos so interesting is that you go into very good details about what needs to be done, keep them coming and great job !
This is a great how to video,i replaced my intake gaskets using this as a reference thanks joe
Thank you so much for this vidieo it helpped me much . The hardest thing was trying to get the 10 mm distributor bolt out ,finaly got a 1/4 inch socket on it .Be sure to use a tork wrench I used one but broke the first new bolt that i went to torkx, so i had to take it all back off and get the brken bolt out ,also broke the oil sending sensor off back by the distributor when reinstalling 2nd time.But thanks i had no ideal what i was in for this made it so much easier.
wouldnt it be best to buy a new set of bolts to put in the intake? i heard they were like the head bolts.
Wow that's huge! Thank you! I'm just a self taught backyard mechanic that means a lot coming from someone with major experience! I will be replacing intake bolts on the next one I do, hopefully I don't have to do one but you never know eh! This truck is still running/driving strong for my uncle as his daily driver been a few years now! Thank you and have a good one!
I actually think that the wires, the spark plugs, or the starter are hay-wiring...jk...I probably have to re-set the distributor. Thanks for the guidance, man:)
That actually would of been a good idea I didn't even think about it, I just cleaned the bolts up and put them back in, and the truck is still running great to this day, my uncle is very satisfied with the job. And he is a professional mechanic for over 35 years now I believe, he just wasn't in shape to tackle this after breaking his ankle. If I get any more of these to do I'll get new intake bolts thanks! :) Cheers! I don't THINK they are like head bolts but they are prolly weak yes!
glad to see you used the good gaskets.
I've been working o GM vehicles since the mid 1960's and I just wanted to say you done a good job with this video. I do agree with new bolts on the manifold too.
I agree, I didn't even think about buying new ones, I will be next time if there is a next time for me an a 4.3 that comes my way, I'm sure there will be!
OMG just today I found this same problem on my 01 S10. Coolant from the same spot. This video just saved my butt! Nice work and thanks so much. Out of curiosity it just started knocking around the same time as the leak. Any thoughts?
I thought your not suppose to use engine foam cleaner on the plenum or any thing plastic or am I incorrect in that thought?
the pcv cover ya mention at the 13:58 mark,does it just twist off??
Thanks for taking the time to record this video and post it. I did mine today and this video was a big help.
@dirtymoney765 hey man, I'm sorry I don't give out any numbers, just gonna be straight up honest. when you are putting it back together though it really lines up nice, all the vacuum lines, fuel lines, everything usually just lines right up, all the wiring falls back into place right by the sensor it needs to be plugged into, and no 2 plugs are the same so that helps a lot as well. best of luck, if you have any questions hit me with em and I'll do my best to respond quick
@mostshockingtrutv hmmm... milky oil, typically a head gasket or really badly blown intake manifold gasket. dig into it and you should be able to tell if it's intake gaskets, if it doesn't appear to be the intake do the head gaskets. a trick, pull all the spark plugs, fill it with coolant, pressure test the radiator, see of coolant flows from any of the plug holes! if it does blown head gasket, if not betting on intake gaskets! good luck man! cheers
Thank you for your post and expertise! I will be doing new intake bolts next time I do a job on one of these, I just didn't know they were like a stretch bolt, now I know, thank you! So far this truck is working just fine my uncle still is driving it and no issues! Cheers!
How much did you pay for your Intake Manifold gasket? Mine needs to be replaced on my 01 sierra with the 4.3
Thanks for the detailed video. I have a 4.3 vortec, which is a bit backwards. I might have to change out my lower intake gaskets due to coolant leak and figure I will change the valve cover gaskets too. It's nice to see that the upper intake/plenum can come off in one giant assembly. We just replaced the spider injectors and upper intake gasket, and I don't want to pull that apart again if I don't have to. Thanks again.
How`s the project going? Will be replacing the same gaskets too.
I am waiting for a thermostat to get delivered. First I was having coolant leaking from a crack in the radiator, right above the upper oil coolant line, and luke-warm air coming out of defrost. Replaced the radiator and over flow tank, flushed the heater core. Then the engine started leaking like a siv and over heated once for about 5min (it's never over heated). I was initially thinking my leak might have been a small pin-size hole in the heather core hose, after the flush. So I decided to change all my hoses and thermostat since my engine was never reaching temp. But after getting my Thermostat off, I now see coolant pooled on the rear the engine near the distributor and near the heater core hose that attaches to the water pump. Vehicle has 194K miles.
At this point I"m pretty sure its the lower intake seal, but for formality sake I'm thinking of getting the t-stat and new hoses back on and pressure testing it, since it's basically free.
I think the intake gaskets will be easy, just a lot of disconnecting. I live in Denver, and we just had 6in of snow and sub-zero temps this weekend....
I'll let you know my thoughts on the intake seal in the next few days when I start to dismantle everything.
Bart Black For me I believe it`s a bad thermostat sensor that caused it with mine. I`m guessing whoever had it didn`t know shit about cars or anything so never noticed it`s been reading low. I just got a fox body while ago with 197k on it so ill be replacing everything along with a new radiator when I can.I`m hoping they just turn into 2 day projects for me since i only work a few days a week.
btw, I started the lower intake gasket project. I have about 12hrs into it and have the intake cleaned and ready to go back on. I was hoping to get it back on today, but I wanted to clean up the bolt holes/threads. Really, the project is not that bad. For me it is overy complicated because it's cold outside and I have to do everything in my apartment complex parking lot. So when it gets dark at 5pm and drops down to 30F, I tend to stop. I was scraping gaskets off on my apt kitchen floor last night....someday I'll have a garage.
Bart Black Honestly doesn`t sound bad time wise. I have the same issue with working on cars since I don`t have one either, I just have a dirt driveway that`s inclined so I usually park it on the side of the yard on the grass.
I hear you, yeah the hardest part is making sure you get the distributor in the correct place, just mark the postion of the rotor on the firewall and don't turn the engine over at all while it's out and it will drop right back in where you marked it, and you can't rotate the distributor at all it has a 10mm bolt that just goes in to hold it, that's it, no rotation, it's electronically controlled timing on this motor. If you just take your time and mark things well it'll be just fine! Cheers!
yeah that was my first time tearing into the 4.3 vortec and it wasn't too bad! save yourself the money and have fun doing it yourself! win! :D yep you can get it done in 2-3 days tops! :D
are those metal intake manifold gaskets? where did you get those?
can i do like many thumbs up my dude... i need to do my s10 and feel a lil better about it... two days?
Do you have to drain all the coolant from the engine?
Joel, If you don't have your own shop, You deserve to have one. You are very specific and clear. Could not have done my job without ya. Thanks Joel.
@JoelsBackYard welcome ! i actually have just been able to determine where the ks is, at the back of the block near to the distributor, very pain to get to .. i wanna ask you on this fix, did you take off the engine's heads while the engine still in place !? i do not think you ever said in the video !. is it even possible to service your engine heads while the engine is not taken out !?. i want to do some service on an overheated engine just like yours , i wanna be sure if that possible. thanks.
@paspartoogmc the 1/2 inch bead is in the valley plate area and then put a little more sealant up on the gasket to make sure the valley plate gets sealed fully the end seals, you just do the beads and then keep the bead going for 1/2 inch onto the gasket, not on top of the gasket all the way around correct. thanks for the feedback :)
very good! I'm in about the same boat as you, I've done a little of everything but had never done one of these till this one rolled in and needed it done, Cheers glad you were able to do it!
@JoelsBackYard hey man i dont know what i did but now i have a check engine light on . i scanned it and got code p1345 . saying camshaft to crankshaft position correlation fault...... what could i have done to cause this to happen? any ideas?
Just a little trick. When you get to the e8 socket part, if you don't have an e8 socket, put another nut on it, loosen the original nut until it tightens against the nut you put on, and wrench the whole thing right out. No e8 required. Worked great for me. No boogered threads, good 2 go.
Im pleased to say i have mine being done in the shop right now. Recovering from throat surgery and dont feel like getting my hands dirty with this stupid gasket :)
Just got it done on mine 365 bucks at the shop. Chevy dealer wanted 600
One thing you might ask or do go pick up the parts or self. auto shops charge you for part pick up. I did it on mine. auto store right in the town
Rockauto was $25.79 for the gaskets and $18.55 for new manifold bolts
how do you pressure test the radiator?
is it a truck or blazer and is it 2WD or 4WD??
HAVE TO SAY THIS VIDEO HELPED ME OUT SO MUCH THANK YOU TRUCK RUNS GREAT NE LEAKS THKS
THANKS MAN THIS SURE HELPED ALOT
could this cause the engine to run rich?
@blue03r6 always! I don't wanna do it again so do it right the first time! cheers!
good job. thats a big job. thanks for posting the video.
Thank you for the video! This will be a great help when I do my intake this weekend.
Probably a good idea, but if you don't want to drain it all, take it down to at least half a radiator, you really don't want to pull the intake and have coolant gush down into your engine then you need to do an oil change as well haha! Best to just drain it all and be safe! If the vehicle blew the intake gaskets then most likely it needs a good flush anyway. Cheers!
@udontnoeme05 yes they are rubber injected metal gaskets. I actually got them at autozone, but they are just felpro gaskets. work good!
mine's leaking in the same exact spot. (98 s10 with X VIN 4.3)
Again thank you for all of your help for everyone out there having this issue! That's why I made this video just to help out as best as I could, if I ever have another one I will be making a better video! Thank you for sticking your neck out there with your phone number to text and ask questions. That is very cool! I hope people do not abuse that privilege you gave them. Thank you for being a good honest mechanic! Cheers!
@8020johndeereseries it was I believe 80 for the lower intake gasket kit. the gaskets aren't too expensive, make sure you get the good felpro gaskets or good dealer gaskets. I really liked the rubber felpro gaskets, very well designed!
I didn't make it out to be easy, I said it looks easier than I was expecting. I thought I had to go much deeper in the engine to fix the problem. It ended up taking me 2 days and the fix has yet to fail after about 45,000 miles since I did the job.
Im kinda curious, it seems like the most difficult part of this tear down is the marking and lining up of the dist. Does that make sense to you? Not really familiar with the GM motors as this is my DD and I don't do much wrenching on it. lol
My s10 p/u needs this lovin... Thanks for the vid... Ittl make this way easier
very valuable video !! thank you for it ! do you have any idea where the knock sensor is located in this engine ?!! i wish you tell me where specifically because i have been having hard times to find it . thanks again .
Sweet glad it helped you out! Yes I will be replacing the intake bolts as well the next one I do! Cheers!
Nope :) IIRC you just rotate the pulley to get through it if it blocks any bolts, it's been a while since I did this job but I know I didn't remove the power steering pulley, Cheers!
Great job for it being your first time. You've inspired me to save the money and do it myself.
Rad video! Helped out a lot!
This was really helpful! I'll be doing this on my 2002 4.3 s10 motor this week. If you happen to be in Chicago, feel free to stop by and help. Lol!
So I just ran through this job - Took me two Sundays more or less, with most of that time being disassembly.
I spent an hour or more searching through youtube videos for a how-to video, and yours was far and away the best one. Thanks much, Joel - You saved me untold hours of headaches!
dont forget to note O2 sensor safe rtv. since your dealing with the engine
@GodofThunder66 I believe so, been a while since I worked on this truck. it has been running great ever since the rebuild!!! but if I remember correctly it either twists off or pinches and lifts off!
@jfgoodrow are you sure all the bolts are fully out, all wire connectors are off, hoses, distributor is fully out and everything? fuel lines disconnected? just go around and trace everything making sure everything is all nice and disconnected, after you verify that give it a firm wiggle and see if that pops it loose, they can be stuck on there good sometimes!
Sounds like you got it going good with some fresh head gaskets, rebuilt the heads, that's awesome man, yeah that sensor is a tough one to get out by the looks of it! Cheers!
i get told dex cool was good for it. so its bad? i got a headgasket leak. im fixing with DKE head gasket sealer.
this video is very informal and I used it to guide me on my 2000 S10 with the same engine, the 4.3 V6, and I took it one step further and did head gaskets as well as intake gaskets.
Makes it teal easy if you take the distributor out first, then you can access the fuel lines easy and have plenty of room to maneuver a regular wrench.Although having a crows food made for future projects Good Video!!
The manifold seems to be stuck at the distributor. HELP!!
@TeDuaMalakie I actually didn't dig down where the knock sensor is located I do believe it's going to be along the bottom sides of the block somewhere but I really don't have any idea where it is, might try a component location chart for it. Thanks for the positive feedback :)
If you loosen your radiator cap slightly you de-pressurize the system and it wont leak, Its a temporary fix but your coolants boiling point lowers.
This is common on the 4.3 liters
I would leave the stud for the p/s in place and pull the pump and bracket away from the engine and leave it on the stud, easier to align later.
Before unbolting the distributor would mark the base and intake so you have the distributor orientated correctly when reinstalled, would also mark the lip of the dist. right where the rotor Is pointed.
would put a dab of silicone in each of the 4 corners where the heads and end seals meet before putting in the new gaskets.
Before installing the intake ALWAYS check each intake port and water crossover to make sure no debris has fallen inside. If you have compressed air available blow out the intake ports.
Best way to install the intake is to put a stud in the front left and right intake bolt holes in the head, this way you will be lined up and not have to adjust the intake forward or backward. This helps make sure you don't ruin the silicone bead end seals.
Nice job of actually cleaning up the parts!!! Shows you have pride in the work you do. Guys who brag about how fast they can do a job rarely ever clean anything.
Thank you JoelsBackYard, Your vid is awesome and very professional. You were a GREAT help to me. Thanks Again for your upload. Greatly appreciated, made my job soooo much easier. Thanks again Joel. Best of wishes to you and yours.
where ya located? ive got a 98 thats overheating, but the water pump is fine, so i'm thinking its the intake gaskets... still blows hot air, thats for sure. any ideas?
Hey ! what did you use to clean the upper intake and throttle body and did you use sea foam after re-assmbly ? This couldn't of happened to me except n0w in 1oo degree weather lol. Great Video !
@seniorjohnl that's good to know! I wasn't sure so I just took it out no big deal really but good to know thanks!!!
great video
@ironsidesaz I was hoping it would help someone out at least! :D well check the oil, if it's milky and looks like a mocha then coolant got mixed in with your oil and could of gotten all up in the lifters and rod and main bearings, so start by checking the oil and all that carefully and good luck doing the lower intake gaskets man! cheers!
Oil filler tube removal- turn tube 1/4 turn CC. Comes off just like the oil fill cap.
Bad call on using V-8 specs for torque. Anyone doing this job, get an in/lb torque wrench and follow specs for the 4.3 Vortec. Using a ft/lb torque wrench for 10 ft/lbs is NOT EVEN just barley better than nothing. Final torque is 132 in/lbs. Use an in/lb torque wrench only. ft/lb torque will NOT be accurate at that low setting. You'll likely over torque and possibly break off a bolt. You can borrow an in/lb torque wrench from most auto parts stores. If you do mechanical work, just by one. Be sure to turn the wrench slow and steady. Low torques are easy to mess up. Do it right.
good video...I enjoyed watching it. i'll be doing this next weekend but im also going to replace the spider fuel injector
0 ok ! I'm not gonna lie man you had me on the edge of my seat towards the end of the vide0 lol. I was like " N0 WAIT " Looking for part 2 and shit lol. I'm sure it's operating well. Is your GM a straight gear or automatic? I followed your advice and did this work on a 2oo2 LS Blazer 4x4. Though for some reason this motor didn't have a EGR Valve or EGR Exhaust tube so it made it a little easier. Werid th0 since i thought every engine had one. Thanks again! It helped my dumb ass out al0t !
You also want to mark the distributor housing to the intake just marking the rotor button won't get it back in time. These motors have to be set with a computer of you don't get the distributor back in the same spot. I think you're only allowed + or - 1 degree.
What size of socket did you use to take the intake manifold bolts out.Also do i have to take the air out of the fuel lines.
Great vid kid.
I am having trouble with the AC compressio bracket do you take the pully off it's the 2001 chevy S10 V6
@cartoonist1975 Hey thanks man! I used brake clean to get all the oily carbon gunk off that upper intake there but sea foam would work just as good I would think!
good job for the first time!! but you made too much work of the fuel lines... take them off at the injector and remove the bolt attaching the fuel lines to the intake,,, they will simply flex up enough for R&R of upper & lower intake as an assy. once you have done a few it takes less then 2.5 to 3 hours. depending on clean up & possible milk
shake. Milk shake or oil and coolant mixing have great potential for a short lived engine. may last for a while but may start to knock or worse! flush oil
@paulsjunkcars thanks man! yeah it was a pretty good job time and work wise. a few day project. no problem thanks for watching!!!
I broke the vacuum line coming out of the top intake directly above the #3 cylinder Can't find where it goes Lots of vacuum Truck idles like crap But if I plug that line off it runs great.
did you use rtv on the upper intake? I put rtv on my upper intake and i think i have a vaccum leak
+bigcartoonyIIV He was specific to show ample use of RTV sealant to front and rear of lower intake manifold. Your vaccum leak is most likely at upper intake manifold or vaccum line(s) not attached, leaking or broken. Joel's good. Hope this helps.
+bigcartoonyIIV Do not use any gasket sealers to upper intake manifold gaskets. Just make sure you torque your upper intake manifold gaskets to their proper torque and proper sequense
Thanks I fig that out. I had to cut all of it off. I still think I have a leak somewhere, because evey now and then my check enginlight comes on
thanks so much great job
How much would a job like this go for?
This^^^^^^^^^!! Great job!
These motors are great unfortunately I have to do this job too but this was it's first time leaking after 400K Miles and it still gets about 23 mpg