Matt300ZXT
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2019
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Chattanooga, TN
- Vehicle Year
- 1997
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Transmission
- Automatic
I battled yesterday with having to remove the plastic upper intake to do the upper intake gaskets as well as the fuel rail gaskets and injector o-rings. I could NOT get the EGR tube out of the intake, so as I was cussing the truck and threatening to burn it to the ground and just buy something else, I liberally soaked the joint with PB Blaster several times. I left it to actually enjoy the rest of my off day.
Since my parent's house (where it's at as well as all my tools) is right in the area I work, I stopped by to give it a shot again since it had all night to soak. I gave the joint a few good shots with some break cleaner as well to help break up any carbon/gunk. After a few good wiggles, it broke free! I had to wrestle the pipe and intake a little to get it free from the 6 studs and the curve of the EGR pipe but it finally came off. The front gaskets (where the leak seemed to be coming from) did look a weeeeeeee bit flatter/worn out than the middle or rear ones, but no cracks or anything like that that I saw. But I guess it was enough to cause the lean codes. I looked down the inlets and didn't see any evidence of the fuel manifold gaskets having failed and being sucked inwards, so it appears that just the upper plenum gaskets gave way due to age. Since I have the fuel rail gasket and bought the E7 socket to get the studs out, I'm going to go ahead and remove it and replace those parts as well. Hell, I may even though a new EGR valve on it while I'm at it since it's probably original.
I used the rest of the can of brake cleaner spraying into the intake manifold; through the air outlets, the vacuum nipples, through the throttle body, everywhere and swished and swirled it around some a few times. That fluid came out black as sin every time. There was a sizable amount of oil/carbon/whatever coating the inside of that intake.
So far, with all these parts being removed, I've only broken 1 really brittle almost plastic like vacuum line, I think it was red and was on the intake side...part of a 2 vacuum line connector if I recall. Also, the one on the bottom of the throttle body crumbled and cracked a little while loosening it so I'm going to replace those 2 lines while I'm in there and after putting it all back together, HOPEFULLY P0171 and P0174 go away so this thing will idle right, won't die in reverse, and will pass emissions!
Since my parent's house (where it's at as well as all my tools) is right in the area I work, I stopped by to give it a shot again since it had all night to soak. I gave the joint a few good shots with some break cleaner as well to help break up any carbon/gunk. After a few good wiggles, it broke free! I had to wrestle the pipe and intake a little to get it free from the 6 studs and the curve of the EGR pipe but it finally came off. The front gaskets (where the leak seemed to be coming from) did look a weeeeeeee bit flatter/worn out than the middle or rear ones, but no cracks or anything like that that I saw. But I guess it was enough to cause the lean codes. I looked down the inlets and didn't see any evidence of the fuel manifold gaskets having failed and being sucked inwards, so it appears that just the upper plenum gaskets gave way due to age. Since I have the fuel rail gasket and bought the E7 socket to get the studs out, I'm going to go ahead and remove it and replace those parts as well. Hell, I may even though a new EGR valve on it while I'm at it since it's probably original.
I used the rest of the can of brake cleaner spraying into the intake manifold; through the air outlets, the vacuum nipples, through the throttle body, everywhere and swished and swirled it around some a few times. That fluid came out black as sin every time. There was a sizable amount of oil/carbon/whatever coating the inside of that intake.
So far, with all these parts being removed, I've only broken 1 really brittle almost plastic like vacuum line, I think it was red and was on the intake side...part of a 2 vacuum line connector if I recall. Also, the one on the bottom of the throttle body crumbled and cracked a little while loosening it so I'm going to replace those 2 lines while I'm in there and after putting it all back together, HOPEFULLY P0171 and P0174 go away so this thing will idle right, won't die in reverse, and will pass emissions!