Intake Gasket Replacement Project with pics

[mthomas58]

Finally got around to this project after several months procrastinating. Engine miss/ rough idle when cold diagnosed as intake leak at cyl #2. I made pretty good time after work today. Got intake removed, gaskets and spacers replaced and intake reinstalled. Now just need to torque the barrel nuts, reconnect the fuel lines, oil breather hoses wire harnesses, heater fan, and air box. The hard part is done!

I got really lucky in that none of the gaskets stuck to the heads or intake manifold. They all pealed away easily which cut down on the project time.

[DRACO A5OG]

Excuse me for asking but those gasket still look good. Did any of them actually leak?

I recall seeing a thread where a gasket was sucked in.

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

Excuse me for asking but those gasket still look good. Did any of them actually leak?

I recall seeing a thread where a gasket was sucked in.

I was thinking I might find a sucked in lower gasket on #2 where my air leak was diagnosed (by the Porsche dealer tech) but both gaskets were intact. The upper gasket was wet with fuel as you can see in the pic which could be where the leak was. I will note that the barrel nuts did not appear to be properly torqued (i.e. too loose)

[DRACO A5OG]

Very interesting, maybe I should check the torque on mine before diving into this. Is the torque settings in the Bentley Manual? if not can you post?

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

Very interesting, maybe I should check the torque on mine before diving into this. Is the torque settings in the Bentley Manual? if not can you post?

All done. Idle is now smooth as butter. Torque spec is 18. I'll re-torque in a week.

[GaryR]

I flat plated my spacers before putting the new gaskets on. A quick check showed they were far from flat so I figured better to have a flat gasket surface/seal than not..

[philip j]

Was there a noticeable sound! like a whistle when you suck air in? Philip

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by philip j

Was there a noticeable sound! like a whistle when you suck air in? Philip

No, not noticable at all. The Porsche tech ran some diagnostic tests and detectected something amiss at cyl #2. He changed the plug wires first then the plug itself with no change. He then sprayed some starter fluid aroung the intake port ( alot of it) and finally got a slight change in idle indicating an air leak. I had tried that previously and got no change in idle.

[DRACO A5OG]

Damn, I am thinking that must be my mysterious Idle Issue. She runs great, It just at time she would drop RPMs then after a brisk drive all fine.

Thanks Mark, another To Do

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

Damn, I am thinking that must be my mysterious Idle Issue. She runs great, It just at time she would drop RPMs then after a brisk drive all fine.

Thanks Mark, another To Do

My idle issue was worse when cold. When the car got up to operating temp it was hardly noticible but I always knew it was there. It improved when I tightened the barrel nuts but that was merely a bandaid. The spacers appeared to be in pretty good shape but I replaced them anyway. The gaskets were pretty hard and brittle. If you do this, replace the rubber boot that connects the two halves of the intake manifold - only about an $11 part.

[DRACO A5OG]

So total cost not including the rubber boots?

[mthomas58]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

So total cost not including the rubber boots?

About $65

[willtel]

That looks familiar. I replaced the barrel nuts on my car with nylon insert lock nuts. Two of mine had completely liberated themselves from the studs and were sitting on the shroud.

[DRACO A5OG]

Originally Posted by mthomas58

About $65

Nice

[Targa Me]

When i replaced my intake gaskets, I stuffed a rag into each port to keep debris and junk from entering while i cleaned the gasket surface.