Fix It Right! – Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement
Fix It Right! – Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement (S1E4) Demonstrated on a 2004 Buick Century 3.1L V6 FWD. In this video, we demonstrate how to perform an intake manifold gasket replacement on a front-wheel-drive 3.1L V6 engine, in this case in a 2004 Buick Century. This is a common point of failure on General Motors’ 3.1L, 3.4L, and 3.8L V6 engines, which are used in a large number of passenger cars across most of GM’s model lines. *** DIY POSSIBLE, BUT TOUGH *** This repair task should only be attempted by advanced DIYers. IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the disclaimer text at the start of the video before attempting anything shown therein. Take your time, take care, and be safe! About the “Fix It Right!” video series: “Fix It Right!” is a series of how-to videos intended to give do-it-yourselfers basic instructions on proper vehicle repair and maintenance. All of our videos show real repairs being performed on real vehicles by real technicians in a real auto shop. (Repairs are filmed and shown with the permission of the vehicles’ owners.) Although there may be more than one way to perform any particular repair (and in many cases there are lots of ways!) we try to focus on the methods that will be safest and most expedient for DIYers with limited access to tooling and equipment. We will also occasionally be showing repair processes that are too complex or dangerous for DIY, or require specialized tooling, expertise, equipment, and/or certifications. Those episodes will …
Video Rating: 4 / 5
3.1 And 3.4 are the same engine basically, only differences being bore and stroke. 3.8 is a different design but has the same failure due to plastic intake gaskets.
Is that the same procedure for 3.4 these engines look very similar???
Normally the push rod will go first. But I can see where it can bend a valve as well.
the intake and exhaust push rods are different lengths people who are watching position is critical saw a fellow worker mix em up and bend some valves!
very very good video. thanks alot!
Dude i did it and it works head gasket intake and all thanks alot vid was a big help took about 45 hours for me love the music it also helped me to keep my cool when it got difficult you freakn rock
Rather be gaming or fishing. Talking my kinda language. But if I only did that I couldn’t be able to help get these videos out haha. But boy am I tempted at times. ;p
To bad we aint all so gifted but wait a minute I am. Thanks for the vid and the music is awesome. Im going to listen to it while I fix my car , which still sucks, I’d rather be playn video games or anything else like fishn. If not for how easy you make it look I wouldnt even attempt it good thing I know my way around a garage.
why the horrible music?
Maybe I’ll sell it before then LOL
Thanks again
Congratulations! Be sure to check thoroughly for other leaks, though, as fixing one leak will make the vehicle attempt to repressurize the cooling system, which in turn will blow out any other weak spots and/or make any other leaks worse.
Done and it runs lol. Hard to work on when I was working 10 hour days and it was dark when I got home plus wasn’t fun in the rain. So I changed out the Timing Chain cover gasket and the Intake gaskets. After I torqued down the Plenum I had to pull it up again as I had a wire coming out in the wrong spot even after watching this video I goofed…I needed the video out under the hood of my car lol Thanks again for posting it and the tips, I appreciate it
I would guess the oil pressure switch then. Which is a commend failure point on the GMs. They like to leak through the switch.
I talked to my mechanic he said it wasn’t a line, but a valve or switch or something around the oil filter. I apologize for my ignorance on this one. Thanks for the help! I just pray the upper/lower intake gasket / entire cooling system replacement does the trick! thanks!
01 doesn’t have any oil lines around the rear. What you should check for is a pinched valve cover gasket, this is easy to do on the back side. Also did you make sure to put some RTV where the intake/head meets with the valve cover gasket?
I found time to do this this weekend on my 01 ss. Took me a total of 17 hours and 3 trips to the store. Fired right up though. I popped an oil line somewhere on the alternator side. This happened before presumably due to the lower intake manifold gasket. Anyway do you know where that is? Great video
All else fails if you can’t get a hold of a machinist straight edge to check the heads take it down to a machine shop. The heads on the 3.1/4/8 are bad about warping if over heated. Perhaps we’ll put up a video showing how to use said straight edge.
no hoses in the area it was streaming out. The gasket looked rough in that area, but it could be from pulling it apart. Hopefully I’ll get it back together and it starts lol and I’ll see if it still leaks
thanks….
The first thing I’d check, then, is the seam between head and block, as a failed head gasket can eject coolant rather forcefully from the front coolant passage and the front corner of the head gasket is a popular spot for a cooling passage blowout if the engine spot-overheats. (Naturally this assumes all hoses and hosebarbs checked out as okay and all other potential leak sources were eliminated.)
1999 Chevy Lumina 3.1, As you face the Timing Chain cover, the Water pump is to the right and the leak was to the left…a nice strong stream of coolant, not a small drip 🙁 Once I got the intake off I realized the leak was further down…live and learn! Had to get a pulley puller so shortly I will have the timing cover off. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for posting this video. I’ll post what I find, if anything incase someone else has the same issue
What year/make/model of vehicle and what engine? What you’re describing sounds more like a timing-belt-driven water pump, or perhaps you had a bypass hose blow (which on some vehicles is a small, short hose coming off the water pump that’s behind and under everything and thus tough to see).
We have three, but they’re all full of various equipment and one is a mobile bolt bin. The boss just picked up a fourth that he plans to use for the several hundred specialty tools and tool sets the shop has. It takes a scary amount of tools to work on vehicles nowadays…
very informative. Easy to follow video with good advise. This should make getting to the head gaskets a little less frustrating for me. THANKS “FIX IT RIGHT!” DUDES!