Need Help Identifying Missing Engine Part

[Kwing]

I have a "funny" one here... 2007 Tahoe LT, 5.3 FFV.

In January, I had to have hernia surgery, but our Tahoe decided waiting for me to recover to demand a new oil pressure sensor and dipstick tube wasn't really an option. So I asked my two brothers-in-law to come "help" me. They broke a couple spark plugs, forcing an early tune up, they broke BOTH heater Y's going into the firewall, they broke the PCV tube going into the side of the intake duct, they broke the little coolant line that runs from the radiator to the front of the intake, and they severed the wiring harness in TWO different places.

Well it turns out their path of destruction went further still, LOL.

Trying to chase down an engine stumble, I ran a smoke machine on it looking for air leaks... I found one

Passenger side, front corner of the intake manifold, kind of right between the coolant line they broke and the PCV line they broke, there appears to be an open hole, which the smoke applied at the brake booster vacuum line billowed out of.

The hole has jagged edges like something was broken off of it. The catch is, I can't for the life of me figure out what used to be there, LOL.

There's nothing dangling or hanging or floating around anywhere in there. I've looked for online diagrams and pictures, perused parts websites... I am coming up empty.

Without pulling off the intake duct and all that, it's difficult to get a good picture of, but the picture attached is peering down between the throttle body and intake duct, with some image adjustments and filters to exaggerate the hole.

Any clue what is supposed to be covering that hole?

 

[mikez71]

Intake manifold bolt? Guessin they took the intake manifold off for the oil pressure sensor?

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Geeezzzzzz...... Do your in-laws have some sort of beef with you?

 

[iamdub]

+1 vote for intake manifold bolt hole. There are five on each side and that looks like where the forwardmost one on the passenger side would be.

The frontmost hole in this pic, to the right of the injector hole. There are the four injector holes in a row and the five bolt holes in a row above and parallel to those:




The two towers with the brass inserts are the mounts for the fuel rails. The manifold bolts have grommets that seal those holes. Why it was pulled out is a mystery. Hopefully, you can just get a replacement bolt/grommet assembly and install it.


Manifold bolts:

 

[Kwing]

I'm not sure whether I should be impressed or terrified, LOL.

They... um... didn't pull the intake manifold? LOL

That's also a bummer for my stumble, because I shoved a 5/8 bolt in that hole until I figured out what was missing (a 5/7 just happen to grab the ID just right to thread into it), and the stumble has not improved

Oh well, I believe ya'll are right, so off to find some manifold bolts and probably a Tech II... Thank you!

 

[petethepug]

Do NOT let those relatives come over and cook the holiday dinner!