Well I'm back again, here's my new problem I've been finding oil spots in my driveway where-ever I park my car (91 Firebird V6, 3.1 Liter TPI with auto-trans) Reading through posts on here I concluded that the intake manifold is leaking oil. I removed the air intake and the distributor cap and stuck my finger down behind the intake to the top of the block and wouldn't you know it I stuck my finger right in a puddle of oil. Here's my question is this going to be a easy fix for someone who has never removed and intake before? Or would I be better off paying a mechanic to do this for me and about how much do you think it would cost? My friend keeps telling me that I should just part the car out and sell it that way, I think he is smoking crack, but that's my opinion vs his. Please O' guru's of thirdgen help me?

 

It's not that bad if you're comfortable spinning a wrench. Just drain the coolant first, get new gaskets, clean everything well, and follow the bolt tightening order and torque specs.

 

thank you for your input, guess I'm going to give it a try, $25 is a lot cheaper than paying somebody up to $500 to do this. Is it common for a car with a leaking intake to leave puddles of oil though?

 

if the leak is bad enough, anything is possible. Only way to learn how to do things to your own cars is to try it out. I just ended up doing my first intake swap with great success. Just remember among using the correct tightening pattern, use some Black RTV sealant for the front and back ends, but also when installing the gaskets put some of the RTV sealant around every water port in the intake, it will help seal the intake and will help tack it in place to that when you go to put the intake back on it doesn't slide around. Good luck!

 

Well I've gotten as far as removing the air intake, throttlebody, air intake plenum, and the valve covers (which by the way were the biggest bitch) Now I'm looking at removing the intake manifold any input on an easy way to remove the intake since it is sealed on the block pretty damn good, once again will be appreciated.

 

One more thing before I head off to bed (no pun intended there) does anybody know of a easy way to remove carbon scoring from inside of the air intake plenum?

 

Somebody please help?

 

intake should be pretty simple, only thing that holds it is 8 bolts on each side (16 total) attatching it to the heads. Then you need a crowfoot wrench head and socket breaker bar with extension to get the distributor hold down bracket out, remove the distributor, and i believe once you remove all that (disconnect the throttle cable bracket and such), you are just about done, you may need to get something extremely flat to pry it apart, but you need to be careful not to hurt the casting of the intake or the block or it will leak.
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there is an intake spray cleaner, worked pretty well, carb cleaner works great for the buildup as well. Between that and a brass brissle brush you are pretty much set.

 

p.s. you didn't have to remove the valve coveres to remove the intake, at least not when i did it. Then again mine was a 5.0L, not 3.1 so i can't speak from experience, just assumption of design.

 

Fortunelaty I did have to remove them, because I found out there were no gaskets on the valve covers. Now I found out I have to take the lifters off because the rods go right through the middle of the plenum gaskets.
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I mean the rocker arms, not lifters

 

i forgot you had a 6...there should be 12 total bolts total holding the intake to the heads.

 

snap on makes a tool to remorve the pushrods with out taking off the rockers. and also there are 4 longer pushrods get them back in the right spot i belive one on each corner.

 

I'm back again, and I might have just found the answer to my question from the last post on here. But, here goes anyway's I got the top end of my engine back together and someone had told me, since I removed the rocker arms my valves need to be re-adjusted. So I start the bird up (and yes she fired right up), but I'm getting a very faint ticking from the engine, kinda like a watch ticking. I've read a couple books on adjusting the valves, but the books aren't very helpful for a amateur DIY talking about setting the cam to the 0 position, how do I do this? Please help once again o guru's of thirdgen?

 

Should be 6 longer pushrods. One for each cylinder. The exhaust and intake use different lengths.

 

Actually I believe that they are all the same length, even the parts store only sells one part # related to the push rod

 

Hey, woah, are you sure it's the intake gasket leaking? Too late now I guess, but replacing it couldn't hurt. Probly will help anyway.

The number one cause of oil leaks on a 60*V6 motor from the back is not the intake... not the rear main seal.. nothing as hard as any of those. When I got my first thirdgen, an '87 2.8 liter, I went through this exact same thing.

The problem ended up being the o-ring that goes on the distributor shaft. It was old and flat, and allowing oil to leak badly. Enough to make a foul-smelling cloud behind me all over town (leaked onto y-pipe), and use a quart of oil every 200 miles.

Pull the dizzy, put a new o-ring on it also during this ordeal. For extra insurance, buy yourself another seal for a small-block chevy also. O-ring goes on the shaft, 2/3 of the way up or so. SBC seal goes between the lip of the dizzy and the base of the intake manifold. O-rings suck, leak too easy, so snag a gasket for a SBC and double your protection.

Betcha dollars to donuts that's at least part of the problem, based on your description of the issue.

 

you sure about that? the 3.1 2.8 3100 3400 flavor in all the other gm cars has intake and exhaust pushrods of different lengths. they go at angles, and use the gaskets for guides? All that seem familiar? Lay out all your push rods and see.