Can someone verify this list?

[ophidia]

Hey
Tomorrow I'm doing the LIM gasket on my car. This'll be the first time I've undertaken a job of this magnitude (fortunately my father's been tearing engines apart for years, and he'll be on hand...).
Anyway, could someone verify this list to make sure I have everything I need?

Felpro LIM gasket kit with plenum gaskets
Included RTV silicone
Felpro valve cover gaskets
5 qt Mobil 1 & filter
A few gallons of coolant
EGR valve gasket (still tracking one down)
Blue medium-strength thread lock
Haynes manual
Related pages printer from an online service manual ;)

I have a decent torque wrench, full socket set up to 1"/25MM, similar sized wrenches, floor jack, chunk of 2x4, and my father has an air compressor and an air ratchet.

Is there anything missing? Tool-wise, we can improvise, but how about parts and supplies?


Additionally, the dude at the parts house said that no type of sealant needs to go on teh LIM gasket. Is this the case, or do I need to use RTV on it or track something else down?
Thanks a lot
Chris

(edited to add things I missed the first few times around)

[RocketFast321]

5qt of cheap oil and a filter + 5 qt Mobil 1 & filter

put the cheap oil in there so it can clean out the engine

My haynes book says to use sealant on the end ridges that is. permertex in the black tube will work fine

[doobiess]

ok well for my 94 3100 and assuming its the same way.. ya you u need some RTV just a small bead about 3 inches or so long.. but as for on your list you will need a small jack to help support the engine for when you disconnect the upper engine mount.. so you can undo the power steering pump from the engine.. but dont have to remove it...

Also if your engine is the same... you wont need the egr gasket.. should be able to leave it right on the manifold... and also you need a throttle body gasket... other than that... i dont know if your gonna need to change your oil.. but then it wouldnt hurt.. as for anti freeze you dont need new stuff if yours is ok.. just drain it and reuse it if its been done recently.

As for torquing.. the highest you may go is 30 ft lbs.. so you dont need anything too fancy for that

[rixGAphx]

No sealant on the LIM gasket itself.
The 'included sealant' is for the 'web' across the ends of the block in the 'V'.

You need a pair of UPPER intake manifold gaskets.

You need a pair of O-rings for the fuel supply line and return line, since they will be disconnected to remove the LIM.

Depending on the milage, you may want to change spark plugs and O2 sensor since they will be imminently-accessible as a part of the process.

Good luck.
-Rick

[RocketFast321]

delete

[ophidia]

I should maybe do the O2 sensor a I'm doing this then. THe plugs and wires only have 10k on them. I do have the upper intake manifold gaskets, they came with the LIM gasket. I'll check on an O2 sensor and the fuel line O-rings in the morning.
Thanks!
Chris

[ophidia]

That was a LOT of work. I still have to finish up in the morning after 7-8 hours of work. In the morning I have to put the alternator back on, the plenum, the front motor mount, belt, etc. It went fairly smoothly.

Interestingly, the LIM bolts were very loose and there was no threadlock. The rocker arms were overtorqued to the point of needing a breaker bar to loosen them (definitely NOT 168 in-lbs). I'm kinda pissed about that. If those bolts had been properly torqued and/or had thread lock, it likely wouldn't have been leaking within 10k. I wonder if I have any recourse? That's ridiculous.

I also wonder what kind of damage could have been done (or was done) by the overtorqued rocker arms.

At any rate, seeing some of the guts of teh engine was pretty cool. Now I just pray that when I fire it up tomorrow it doesn't leak. That would really, really suck.

Gack.:mad: :mad:

[Pte Socks]

Im pleased to hear that. Just image how much money you saved from doing it yourself though? Hopefully everything works out ok.

[ophidia]

I saved a ton. I wonder if the shop that did it 10k ago and didn't use threadlock or properly torque will act on my letter at all...

It seems to not leak and not having the rockers overtorqued seems to have made it run a lot more quietly.
CHris

[rixGAphx]

Originally posted by ophidia
I saved a ton. I wonder if the shop that did it 10k ago and didn't use threadlock or properly torque will act on my letter at all...

It seems to not leak and not having the rockers overtorqued seems to have made it run a lot more quietly.
CHris

Glad you're rolling again!!

Don't hold your breath on any refund from the shop that did the LIM gasket previously.
They specifically gave you some sort of warranty for their work (usually about 90 days), and regardless of what you discovered (no lock-tite, loose bolts) their job DID last the stated warranty time.
There are some exclusions to this in the laws of some states, but it would cost a fortune in attorney fees/court costs to persue.
And still, it would be 'your word against theirs' as to what you discovered.

Wasn't that job fun?? :roll2:
-Rick

[ophidia]

It actually was kinda fun... if it hadn't taken so long. I enjoyed fondling my engine's guts :P
Now it's idling rough though... not sure why. The plugs and wires are new. There was one wire that wasn't fully snapped on (cylinder 1) but it didn't make any difference when I snapped it on all the way (while verifying they all went to the right cylinders).

Thanks for the help, all
Chris

[nice96gt]

Sounds like everything went pretty well. Glad to hear. I am going to be doing mine soon as well. Do you have any suggestions that would help me out along the way, other than the obvious that has already been posted above? Thanks. :)

[ophidia]

My biggest suggestion would be to have envelopes and/or cups for the fasteners for each individual thing you take off or putting it back together is a ***** (know this from experience and from the single bolt and single nut I had left over :eek: ). Also, note where the long and short pushrods go.

long short long short short long
long short short long short long (if I remember right)

Finally, have all of your tools laid out and ready to go. As far as the job itself, it's just taking it apart and putting it back together. There are just a lot of parts :P

Make sure you have help too
Chris

[rixGAphx]

Originally posted by ophidia
...Make sure you have BEER FOR THE help, too..
Fixed it for ya. :D

[ophidia]

There was indeed beer. It was in the 30's so the beer never got warm :P
Chris

[nice96gt]

Originally posted by ophidia
My biggest suggestion would be to have envelopes and/or cups for the fasteners for each individual thing you take off or putting it back together is a ***** (know this from experience and from the single bolt and single nut I had left over :eek: ). Also, note where the long and short pushrods go.

long short long short short long
long short short long short long (if I remember right)

Finally, have all of your tools laid out and ready to go. As far as the job itself, it's just taking it apart and putting it back together. There are just a lot of parts :P

Make sure you have help too
Chris

Yeah, good idea about the cups...Whenever there are leftovers, you always wonder where they are supposed to go...lol. Hopefully mine will go over as well as yours did. :)

[ophidia]

I actually know where the nut goes- it holds the little clip that holds the power steering hoses to the back of the alternator (been too lazy to put it on). The bolt, no idea... :(

[rixGAphx]

Originally posted by ophidia
Now it's idling rough though... not sure why...
...the single bolt and single nut I had left over :eek:....
The bolt, no idea [where it goes]... :(

Anybody else see a connection here? :roll2:

Might be one of the bolts under the EGR valve, easy to miss and definitely capable of causing rough engine.
At the driver's rear of the Upper Intake Manifold, there are two or three smaller bolts to fasten it to the LIM; these are easy to miss, hard to see, and also potential vac leaks.
Might be a waterpump bolt, there seem to be twice as many as are necessary (tho it would leak, not cause rough running).

I hate it when my buddy call two days later and asks if I found an extra bolt on my garage floor, since it mighta fallen outta his pants pocket :banghead: :eek:

Peace.
-Rick

[ophidia]

The bolt is one of the large ones like those that hold the alternator bracket on. I'll bet when I pull it off again, I'll find where the bolt goes (this was my dad's job... :P)
The nut goes on the alternator to hole the power steering pump lines in place. That one's going back on tomorrow.

It's running smoothly now-- it must have been related to the spark plug wire that wasn't snapped on all the way.

Cheers
CHris

[ophidia]

the misfire, which got much, much worse tonight, was from a spark plug wire that escaped and rested on the exhaust manifold-- naturally cylinder 5 on the back. It decided to burn all the way through the insulation tonight. The flashing check engine light was a bit disconcerting.
I also checked for vacuum leaks (a few days ago) with throttle body cleaner, then a little starter fluid (!) and found none. Other than a coolant smell coming from the surge tank, I think I have closure on this one.

Thanks all for the advice and comments!

Chris