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try a drywall blade and cut all excess sealant that you can get to. Dont use a screwdriver to pry,try to drive a sharp putty knife to cut/break the seal.It should be thin enough to cut the gasket/sealant and not gouge the metal.Work all around and it will eventually break loose. Once it is somewhat broke loose,use a WIDE prybar to gently pry it up.Once the seal has started to break loose,use even pressure and it should come loose without breaking anything. hope it works for you.
This is the exact reason why you DO NOT want to use sealant as a 'gasket' on an intake manifold. Properly manufactured gaskets will release.....silicone won't.
I keep a handful of hardwood wedges in the toolbox for these stubborn jobs. I tap a few in between the intake and the block and that usually does the trick.
Yeah, do what Jebby says; it's not hard to miss one bolt, it's usually the one adjacent to the choke housing that gets buried in gunk and missed by me. :-)
I had a caravan ran like crap. Put intake on with sillycon cuz i was paranoid about vac leak. I was amazed at how hard to remove it was. Try acetone or laq thinner. Lil bit around edges.let it seep in.
Won't pop. Car will come off the ground first. Now, pull up like todd said and the rest of the slice-pry-carb cleaner, etc will work better. That china wall is a bigger more accessible gap. Get a razor knife or saw blade in there. Open that gap and that is also a stronger pry point.
O.P. didn't say there was NOT a gasket. Wait and see.
You can shove a short piece of broom handle into the waterneck and pry with the leverage.
I finaly got it off!!! I gave it a few beats with a hammer...
There were gaskets on there. I think that the intake gaskets have never been changed before. That's why it was so hard to take it off.
Won't pop. Car will come off the ground first. Now, pull up like todd said and the rest of the slice-pry-carb cleaner, etc will work better. That china wall is a bigger more accessible gap. Get a razor knife or saw blade in there. Open that gap and that is also a stronger pry point.
I've done it. Front end did lift, but manifold did come off before the car left the ground.
Here is a picture of the lifter valley.
Are there other things besides cleaning the 'manifold contact surfaces' that I best do before installing the new intake?
Maybe there are other things in the lifter valley that need attention?
The only sealant you need is some Ultra Black RTV for the corner joints and maybe for the end rails. Good gasket set will greatly reduce the need for any sealants.
I disagree. A light bead of RTV around all the ports and on the china walls is a must. If available, The Right Stuff by Permatex is wonderful.
Without a excellent seal at the intake, you run the risk of withdrawing oil mist out of the lifter valley, into the combustion chamber fouling your plugs and raising hell with your gas / air ratio.
And, you run the risk of a very hard to find vacuum leak resulting in the same outcome as mentioned.
Plus, the potential of coolant entering the oiling system or entering the intake ports.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Aug 14, 2019 at 06:30 PM.
I disagree. A light bead of RTV around all the ports and on the china walls is a must. If available, The Right Stuff by Permatex is wonderful.
Without a excellent seal at the intake, you run the risk of withdrawing oil mist out of the lifter valley, into the combustion chamber fouling your plugs and raising hell with your gas / air ratio.
And, you run the risk of a very hard to find vacuum leak resulting in the same outcome as mentioned.
Plus, the potential of coolant entering the oiling system or entering the intake ports.
Okay, I knew about the Right Stuff on the china walls. Thanks for reminding.
Do you mean the same RTV 22071 on ALL the ports (4 coolant passages AND the 8 intake ports).
Intake manifold stuck?!
Bubba! 
