Intake manifold off again...Crap

[ACademic]

Get some nylon bolts from Home Depot in the same thread pitch but a little longer. Cut off the heads and hand screw them into the block on four corners. Essentially removable studs once you lay the intake down and start the remaining bolts.

[1795]

You may want to inspect the intake manifold to make sure that it is not faulty. I was having repeat problems with intake manifold gaskets getting torn and leaking oil into the cylinder and the last time that it was getting replaced my mechanic noticed that my RPM intake manifold had a slight twist to it and would teeter corner to corner. Bought a new intake manifold and the problem has never resurfaced again. Every now and then you will get a bad casting no matter who the manufacturer. If your intake manifold is not sitting square it will lead to problems.

Otherwise, I would just follow the advice given above.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by ACademic

Get some nylon bolts from Home Depot in the same thread pitch but a little longer. Cut off the heads and hand screw them into the block on four corners. Essentially removable studs once you lay the intake down and start the remaining bolts.

+1, I just use some bolts that are an inch or two longer than the manifold bolts,cut off the heads and kinda round that end off on the grinder,then screw in on the four corners finger tight to act as a guide.....

test fit the manifold on dry and mark the underside of the manifold where it will sit on the block "ridge" with a sharpie.....remove the manifold and I like to use "The Right Stuff", follow the inside of your marked line and be generous,give it a minute or two to get tacky and then drop the manifold straight down on your four corner studs......screw in the middle bolts just barely more than finger tight and then remove the studs and put in the four corner bolts and tighten down in sequence and you should be good to go..

let it dry completely without touching the sealant, trim the excess the next day with a razor blade......
So far, knock on wood, this method has not failed me,,,,,,,,,,yet.......

David

[Three Peaks]

I use the same method as David, but I usually use RTV. If I have a really tough situation, like a corner that may not be fitting absolutely perfectly, I put RTV on both sides of the gasket and spread thin with my fingers before dropping it over the guide bolts, then slide on the manifold and tighten down as above.
Be sure to tighten down your manifold in stages. Most SBF manifold bolts need to be tightened to around 18-20 ft/lbs for proper torque, if I remember correctly. Tighten in sequence the first time to around 10-12, then step up half way to 12-14, then wait about 10 minutes for the gaskets to "relax" then tighten to the final torque spec. I've found several times over the years that if I wait an hour or more, the manifold will require another retorque even if not started or driven. I've always thought it was because the gasket was compressing (or what I call relaxing) over time and in a little while it will compress as much as it is going to and you can torque it for the final time. This has never failed me over many years of dealing with this issue. It was taught to me by a friend of my father who built race engines.

Bob

[Tom Wells]

tortuga,

One more suggestion: get a friend to help. Get on opposite sides of the car and carefully lower the manifold together as level as possible. Practice dry, then do it for real.

Tom