Wow, I started to drill down my TPI intake on my LB9 to replace the intake manifold gaskets to stop a small oil and coolant leak. Spent 1 hour monday draining oil, 1.5hr yesterday draining the radiator (stupid plastic drain plug! impossible), now 2hr today draining the engine block and taking off the throttle body. At this rate I should be done in 5 weeks All to save $1000.

At least I have the added benefit to spend my savings on replacing anything that looks suspect. Found an air hose to the TB that was ripped and siliconed, the knock sensor looks like crap and was plugged up with debris, an air line to the TB was disconnected, and the looms on the injector wiring is brittle.

 

It's better to take your time then to break something. It's not just your loom that's brittle, anything that's plastic will crumble on a car that age if you're too rammy with it.

And you will learn some shortcuts as you go. Of course the best way to drain the rad is to open the petcock. But if it's siezed, pulling the lower rad hose will dump the coolant in a hurry.

 

tell me about it, broken several interior plastic pieces in the last few years!

 

You should be able to do all that in about an hour :/

I do the oil and then I like to park in dirt or gravel, pull the lower radiator hose off from the radiator side, pull the coil plug and let it crank. I do all of this closer to my neighbors well then my own.

 

Got the intake off, was pretty easy once you get down to it. Just marked everything well and took lots of photos in the event I forget how I took it apart.

Guess the real test will be next week when I put it all back on!

 

Hello Dennis-Z28!!

Use a self-priming hand siphon, the type that you would use to siphon gas from someone's gas tank, to drain the coolant from the rad, remove the rad cap, place the tube into the rad cap opening, squeeze the self-priming gizmo until you get a flow of coolant, and drain until you don't want to drain any more, simple, no broken plastic parts, and no mess!!

 

A lot of times when something takes longer than it should doing work on a car, there is either a a much easier/better way to do it, or you don't have the right tools for the job, I speak from experience, still can't believe I waited as long as I did to buy a breaker bar....big mistake...
Also once you've done something once, its a LOT easier and quicker to do it again.

 

LOL... dumpin' glycol into your neighbors well, LMAO.. only in jersey

Back on topic.

ive felt the same way at times, the only thing more tedious than draining the fluids everytime youve gotta do something major is removing the exhaust...

 

2nd time around will be a cake walk.

Bought some gasket set today and it came with a distributor seal. My car did not have one when I took it apart but it is a replacement distributor from previous owner. Do I put it on? DO they normally have one?

local Lordco parts store also did not have a TB gasket set, fan temp switch, or a fuel pressure regulator diagphram/seal. Guess I will have to Summit those parts.

 

oh, also.. what do people use for sealing/locking the intake manifold bolts?

 

really? thats not right. your not supposed to dump antifreeze on the ground., might as well just dump the oil too then.

you realize its still going to get in your well, all the water come from the same place.

 

I think the well thing was an expression, and I would like to think that he doesn't just drain it on the ground, but almost always when you drain **** you spill some.