Cadillac Owners Forum banner

Replacing intake manifold gaskets, please help.

2K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  madmike69 
#1 ·
I have an '89 Brougham that leaks coolant from the intake manifold. I think this is something I can do myself. I have taken the carb off, apart and put it back together again. What do you guys think? Is this worth trying to do myself? The dealership quoted me $640 over the phone and the shop I normally go to said it could be between $350-$700. How long should this take me? This is my daily driver, so I am going to have to rent a car until I get it back on the road. Thanks for any help.
 
#2 ·
You can do it yourself. Buy the gasket set from the parts place on a Friday after work. Pick up a gasket scraper, and a can of brake cleaner, a couple of jugs of coolant, and some good RTV. Don't rent a car. Get up early on a Saturday morning, mark all your connections, and swap it out! Going slow, you will be done before supper.
 
#3 ·
That engine tended to corrode the surface of the intake manifold where the coolant crosses over under the thermostat area so look very closely at the condition of the intake manifold sealing surface. If deeply pitted, resurfacing might be the only way to get a good seal again. Occurs from lack of changing coolant every 2 years.
 
#5 ·
You will need a friend to help you put the intake back on if you leave the distributor on. I took my time so it took my aboout 3 days. But all and all it's a 4 hour job if you don't take a brake every 15 mins like i did :D. I'm glad I did my intake gasket on my 84 307 because this is what it looked like.

Shot at 2008-03-09
 
#6 ·
Am I missing something here? I am being quoted $20-$25 for the gasket set. This does not sound right after being quoted at least $350 for the job. Is it all one piece? I want to make sure I get the right parts before my car is immobile and I am stuck riding my bike around town. Should I go with the set from the dealership or is the one from NAPA just as good? Thanks again.
 
#7 · (Edited)
It will come with a vally pan and 3 rubber strips. I got a felpro one from autozone. Also it will come with some Rv. But buy some more Rv because that little tube will not be enough.
http://www.partsamerica.com/productdetail.aspx?MfrCode=FEL&MfrPartNumber=MS96027 <------- aka advance auto.

I was just shock at how easy it was, also change your oil about 20miles after you change the intake gasket. The main thing is conneting the vacuum lines back up
 
#9 ·
man, you are so damn right !! :thumbsup:

we did that 2 weeks ago on my 88 307.
Label all hoses and wires with masking tape, unscrew the compressor
and the job will be easy. you don´t have to pull out the distributor.
it will be more easy if you have an elevator
to lift the car up to drain the coolant and disconnect the knock sensor...:thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
After a long weekend, I have replaced my intake gaskets. Thanks to those who gave advice. Does it make any sense that my car seems to idle smoother after the fix?

This event was not without incident though. The first gasket kit I purchased was incomplete. Somehow the clip on the detent cable that connects to the carb fell off the detent cable. This took some time to fix, but with a little "this may work" it is back on and working. I now have a coolant lead from the feeder hose that drops down over the thermostat, but this should be a fairly easy fix compared to the last two days.

All in all, it took me about 12 hours of actually working on the car to get it done. This includes "fixing" the detent cable, replacing the distributor cap, taking lots of pics, labeling all but a few vaccum lines, making a few phone calls and double checking everything. I could do it again in less than a day, if I had to.

Could someone explain to me how to remove the compressor? I had to take the distributor off, actually a good thing since the cap needed to be replaced, but if I have to do this again, I would like to know.
 
#11 ·
congratz !

It does make sense, that the car runs smoother, now. Had the same problem ---> leaks...

Do not disconnect the compressor lines. Just remove the bolts, pull out the supporting plate which holds the compressor
and carefully support it a few inches away. That is enough distance to allow you to remove the intake.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top