Replacing the Intake Manifold Gasket - What a Nightmare!

[fire730]

Glad you got it finished. But the question is ......,would you do it again?

 

[Fishintahoe]

thank you all for trying to help, the following article seems helpful

http://autorepair.about.com/library/a/1a/bl340a.htm

Align white paint mark on the bottom stem of the distributor, and the pre-drilled indent hole in the bottom of the gear (3).

With the gear in this position, the rotor segment should be positioned as shown for a V6 engine (1) or V8 engine (2).

---------- Post added at 11:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 PM ----------

She's running again, the #8 makes the rotor point to approximately 5 o'clock if you were standing in front of the car looking straight down at the distributor. But you must realize that, that's not how you drop the dizzy in, since the gear is twisted you have to start with the rotor a bit counterclockwise from the 5 o'clock position, and then as she drops down she turns and falls into her happy resting place. Of course it is easy once you know how. Scratch that there ain't anything easy about it, LOL, it's just trial and error.

One problem was that I could not see the mark on the distributor shaft that is supposed to line up with the dimple on the bottom tip of the shaft. I had to take a paper towel and wipe off all the oil off the shaft to finally see it. It is faint and approximately 2 inches above the dimple, no not the hole that is one inch above the dimple, it is further up on the shaft.

I also finally went to AutoZone and rented the GM oil pump primer tool. It is worth every penny especially since you get to return it and get your $30 bucks back. I just couldn't turn the oil pump shaft with a long flat screw driver to save my life to get it to align right to allow the distributor to drop that final 1/4 inch.

Dam i think i would have pulled out my hair trying to do all this. Congrats on a job well done.

 

[SunlitComet]

it is not hard at all really.