dave6666
Enthusiast
We are having fun now. I'll explain...
I did an illustrated upgrade post on Viper Tony's thermostat replacement method, where you only tilt the intake manifold back and do not have to remove it to get to the t-stat. There are pluses to that, and one minus that caught a lot of attention. Tough to put new intake gaskets on.
So I put up with a lot of negative feedback on that topic. I defended V'Tonys method, and he owes me a beer now.
Meanwhile, since I did have the gaskets, I got busy. I changed them WITHOUT removing the intake from the engine. I did so perfectly.
Why would you not want to completely remove the intake?
1. Wire connectors under coil packs that I can barely see with mirrors.
2. Fuel line disconnect that has plastic part than can be brittle and break.
3. May take an extra set of hands to feed all the above wires/hoses back in when spotting the manifold back. I work alone mostly.
BTW, I'll have the admins add this to the other post on the t-stat.
****************************************************************
Used blocks of wood on both ends of the intake. Do the front first, then in the back.
The front blocks are 4" with an 8 degree angle cut on top. Used my table saw.
The rear blocks are 1-1/4" with the same 8 degree angle cut.
Undid the plug wires on the driver's side holder to add some maneuverability.
The old gaskets came off section by section. Plug the ports if you fear debris in the heads. I did not have any issues, and did not use towels or anything.
Use a straight razor to carefully remove any stuck stuff. Yes, there is room to work, but if you have fat fingers and hands, you might want to consider complete manifold removal.
If you have difficulty getting the plastic locating pin to push in to the head, you can get it from above. I used a 12" long 3/8 drive extension on this one.
I did an illustrated upgrade post on Viper Tony's thermostat replacement method, where you only tilt the intake manifold back and do not have to remove it to get to the t-stat. There are pluses to that, and one minus that caught a lot of attention. Tough to put new intake gaskets on.
So I put up with a lot of negative feedback on that topic. I defended V'Tonys method, and he owes me a beer now.
Meanwhile, since I did have the gaskets, I got busy. I changed them WITHOUT removing the intake from the engine. I did so perfectly.
Why would you not want to completely remove the intake?
1. Wire connectors under coil packs that I can barely see with mirrors.
2. Fuel line disconnect that has plastic part than can be brittle and break.
3. May take an extra set of hands to feed all the above wires/hoses back in when spotting the manifold back. I work alone mostly.
BTW, I'll have the admins add this to the other post on the t-stat.
****************************************************************
Used blocks of wood on both ends of the intake. Do the front first, then in the back.
You must be registered for see images
The front blocks are 4" with an 8 degree angle cut on top. Used my table saw.
You must be registered for see images
The rear blocks are 1-1/4" with the same 8 degree angle cut.
You must be registered for see images
Undid the plug wires on the driver's side holder to add some maneuverability.
You must be registered for see images
The old gaskets came off section by section. Plug the ports if you fear debris in the heads. I did not have any issues, and did not use towels or anything.
You must be registered for see images
Use a straight razor to carefully remove any stuck stuff. Yes, there is room to work, but if you have fat fingers and hands, you might want to consider complete manifold removal.
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
If you have difficulty getting the plastic locating pin to push in to the head, you can get it from above. I used a 12" long 3/8 drive extension on this one.
You must be registered for see images
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