Intake Gasket-88'
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
From: WI.
St. Jude Donor '11
Intake Gasket-88'
Had the 88' in the shop for some work and had them check a slight fluid leak on top of the engine. They called and said it looks like the intake gasket is starting to go and that is causing a little antifreeze to get on top of the engine.
Wondered if anyone here has dealt with this and what it will cost. They will have an estimate when I pick it up, but I was wondering what to expect.
Thanks,
John
Wondered if anyone here has dealt with this and what it will cost. They will have an estimate when I pick it up, but I was wondering what to expect.
Thanks,
John
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Intake Gasket-88' (jpc88)
Get ready to reach into your wallet, deeply.
The gasket set is about $30, but the labor will be a killer; expect something in the $500 range. A good Vette guy could do it in maybe 6-8hrs and at $65/hr...well you see what I mean.
The gasket set is about $30, but the labor will be a killer; expect something in the $500 range. A good Vette guy could do it in maybe 6-8hrs and at $65/hr...well you see what I mean.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 5,297
Likes: 0
From: Stamford VT
Re: Intake Gasket-88' (M2001)
I think $500 is a little high. There's no reason a good mechanic can't do it in 4 to 5 hours. Drain coolant. Pull plenum, yank runners & distributer. Unhook fuel lines, pull manifold off. Install new gaskets, put stuff back on.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
From: WI.
St. Jude Donor '11
Re: Intake Gasket-88' (Jim85IROC)
Thanks for the input, everyone. I have a call into another shop and will get another estimate before I do anything.
The dealer said they would have to order the gasket anyway, and I would prefer to wait until after Stars & Stripes next week so the car isn't in the shop when the caravan drives through.
Is there a big risk of doing more damage to the engine if I put it off for a couple of weeks? Doesn't look like alot of antifreeze leaking yet.
Thanks again,
John
The dealer said they would have to order the gasket anyway, and I would prefer to wait until after Stars & Stripes next week so the car isn't in the shop when the caravan drives through.
Is there a big risk of doing more damage to the engine if I put it off for a couple of weeks? Doesn't look like alot of antifreeze leaking yet.
Thanks again,
John
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 90,675
Likes: 304
From: SE NY
Cruise-In II Veteran
Re: Intake Gasket-88' (jpc88)
Wipe off the fluid and see how fast it builds up again. If it's been a slowly progressing issue a week shouldn't make much difference.
BTW, for this kind of job I'd look to quality vs cost, assuming the prices are not too far apart.
BTW, for this kind of job I'd look to quality vs cost, assuming the prices are not too far apart.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 5,297
Likes: 0
From: Stamford VT
Re: Intake Gasket-88' (jpc88)
Dealers. :rolleyes:
Take it to a private mechanic if you trust one. Pulling an intake manifold off doesn't require any special skills or knowledge that the GM mechanics would have. Any hack mechanic can do it, and I guarantee that every single parts house within 2000 miles of you has the intake gaskets in stock. Even my po-dunk Advance Autoparts had the full TPI manifold gasket kit in stock as well as the manifold gaskets separately. The Fel-Pro TPI gasket kit is something like $30, and I like it better than the stock junk. Find a good mechanic that has a $40 labor rate and I'll bet you can get this done for less than half of what the dealer wants.
Take it to a private mechanic if you trust one. Pulling an intake manifold off doesn't require any special skills or knowledge that the GM mechanics would have. Any hack mechanic can do it, and I guarantee that every single parts house within 2000 miles of you has the intake gaskets in stock. Even my po-dunk Advance Autoparts had the full TPI manifold gasket kit in stock as well as the manifold gaskets separately. The Fel-Pro TPI gasket kit is something like $30, and I like it better than the stock junk. Find a good mechanic that has a $40 labor rate and I'll bet you can get this done for less than half of what the dealer wants.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 373
Likes: 0
From: WI.
St. Jude Donor '11
Re: Intake Gasket-88' (Jim85IROC)
Thanks Jim. I do have a call into an owner of a small shop that has worked on my car before. I will see what their price is.
Thanks for your input.
John
Thanks for your input.
John
