C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

L98 Intake gasket replacement

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Old 02-24-2009, 08:48 PM
  #21  
janarvae
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Originally Posted by joshwilson3
What does the Plenum get torqued to?

And know of any places like Autozone or Lowes that sell a torque wrench that gives you ft. lbs. and in. lbs. readings?
Get the 3/8" and 1/2" click-style torque wrench from Harbor Freight (HF). The 1/2" AutoZone one is definitely made by the same company (I rented the AutoZone days before I bought the HF one). They share the same packaging, have 95% the same design, and are the same quality. I also have a 1/2" and 3/8" beam type that I use to verify the calibration of the click-types.

I frequent the 'General Tool Discussion' section on garagejournal.com/forum. The majority of members who post in that section are professional mechanics in aviation to diesel. They swear by the HF torque wrenches being just as accurate, better values, and better longevity than Snap-On torque wrenches and the other truck brands. CLICK HERE for an ongoing thread with 20% off coupons to Harbor Freight. The current one goes until March 6th.

-Jonathan

Last edited by janarvae; 02-24-2009 at 08:51 PM.
Old 02-25-2009, 07:11 PM
  #22  
beerme
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Originally Posted by Harley Davidson
160* stat will be fine. My injectors are quite old(oringinal as well). Unless they are leaking, they should be fine. If you run a bottle of Techron Chevron fuel cleaner thru your gas tank, that would clean out any gunk. You shouldn't replace them unless they are causeing problems. There is a vendor on here who sells injectors for a good deal. You should contact him if your injectors do fail, or you decide to replace them before then. As long as you don't have the multecs you are in good shape! If your vacum lines are snapping, you should probably replace them with new ones from NAPA auto parts. Sorry but I do not have a diagram for them. What do you mean by "burn residue"? Oil, road grime, or burned gasket? My engine had lots of black burned on gunk all thru the engine bay and especially under the plenum and around the runners. Simple green will clean it off and not damage any parts.
The burn residue on the front of the runner appears to be a combination of grime and stuff but the gasket does have signs of burning. The rear gasket also shows signs of scorching as well.
Old 02-25-2009, 07:21 PM
  #23  
M.J.L.
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Originally Posted by beerme
The burn residue on the front of the runner appears to be a combination of grime and stuff but the gasket does have signs of burning. The rear gasket also shows signs of scorching as well.
Picture of scorched gasket?
Old 02-25-2009, 09:33 PM
  #24  
beerme
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I will take some pics tomorrow after work and get them uploaded.
Old 03-01-2009, 10:40 AM
  #25  
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I didn't get to the pictures, sorry. But I found out after getting the intake off, those ports are the ones which are blocked by the intake manifold gaskets.

Anyway I have a new problem and I need some advice.

In removing the electrical connectors from the injectors, the one on the passenger side by the firewall broke. The plastic clip snapped, anyway I found a replacement for 5 bucks, my question, can I just cut and splice or do I need to trace the wire back to its source for the replacement?
Old 03-01-2009, 11:39 AM
  #26  
Shaybob the builder
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Just finished my injector swap yeasterday on my 89 so it's fresh in the memory banks.

I prefer to cut the lines and solder the wires and use shrink wrap over the joint. Don't use acid core solder. It will corrode the copper.

It may be obvious to some, but don't install runners and then tighten them before installing plenum. Leave runners just barely loose and then install plenum. Get all plenum bolts finger tight before starting the torque sequence. Since the runners are offset on each side, starting to tighten these bolts first helps line everything up. Also, I torqued them in increments. I also went back and re-torqued them after the first heat-up and cool down cycle. (Several were already out of torque spec. ---gasket compression I guess.)

Make sure you pressure test the fuel rail BEFORE installing the runners and plenum. I had to take mine off three times due to a leaking injector. Finally inspected it with magnifying glass and found a little dent on the o-ring.

Tip-- If you break Torx socket(Like I did twice) Take a magnet and see if the pieces will come out. If not, gently tap on the bolt while the magnet is there. (Worked for me)

Lastly---Take your time as it goes back together. Double and triple check everything.
Old 03-01-2009, 11:45 AM
  #27  
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Just finished my injector swap yeasterday on my 89 so it's fresh in the memory banks.

I prefer to cut the lines and solder the wires and use shrink wrap over the joint. Don't use acid core solder. It will corrode the copper.

It may be obvious to some, but don't install runners and then tighten them before installing plenum. Leave runners just barely loose and then install plenum. Get all plenum bolts finger tight before starting the torque sequence. Since the runners are offset on each side, starting to tighten these bolts first helps line everything up. Also, I torqued them in increments. I also went back and re-torqued them after the first heat-up and cool down cycle. (Several were already out of torque spec. ---gasket compression I guess.)

Make sure you pressure test the fuel rail BEFORE installing the runners and plenum. I had to take mine off three times due to a leaking injector. Finally inspected it with magnifying glass and found a little dent on the o-ring.

Tip-- If you break Torx socket(Like I did twice) Take a magnet and see if the pieces will come out. If not, gently tap on the bolt while the magnet is there. (Worked for me)

Lastly---Take your time as it goes back together. Double and triple check everything.
Old 04-28-2009, 10:00 AM
  #28  
Dolfan
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I've got the TB, Plenum and driver side runners off. I couldn't get the two bottom bolts off the runners without removing the valve covers? Is that normal. God, I think getting the valve cover off was the big pain! The injector wiring harness that runs down the inside has no slack, I finally followed that up to the front of the motor where it plugs in and disconnected it so I could hang it back onto the windshield area. Is that the normal process, or am I just taking the long road!

I don't mind a little extra time just prefer not to damage anything as it comes apart.
Old 04-28-2009, 10:40 AM
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GKK
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The Valve covers don't need to be removed but, since they're already removed you can paint them.

Last edited by GKK; 04-28-2009 at 10:44 AM.
Old 04-28-2009, 11:02 AM
  #30  
Dolfan
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I did want to repaint the valve covers so it wasn't an issue to remove them, but I just couldn't get to the bottom two Torx on the runner either! I'm using a Torx bit that has a 3/8 socket end so maybe that is part of the issue? The end of the bit is about 1/2 around that area when it meets the socket extension.

Maybe I'll look for another set of Torx that are smaller diameter.

With all the wiring at the back of the engine there isn't much extra room to maneuver the covers out of there!
Old 01-06-2012, 04:33 PM
  #31  
norman19
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hi i replaced all intake with edelbrock intake hi flo runners edlebrock gaskets. and having a big problem with vacumn leaks, this is the 3rd time, took picks notes and did not hurry the process any sugjestons?
Old 01-06-2012, 05:24 PM
  #32  
John A. Marker
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You should have started a new thread...this one is 2009.

But to answer your question...I would suggest that you test fit all parts before you bolt them into place. I don't know about your runners, but some manufactures make a Right and Left side runner that are difficult to tell apart. SO....are you sure you have the runners on correctly? Next I would use "The Right Stuff" on all gasket surfaces. It will be a bitch to take apart, but it should seal off everything.

Have you been able to identify where the leaks are located?
Old 05-09-2015, 03:07 AM
  #33  
91xor6ist
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Originally Posted by janarvae
Use Permatex "The Right Stuff" gasket maker for the front and rear of the intake, making sure to go up onto the heads a little on each side. You must work fast with this stuff though. However, there is no need to be worried about letting it set overnight and blowing out the RTV like with other materials.

Use copper rtv, smeared with your finger, around the coolant ports of the heads and do it also on the top of the gaskets. Buy the Fel-Pro TPI gasket kit from AutoZone. It will include the intake gaskets, EGR gaskets, fuel rail o-rings, etc. Open up a rewards card at AutoZone if you haven't already.

Buy a very good torx bit for the intake/head bolts. I broke the 4 corner bolts and spent a month digging out the extractors that snapped inside them. Change out your intake bolts to grade 8 hex heads (they are SAE threads!!!) or use a die on your old bolts if you didn't snap them or strip them a bit. Before you remove the intake-cylinder head bolts, use some sort of penetrating fluid, like PB blaster, or better yet, Kroil. Be very careful with these bolts, they are steel bolts in aluminum. I heli-coiled the 4 corner bolts and ended up heli-coiling the rest of the intake bolts as well. The heli-coil is a stainless steel spring/thread insert that will be much stronger than the soft aluminum.

Install a new water pump while you're there.

Put ANTI-SIEZE ON EVERY BOLT!! The only ones without antisieze should be those that go into the coolant ports, and these should have some Permatex silicone thread sealer (available at NAPA).

Use a center punch and 'dimple' the rear and front china walls (front and rear of the intake), and the underside of the intake manifold. This will give some texture for the gasket maker to grab onto.

Label EVERY SINGLE BOLT!!! The plenum-runner bolts (T-40 or T-35) are all different lengths!! I took a piece of cardboard, made a bolt schematic, and then punched a hole for each bolt with a #2 phillips. Then you just put each bolt in the cardboard as you remove them. In addition to this, take pictures with your digital camera. If you'd like, I can post a how-to thread later tonight with some of the hundreds (literally) of pictures I have from when I did it.

Buy a Lisle Razor Blade Scraper from SEARS. It's worth its weight in gold for removing old gasket material.

When you have all the intake bolts removed, you can stick a pipe into a runner and pry upwards. Do this on both sides and you'll hear the intake seal break. You can also use a pry bar to pop the injectors/fuel rail out of the manifold.

If I think of anything else, I'll post.

-Jonathan
hi i know this thread is old but would you still happen to have those photos? i plan to do this project this weekend and could use some help.
also i did my fuel injectors awhile back and unfortunately didnt mark where the different size bolts went. i ended up having to take a guess.
the car runs but i want to do this job the right way. thanks



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