taking all that stuff off makes it easier to do the job..
coolant elbow goes into the lim so the alt bracket will have to go.
just flip the fuel rail out of the way it will sit close to the driver side strut tower.
Icm and bracket may be able to come off if you arnt taking off the front vc
You’ll probably have a hard time getting the valve cover off the rear with the alternator and bracket still on. There’s a lip on the bracket overhanging the rear valve cover, and there’s not enough clearance between the rocker arm on the inside to wiggle the vc out. Its not difficult to take it off, especially since you’re doing the elbows. When you remove the elbows, get a Brillo pad and scrub out the insides of the holes the elbows go into. They tend to build up a ring of grime and this will help prevent leaks later.
I believe the coil pack and module only needs to come off to remove the front valve cover, so if you’re not doing the front you might be able to let that alone. Not 100% on that, though. You might be better off taking it off anyways, on one hand I get not wanting to disturb more parts than you need, but on the other hand, the less stuff on top of the motor where you’re trying to work the better. Even an extra inch or two in the right places can be a blessing.
I checked all my pulleys while I had it apart, but I don’t think any of them HAVE to come off.
There is a tool to remove the fuel rail from the line, but it’s just a standard quick disconnect tool... a piece of plastic with a ring at the end you can get for 5-10 dollars at any parts store. I think it’s the 5/16th one.
I disconnected it all together and set it aside cause I wanted as little clutter where I was working as possible. It also made it a lot easier to clean all the injectors where the o-rings seat (don’t touch the tips where the fuel sprays)... They were really grimey from oil and coolant leakage and just road junk collected over the years. I used a nylon brush and some carb cleaner after I took the old o-rings off. Used s tiny dab of clean motor oil to make reinstalling the o-rings easier... most people probably just lay the whole rail out of the way, though.
Last edited by FriboRage; 01-23-2019 at 11:58 AM.
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Thanks to all of you !!!! These tips all help and I am sure will help others down the road in trying to keep these great cars rolling well into the future..... Who knows they may start showing up at car shows more often ...... Maybe my 2004 GTP will compete with my 1971 Chevelle 454 convertible someday,,, in trying to decide which one to take to the show .....
But the elbows bring up another question ..... I can't remember how I put them back on the first time I did them several years ago.
Do you put them in the alt bracket first then press both of them into the mating holes as you line up the alt bracket ?
Also, what is the torque value for the LIM bolts [ I have seen 11 ft pounds ] and what is the right torquing sequence ?
Same for the UIM bolts ??
I tried finding an old post about this on the Forum but the ones I could find were not available or clear on the sequence...
Thanks !!!
#24
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
i hear 11-13 on the tq, and people just making em tight by feel.
did you take the alt bracket off? you can leave it on if you did and then put the elbow in lower the lim to the elbow incert it then lower the lim in place.
if you took it off already put it back on last, elbows in the bracket oil the o rings and slide em home, get the bolts in place then square up the bracket so the top elbow is square looking, you dont want it angled, then make the bolts tight all the way.
98 Buick Regal GS, F body brakes, Caddy STS wheels, tinted tails L36 bottom end, lightly ported heads, 1.95 roller rockers, headers, gen 5 N* 3.0 pulley, FSIC, 42 lb injectors, a BrandonHall rebuilt trans, DHP tuned and AEM water/Meth injection https://goo.gl/gpV5kW
#25
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
For someone that doesn't wrench everyday...a torque spec keeps them consistent.
LIM when the plastic gasket didn't have metal spacers was spec'd at 11ft lbs LIm once the plastic gasket had metal spacers to keep it from getting crushed was spec'd at 13ft lbs I personally torque the aluminum gaskets to 15ft lbs as they are a better design and there's no worries. I've done probably 100 of them and never had one issue.
TIP: ensure you put some sealant on the lim bolts. They are in oil and coolant passages and will seep fluid over time onto the LIM if you don't seal them. Tip2: The LIM bolts are 3/8", if you use a 10mm likely you'll round the heads when torquing.
SC bolts, factory spec is 17ft lbs. I typically use 20ft lbs.
I've never stripped/broken one of these bolts with the above specs.
#26
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
Here is a diagram: Bolt #5 is right below #11 since it's not listed.
ScottyDoggs and Fordman77 thanks for the information !!
I am in the middle of the work now, I have everything apart.
I am doing some other things while I am in there .... changing heater hoses,
plugs, wires and all injector O-Rings.
I do have a question about 3 O-Rings that were included in the UIM gasket set.
Where do these go ? Where what look like 2 "grommets" on the gasket side of the SC ?
See the photos I attached....
#28
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
All the o rings for the supercharger to lim surface should be integral with the supercharger gasket. They’re part of the gasket.
I don’t think I got anything extra with the gasket I got. It was just the supercharger gasket in a plastic bag.
Not sure what kit you got for the intake gaskets, but mine (Felpro) included some extra pieces because the kit is meant to do both series 2 and series 3 engines and there are slight differences. You should have 6 injector o rings, I think they give you two o rings for the coolant elbow that goes into the lim, and then two more I can’t think of that I don’t think I even used.
Edit: Yeah I just checked, I got it from intense and they just send you a supercharger gasket with no extra parts, so I didn’t get any of that.
Last edited by FriboRage; 01-26-2019 at 09:05 AM.
#29
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
FriboRage, Thanks for the reply.
The reason I asked about the SC o-rings was that when I pulled off my old SC gasket, there was the
area I showed in the picture I attached to my last post. There are 2 what look to be grommets there wiith
metal tabs around them. The gasket was climped under those metal tabs.
I guess I will just clean around those grommets and re-attach the new gasket the way the old one was..
My gasket set was from FelPro, MS98014T.
#32
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
It looks like the o rings just tore out of the gasket and got left behind when you took the old gasket off. Make sure you remove those and clean off the mating surface well. It still looks pretty cruddy in that picture.
There’s two o-rings attached to the gasket by metal clips, so when you reposition the new gasket you’ll see how it lines up.
Look it up on rockauto if you wanna see what it should look like to make sure you have the right one.
Just to clarify, you have a 2004 with the Series 3 engine and the Gen 5 supercharger, right? Is your throttle body electronic or does it have a throttle cable?
Last edited by FriboRage; 01-26-2019 at 12:19 PM.
#33
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
I have a 2004 GTP Comp G with the electronic throttle body. I have a photo of the new UIM gasket but the forum will not allow me to upload it... I guess I have exceeded the max allowance on a post..... It does not have any O Rings attached to it in any way. There is a gasket bead around the holes where the o-rings would be and the holes in the gasket are larger... I checked the Rock Auto site, which is where I bought them, and their photo for the Felpro MS96789 shows the o-rings mounted on the gasket ! They sent me something else. Weird thing is the Felpro package I have has the right PN on it..... To make it even weirder, if you search on Amazon for that Felpro PN, two gasket sets from them show up with the same PN. One with and one without the O-Rings attached..... I'm beginning to wonder if either will work ......... ?????? But my original did have the o-rings attached to the gasket .... Urgh !!!!
#34
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
I have a 2004 GTP Comp G with the electronic throttle body. I have a photo of the new UIM gasket but the forum will not allow me to upload it... I guess I have exceeded the max allowance on a post..... It does not have any O Rings attached to it in any way. There is a gasket bead around the holes where the o-rings would be and the holes in the gasket are larger... I checked the Rock Auto site, which is where I bought them, and their photo for the Felpro MS96789 shows the o-rings mounted on the gasket ! They sent me something else. Weird thing is the Felpro package I have has the right PN on it..... To make it even weirder, if you search on Amazon for that Felpro PN, two gasket sets from them show up with the same PN. One with and one without the O-Rings attached..... I'm beginning to wonder if either will work ......... ?????? But my original did have the o-rings attached to the gasket .... Urgh !!!!
They might have sent you the L67 gasket, which is for the 03 and earlier car, series II motor. That one has a bead of sealant around those ports instead of the attached o rings.
Rock auto does show one option with a bead instead of an oring for the L32 though, look at the pictures between the two engines, diagonal to the main big square cut out, there’s an oblong looking shape cut out in the correct generation gasket. That oblong shape cutout is not there in the older generation.
Intense-racing.com also has a good picture of both generation gaskets. L32 is the one you need.
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The one they sent me has the oblong shaped cutout on the diagonal of the large square opening. Wondering if FelPro didn't redesign out the attached o-rings ....
How can I send a picture of the one they sent me .... Forum must have me maxed out for this post....
#36
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold
I get an inset image icon, but that also tells me a exceeded the quota.
But this link on Amazon should show both gaskets that are available for FelPro PN MS96789.
The one they sent me from RockAuto is the one on the right, but in the box were all the
additional items, like the throttle body gasket from the one on the left.... Must have been a
screw-up at the factory....... Bottomline,, I don't have a main gasket that is just like the old
one I took off ... the one with the o-rings attached..... I will do a return to RockAuto
and try to find one local.... Big price difference... the RockAuto price was around $27...
Get what you pay for I guess....
#40
Re: 2004 GTP has coolant on top of intake manifold