I want to take off my intake manifold.
I have read accounts of how to do it in
Chilton’s, Haynes, and the Auto Zone
website. It looks easy as long as I am
careful to keep it clean, use a new
gasket, and tighten the bolts properly
and to the correct torque.
Are there hidden surprises? I know it
hasn’t been taken off in the last 12
years. I suspect it has never been
taken off. I want to take it off
because I have to remove a part
screwed into it that’s stuck: I’d
hate to break off the head of a
bolt that secures the intake manifold
and just make things much worse.
87 Toyota Pickup, 22R engine, carbureted
Your in luck. The intake manifold on this truck is not that hard to remove. Last time I did it was along with a head gasket repair. It will be a bit tricky to get to the lower nuts and bolts because of the width of the intake, and I suggest you start with these. Hit all the nuts on studs and bolts with a penetrating lube like P’Blaster. The torque specs are not high for these fasteners, so you shouldn’t have an over-torque issue. The intake and cylinder heads are aluminum, and the bolts are steel. There are also some nuts on studs that serve to help line up the intake for installation. Leave the carb attached. I didn’t need to remove mine to do this job. You will need open-end/box-end wrench and a socket-ratchet with some extensions.
Also IIRC, there are 12 total fasteners, three around the thermostat housing, 5 up top around the intake runners, and 4 underneath around the intake runners. Also, there may be a bracket underneath supporting the intake to the engine block and a wire to the carb preheater plate attached underneath. Remove the bracket first, then the fasteners underneath the intake. Remove the fasteners on top last, and keep two loose on either end to prevent the intake from accidentally dropping out. If the gasket is stuck strong and holding it to the head, just rock it back and forth gently to break the seal. Try not to rock it too far and break an ear off.
Once your ready to reinstall, make sure the gasket surface is clean. I prefer a Felpro gasket because they run a bead of sealer on the gasket at the factory, and no additional sealer should be used.
Are you still having bad issues with that temp sensor? Can it not be re-tapped in place? It shouldn’t be this hard, even if you needed to go to a heli-coil repair to fix it.
Quoth BustedKnuckles: ‘Also IIRC, there are 12 total fasteners’
The Haynes shows 8 and gives a tightening sequence.
The Haynes mentions using a ‘gasket scraper’ and ‘gasket removal
solvent’. I was going to use plastic scrapers, mineral spirits,
and spray lube. The Chilton’s and AutoZone don’t mention special
stuff.
Quoth BustedKnuckles: ‘Are you still having bad issues with that temp sensor?’
Yes.
Quoth BustedKnuckles: ‘Can it not be re-tapped in place?’
It could. That’s not the problem. The sensor extends into the
manifold. Drilling out the shaft of the threaded part will leave
the portion past the threads to fall into it. I thought of trying
to grind it into filings with a drill but it seems a lot cleaner
to take the manifold off.
I’ve already spent $45 in tools to replace a $10 part. Add a
torque wrench and gasket - I’m up to $60.
Thanks for a report from someone who’s done it.
I can’t get at the bolts underneath. The most frontward is behind
the gas line (metal tubing), too close for any socket wrench. I
can get a box wrench on it but can’t apply enough force to
budge it; there’s no room for an extension. Those further back
look even tougher to access. I don’t see access from underneath.
Have I missed a trick?
Plug the butchered sender hole with J-B Weld and FORGET the temperature sender. It’s not worth the effort…C’mon, it’s a $400 truck…
I have considered this. I’d prefer a removable plug to make it easy to get back
to when I’m in a better mood. Any suggestions? A thick, short, machine screw
with fine threads? Can I dress it with teflon tape or will that melt at coolant
temperatures?
The truck is about as good as new: I tested the compression recently: it’s up
to spec. It’s the only vehicle I have ever owned. I certainly couldn’t get
anything that works as well for $400.
Finally, it’s a challenge. I considered ignoring it at the outset, but I decided
to try and hate to give up: it’s a puzzle I’d like to solve; I may learn something
by solving it.
I apologize for upsetting you.
No problem! I admire your perseverance. I own a near identical truck, a '91 carbureted, but I’m not near it now…Otherwise I could take you through this step by step…From memory, the intake manifold is on the right (passenger) side of the head and the exhaust is on the left side right? Have you removed the manifold yet or are you still thinking about it?
Teflon tape can withstand very high temperatures…Home Depot will have brass plugs in the plumbing section. You will need a pipe thread tap of the correct size…
One other option (maybe)…Drill the sender out COMPLETELY using a selected drill size you can then tap to a standard size, say 1"…Then use a brass reducer fitting to get back to the size of your sender threads…Use a shop-vac and a small nozzle to suck out any metal chips. If it’s a fluid passage, don’t worry about it…
Quoth Caddyman: 'I own a near identical truck, a ‘91 carbureted’
Toyota switched the pickup to fuel injection late in the '87 model
year - do you really have a '91 carbureted?
I read instructions for taking off the intake manifold in Chilton’s,
Haynes, and the AutoZone website. They make it sound easy. I couldn’t
figure out how to get at the bolts underneath without taking a lot more
stuff off - especially if I mounted it with a torque wrench, as all
instructions specify.
As you have read in another post I drilled the sender out and chased
the threads of the hole (I hope - instead of tapping a new set).
Sadly I want to drive somewhere today (I drive a few times a
year).
Toyota offered both injected and carbureted versions through 1991…But it’s still a 22R either way…The injected model was called a 22RE, for a few dollars more…
So are you driving the truck yet?? Does the temperature gauge work? No leaks?
I haven't driven it yet, but I flushed the cooling system by putting the hose
to the temperature sender gauge’s hole in the intake manifold for 10 minutes. The
stuff that remains on the gravel guard looks like a gold strike in a movie about
prospecting: shiny yellow sand. I hope that did it.
I installed the new temperature switch; it gets as tight as I want it, tight
enough not to leak. The temperature gauge reads what appears to be accurately.
The exhaust seems whiter than usual and water drips from the tailpipe. When
I flushed the cooling system the fuel pump was off, and it attaches to the engine
right next to the temperature switch, so I probably put some water into it. I
poured a bottle of IsoHeet into the gas tank.
What's the likelihood that I broke through the block and created an internal
leak of coolant into it? I put tape on the drill bits I used to drill out the
temperature sensor so I wouldn’t drill too deeply. I don’t remember an event that
seemed like I would have done much damage inside the intake manifold.
It's freezing out, so the whiteness and leak could merely be symptoms of
the cold weather. It could be behaving normally but I’ve become too sensitive
to the possibility of a leak.
How can I tell without testing the pressure of the system or removing
the cylinder head?
How long can I drive it to be sure without doing too much damage?