Wildman's TJ is getting a face lift

[Wildman]

I would put that intake on without gaskets and use some grease on the heads or intake. Drop it on there, put a little push on it from the bolts (no need to go full torque) and see where you're making contact. I'd expect one or another of the mounting surfaces is just a bit off and the intake is rocking back and forth. Maybe the thicker gaskets will get your there...but if you have a bad machine job, the time to find it is now.

The plan is to install the intake dry and use a feeler gauge to see if it is fitting properly. If I run into gaps at that point then I will try the grease idea or the molding clay stuff to see if It's a bad machining or warped intake manifold.

 

[Wildman]

While my son was here the past two days he broke out his drone and snapped a few shots around my place.

 

[Wildman]

Today was what you'd expect after I'd taken two days off to visit with my son.

Last time I'd pulled the radiator I hadn't made a mess but for whatever reason today it just wasn't meant to be. I had coolant all over the place.

I disassembled the front of the engine again and got the intake manifold pulled. What a freakin MESS & it's gunna be a PITA to get all cleaned properly.

I got most of it off and cleaned up. I used to use the dress up discs on my angle grinder until I'd read a service bulletin put out by GM stating that their service technicians weren't allowed to use the 3M dress up discs for cleaning gaskets unless the engine was being disassembled. So I scrapped it all by hand and then used brake clean on a rag to wipe it all down.

Sorry forgot to snap a picture of it all cleaned up.

 

[Wildman]

Then I disassembled the intake manifold by removing the fuel rails and throttle bodies before flipping it over so I could clean up the manifold's matting surface.

First I removed the majority of the Right Stuff and old intake manifold gasket with a gasket scrapper. Once I had as much of it off as possible I then used a die grinder & 3M dress up disc and removed all the old gaskets & High Tack coating.

 

[reddvltj]

Then I disassembled the intake manifold by removing the fuel rails and throttle bodies before flipping it over so I could clean up the manifold's matting surface.

View attachment 390688


View attachment 390689

View attachment 390690

First I removed the majority of the Right Stuff and old intake manifold gasket with a gasket scrapper. Once I had as much of it off as possible I then used a die grinder & 3M dress up disc and removed all the old gaskets & High Tack coating.

View attachment 390691


View attachment 390692

Is this the style you're using?

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40064937/

 

[Apparition]

Is this the style you're using?
View attachment 390693

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40064937/

 

[reddvltj]

View attachment 390694

Thanks Captian Obvious..
Ok yeah that's a scraper.... but it's not a "dress up disc"

 

[Wildman]

Thanks Captian Obvious..
Ok yeah that's a scraper.... but it's not a "dress up disc"
View attachment 390695

No this type.

GM had come out and said that they'd had engine failures after tech's were cleaning gasket surfaces with these type and small pieces were getting in the engine.

But I'd forgotten that I'd bought some of those other style discs after Dan had mentioned using them on the Toyota engine. Are they safe to use? I'd of course blow out all the crud from the engine valley. And I plan on changing the oil once I have it drivable since I've had to pull the intake twice.

 

[reddvltj]

No this type.

View attachment 390697

GM had come out and said that they'd had engine failures after tech's were cleaning gasket surfaces with these type and small pieces were getting in the engine.

But I'd forgotten that I'd bought some of those other style discs after Dan had mentioned using them on the Toyota engine. Are they safe to use? I'd of course blow out all the crud from the engine valley. And I plan on changing the oil once I have it drivable since I've had to pull the intake twice.

Yeah it wasn't just GM, Chrysler and Ford also sent out similar bulletins.

The ones that I posted are safer for aluminum, but they all will shed some of their abrasive material as they wear.
Best practice (if you're not tearing all the way down) is to stuff all ports with rags and even tape over the ports to get the bulk of the material removed. then finish up around the ports by hand.

 

[Wildman]

Yeah it wasn't just GM, Chrysler and Ford also sent out similar bulletins.

The ones that I posted are safer for aluminum, but they all will shed some of their abrasive material as they wear.
Best practice (if you're not tearing all the way down) is to stuff all ports with rags and even tape over the ports to get the bulk of the material removed. then finish up around the ports by hand.

I've already got it pretty clean. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

Next I took the intake and sat it onto the engine block dry with no gasket to see if I could notice any significant warpage or other issue that might stick out as to why I was having these sealing issues.

I started with a 0.005 feeler gauge. The 4 bolts are just for alignment and aren't tighten down.

I can get the 0.005 feeler gauge under the manifold, but you do feel resistance as you slide between the manifold & heads.

So I jumped up to a 0.010 feeler gauge and it will catch on the lip of the manifold but won't actually go under it.

I attempted this all the way around the manifold.

 

[Wildman]

Tomorrow when I try to install the intake manifold again I am going to use four (4) of the old manifold bolts as alignment bolt. To do that I cut the heads off 4 of the old bolts and then cut a notch into them so I can use a screwdriver to remove them.

Only 4 days later than it was supposed to have arrived but the hawse fairlead I picked up off Ebay did finally get here. It got lost in limbo between Detroit and Cle Elum.

I've never ran a hawse fairlead so this will be a learning experience for me. Now I've got to figure out a way to mount my front license plate.

 

[reddvltj]

I've already got it pretty clean. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

Next I took the intake and sat it onto the engine block dry with no gasket to see if I could notice any significant warpage or other issue that might stick out as to why I was having these sealing issues.

View attachment 390711

I started with a 0.005 feeler gauge. The 4 bolts are just for alignment and aren't tighten down.

View attachment 390712

I can get the 0.005 feeler gauge under the manifold, but you do feel resistance as you slide between the manifold & heads.

View attachment 390713

View attachment 390714


View attachment 390715

So I jumped up to a 0.010 feeler gauge and it will catch on the lip of the manifold but won't actually go under it.

View attachment 390716

View attachment 390717

I attempted this all the way around the manifold.

What kind of gap do you have at the china walls (got that name from the video) with no gaskets?

 

[Wildman]

What kind of gap do you have at the china walls (got that name from the video) with no gaskets?

None

 

[Apparition]

View attachment 390721

it’s upside down

 

[Wildman]

it’s upside down

You been drinking again?

 

[Apparition]

You been drinking again?

Did you double check?

 

[reddvltj]

None

I know it's your monkey and circus, but you might still want to do a contact test with thin film of grease or molding clay. As uniform as the gap was and the fact that you can't check the gap from the inside it might show if there's a problem with the mating surfaces not being on the same angle.

 

[Wildman]

Did you double check?

Double check that you're being an ass? Nope didn't have to.

 

[Wildman]

I know it's your monkey and circus, but you might still want to do a contact test with thin film of grease or molding clay. As uniform as the gap was and the fact that you can't check the gap from the inside it might show if there's a problem with the mating surfaces not being on the same angle.

@Mike_H had suggested that also. I'll put a thin coat of grease on it tomorrow and see what I get before I try to reassemble it. Of course, as long as I don't find any issues.

 

[reddvltj]

@Mike_H had suggested that also. I'll put a thin coat of grease on it tomorrow and see what I get before I try to reassemble it. Of course, as long as I don't find any issues.

Remembering his post was why I brought it up...