Help with intake manifold gaskets.

[Represent316]

83 5.0l

I just had my intake manifold gaskets changed, And appearantly the guy did a bad job on it. So, Instead of taking it back to him, And fighting with him to make it right, I figured id step up to the plate, And do it myself.

The leak is on the Back side of the motor, by where the heads, intake manifold, and block all come together on the Pass side. What im HOPING happened, Is he used to stock rubber gaskets in the back [Which i heard is a bad idea], And didnt use any sealant on the corner's.

My problem, Is pulling the Distributor. Do i mark it at the base, Where it meets the intake manifold, AND at the top, Where the rotor's pointing? If i do this, theres no way i can put it back in wrong, correct?

Also, what is the torque spec's on these manifolds? I was reading on the edelbrock sight, and it was saying 25ftlbs for thier manifold's, Does this seem right? Can i use thier tighten pattern as well?

Im hoping it isnt the Head gasket, But i checked the Oil, And it isnt bubbly / milky, Dont smell sweet, Isnt over, or anything like that. Most the water thats leaking, end's up on my firewall by my heater core hoses.

Any help would be appreciate.

 

[Trannyman95]

Yeah definately not a good idea using the rubber or cork end seals with the intake gasket kits. I worked at an engine machine shop building engines for a while and a Fel Pro rep came by once and said that the only reason they include those end seals is to be OE compliant but he suggested not to use them and just use rtv on the ends, which is what they started doing from the factory anyways. 25 ft lbs sounds right to me and not sure on Edelbrocks sequence but it should be fine. Just start in the center and criss-cross back and forth and work your way to the ends. I have been using a GM sealant that comes in a tube that you use in a caulk gun and was made for the newer engines on the oil pan rails and is a heavier bodied silicone that works extremely well but this is within reach to most people so in that case I would suggest using the Ultra Black rtv which is also a little more tacky and dense than normal automotive rtv but honestly it doesnt really matter, just what I prefer to use. As far as the distributor it is best to do exactly what you mentioned. Put a mark on the base of the dist and the intake before you loosen it and also take the cap off the top and put a mark directly in line with where the rotor is pointing. Make sure you use something that wont wash or rub off with parts cleaner if you are going to clean the intake or you will be starting from scratch!

 

[Represent316]

Makes me feel a bit more confident doing it, Lol.
I got a Paint marker ready to go, And i do need to scrub the blue paint off the manifold. As well as take the Emission's junk off of it. Any way to put a secondary alt where the smog pump was?

 

[Represent316]

Now i found a 350 out of an 80's truck, with 25k miles on it, For $200.. I dunno what i want to do just yet, I still got 3 months before i can even drive it. Gives me plenty of time to swap. But i got a BIG project going with the car's interior, And stereo system at the moment.

 

[Uncletruck]

Spread some of the RTV around the coolant passages on both sides of the intake gaskets before putting it on. (You'll need to use some to tack the gaskets in place anyways.) Just about guarantees there will be no more coolant leaks there. Use a uniform 1/8" bead of RTV on the block in place of the rubber pieces.

-UT-