Alright, I need to clear up a couple of the many things I've been told recently.

First, the lower intake seal has one or two on again/off again tiny leaks, off again for 6 months now, but... I asked a shop about changing the seal as occasionally a tiny bit of coolant would leak onto the outside of the engine and pool in one or 2 of the depressions on either side of the engine(hasn't in about 6 months now though). The engine has about 105k miles on it as well. I was told that replacing the seal was useless without replacing the lower intake as well due to warpage and the new seals would just need to be replaced in 6 months because of this. Now, this was only with a visual inspection of the engine, nothing came off. Is this correct in any sense and short of the "might as well just replace the intake with x brand anyway" <which I prolly will do when it comes off> I'm just curious if this is factual or a big load.

The second bit comes from another source about a previous Trans Am that had to have valves/rockers/etc replaced. I was told on that one that replacing those on a high mile engine was pointless because of the wear on the ?cam? I think it was. The new parts would wear poorly and very quickly without replacing the ?cam? as well. Fact or fiction?

 

the intake sealing system consist of four seals, or two pairs of seals. if you take it apart to replace one you replace them all, which is also how they come packaged. as for the parts wearing on the cam none of the contact the cam. the cam does actuate them but replacing them wouldn't cause any undue wear. you may be a bit confused o nthe seals, there isn't anything i'd call a lower intake seal, more like two runner seals (or long ones) and two end seals. nothing really lower than anything else about the intake.

 

Yeah, that's pretty much what I was referring to about the seals. I've never actually had them off in any car I've owned and didn't realize there was was more than one. I've seen a hundred opened engines, you'd think I would notice this little fact, lol. So basically if I had all the seals replaced, they wouldn't be leaking in 6 months again? As far as I can tell, in the seal was broken in one of the front corners(front of the engine). So what I was told about the intake needing to replaced due to warpage/pitting/whatever wasn't accurate right?

As for lower, I meant what bolts to the engine block, not the tpi/throttle body setup that bolts to the intake. I've always called it lower and upper(upper being tpi) for some odd reason, but I'm quite sure that's about as incorrect as you can get. lol

 

you intake could be warped, you'd have to check it to know. your intake most likely is pitted, they all are but the pits usually doesn't lead to leaks. you can't tell if it's warped by looking. i'll bet it isn't warped. ok i understand your lower intake. i think the correct way to say it would be runners and lower or manifold. guess i was stuck in the 60s thinking carb intakes.

 

Your lower intake is leaking coolant? Weather you need to replace it is a matter you won`t know until it`s removed. The aluminum surface can corode to the point that it won`t hold a new gasket any longer. You have two options if this is true...one is to replace it. The other is to fill the void in your original manifold with weld and resurface....money or elbow grease choose your weapon. You may just need a new gasket:lala:

 

In the majority of cases a professional mechanic will bid a job and include parts that may not be nessecary, just to play it safe. Because something a mechanic doesn't want to happen is to have to re-do a job.
It doesn't nessecarily mean that the guy is trying to shaft you. He's just trying to stay in business.
It's really difficult to know what problems are waiting on the inside of a high mileage engine, or anything mechanical, til you open it up. Yet the customer wants to know before the mechanic begins work, what the cost of the repair will be.
I've seen that business through the eyes of the mechanic and the customer as well.
And to me, it's a stick that's dirty on both ends, that's why I do my own work now.