3.4L GM lower intake manifold gasket replacement part 1: Intro and removing upper components

[@jasonsellers3638]

I used your 8 part video series to replace gaskets on my wife's 2003 Chevy Impala hoping to add to the already 240,000 miles. Things went well thanks to your excellent instructions and thorough explanations. I appreciate your willingness to put the time into sharing such detail. This is what helps the knowledge train continue down the line. The Impala is running like a champ again, with no more leaking oil. Thank You!

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

You're welcome. So glad you were able to make use of the series. Thanks for recognizing the hours of effort it took to make these videos. Great to hear an older car is still on the road. That must be the second (or even third) time that repair was done on your Impala. Great job!

[@michaelhutchinson9343]

Hello I'm need helplocating my wires for my harness to my alternator my harness broke off the wires broke off my old hornets and now I can only find one wire and that's the red wire the ignition wire so I'm needing help to try finding the honor wires it's a 2003 Pontiac aztek thank you if you can help me

[@mississippiqueen2u]

You help change a master cylinder and you get the idea you are a certified technician! I was all ready to help do this to my 2005 Chevy Impala...However....after just your into....I decided to quit! After watching part 1, I had to go get a snack and take a nap. I'm exhausted. You're wonderful by the way....nothing against you. I will stick to just master cylinders!

[@SeanLaMontagne]

God Bless.... this is my exact engine, you've made my job so much easier now.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

You're welcome. Glad to help.

[@tweedjohnny8740]

Excellent video.

[@1jummen]

Easier in a chevy venture, you can loosen the front engine mounts easy and push the engine forward the front to give you much free space behind the engine

[@lynnenash5209]

I think we are encountering very similiar issue on our 1996 Pontiac Trans Sport with the 3.1 liter. But instead of showing any signs of coolant in the Engine Oil we have signs of Engine oil in the coolant. I'm thinking it's the same culprit, pop the coolant radiator cap off and it's looking like a milkshake inside. We have an oil leak at the rear main seal and we are loosing coolant. I don't have the money for the gaskets yet or even to change the oil at the moment but I'm thinking the lower intake gasket needs to be replaced, coolant needs to be flushed and the oil needs to be drained and replaced with new fluids and a filter.

[@eekenterprises]

I damaged the tubing that goes in the air intake you remove at 10:30 in the video. I have everything back together but getting a check engine light from this tube missing. Any idea what this is called, or a part number? Appreciate your videos a great help!

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

I'm not sure what it is called. I did make a blog post on this repair. You may find this helpful www.originalmechanic.com/2016/06/how-to-replace-lower-intake-manifold.html

[@htatesil4192]

Hey bro u still around

[@jk9972]

​@@TheOriginalMechanic Acdelco PART#: 24508188, it is called PCV valve tubing. Many part stores (websites) say it doesn't fit 2004 impala 3.4L but it does. Hope this information can help others.

[@kdeh21803]

My daughter has a 2005 Equinox that has this engine...last week she said her coolant was going down.... I put my pressure tester on it.... I found a slight leak from the intake manifold gasket at the back of the driver's side..... ugh.... this looks like major major surgery.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Yeah you need some time and patience, but it can be completed by the home mechanic.

[@kdeh21803]

@@TheOriginalMechanic oh I know I can do it but on my own GM 3800 I can do the job it fewer than 2 hours ... It seems this will take a lot longer.

[@jowilsalazar3658]

hi nice video but let me know will this process be the same for a 06 chevy equainox?

[@ItsaRomethingeveryday]

Very much appreciate your vid, I'm about to do this to our 04 Monte Carlo 3400, and this helps tremendously, I liked n subbd

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Glad you got some use out of it and thanks for subscribing!

[@htatesil4192]

@@TheOriginalMechanic hey u around

[@josephalan2094]

I noticed that on your webpage version of the repair, you specify black rtv sealant. My gasket kit did not come with sealant, and I have Permatex red high temp rtv on hand. Do you believe it is necessary to buy black rtv rather than using the high temp red rtv that I have?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

The red should work fine. You may be wasting red's high temp capabilities here though.

[@josephalan2094]

@@TheOriginalMechanic Thank you for your reply. I have watched a number of videos covering this repair and I believe yours is the best. Thank you for the considerable time you put into this.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

@@josephalan2094 You're welcome!

[@daltonstockton2799]

Where does the wire that’s like 6 inches long but the alternator and has a orange rubber seal on it go?

[@Tick25]

This might be a stupid question but I'm curious. Was the discoloration of the top intake manifold(where it looks wet) a sign of the lower intake manifold gasket failing? If not what are the visual signs? I'm looking at a 3.4 grand am that looks exactly the same .

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Possibly this could be a sign, but coolant in the oil is a better indicator of big trouble.

[@damonemoore7343]

Xander Kresh....that is the beginning signs that there is a lower intake manifold gasket leak beginning, and upper plenum gaskets starting to get a little dry and brittle.

[@elgatomamador7567]

Hi. Can you help me? Muy venture has a high idle (1500rpm) if i remove the tube from de mainfold to the booster brake. The motor stabilizes 850-900 rpm. but if i conect the tube back, it goes 1500rpm again.

[@RobertoSantiagoRodriguez]

Is there a part 4?

[@zmoorer]

Is this the same as on the 2006 3.5 liter engine in the Buick Rendezvous?

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

No it is not. These engines were phased out in 2005

[@Swearingens2023]

The tube that connects to the air duct, mine broke and came off of the back of engine. Is there a trick to putting the tube back on. It looks like one end is threaded but impossible to screw on.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

With any hose or plastic part I find it helpful to heat it up with a blow dryer. This will soften the material and make it easier to both remove and install.

[@PRRomualdo]

Do the car was smoking through the tail pipe before changing the lower intake manifold gasket? Curious because my car it's smoking white smoke and it just got new head gasket

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

No this car did not have white exhaust. It may be possible with a lower intake gasket leak if enough coolant gets into the oil.

[@4valhalla898]

ok so my 2004 chevy venture overheats and gets little cabin heat. Only heats up inside when i idle my car at a high level. Then heat will blow hot and temperature will go down. I have changed thermostat, oil, coolant drain/ replace, water pump, burping lines.. I am told it could be head gasket? I need to be certain before going this route. Any ideas?

[@4valhalla898]

also, I am not really seeing any signs of gasket failure other than the overheating and cabin heat not working properly. It blows some white smoke but it's freezing outside and I'll get a few drips of water out the exhaust after starting but it could be condensation/ frost from the cold. I have not seen coolant in the oil.

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

You've covered all the basics so this is probably serious. What I've seen when the intake manifold gasket fails is coolant in the oil. It doesn't usually overheat until the coolant gets too low. The combination of white exhaust (burning coolant) and overheating does point to the head gasket. A leak down test would be the definitive way to check the head gasket. I don't have a video on that but I've seen some good ones. I hope this helps and good luck.

[@russl7085]

@@4valhalla898 what happened with this issue?

[@jamesmckiernan7681]

Can oil leak into the coolant with a lower intake manifold with this vehicle as thats what one mechanic told me

[@recklessclient5304]

Do you mean your mechanic said that coolant was leaking into your oil?

[@connorw64kshorts]

I changed the thurmastat on my 2000 Chevy Impala 3.4 L and tried to fix intake gaskets now it's leaking and running at a high rpm

[@htatesil4192]

Any luck

[@taylorhewitt8848]

The "tubing" you pulled to the side. Coming off the top of the intake duct. What is the name and purpose of that tubing

[@confidential8738]

Still got the Impala?

[@htatesil4192]

@@confidential8738 go to the dealer ask them

[@confidential8738]

@@htatesil4192 i dont need help with that the girl did

[@htatesil4192]

@@confidential8738 did u ever fix this shit look hard

[@confidential8738]

@@htatesil4192 wym? I was trying to help the person who commented. Mine was fine

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

I think the engines that this applies to were phased out in 2005.

[@larjerr]

I'd recommend not removing the throttle and cruise cables from the bracket...just unbolt the bracket. You could easily break the plastic tabs unneccesarily.

[@kyleshina]

Hello. I just recently replaced lower and upper manifold gaskets in my car (2003 3.1 V6 buick century). Everything went well and I followed youtube/chilson manual to complete. Now that i have everything back together it wont idle. It will start and run if i have my foot on the gas but still has a tough time running. To my knowledge all vacuum lines are connected and I've checked through the wiring harness and all connections look good. Any advice would be a huge help. Thank you!

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

That's always tough to deal with after a repair like this. Make sure the spark plug wires are right. Just double check all wiring, hoses and lines. Throttle cables also . Good luck with it.

[@kyleshina]

Thank you for the response. Yes it is very frustrating. I'll go over everything again tonight.

[@daClaytonBigsby]

did you get it fixed?

[@kyleshina]

Yeah I did. It being 2am and very tired when I was reassembling everything, I didn't realize the throttle body gasket had slipped down out of position and was blocking half the intake. Once i fixed that it ran perfectly.

[@sniperkthewizardwarrior]

Can someone tell me what is that wire or pipe next to the intake air temp sensor on the air intake hose. For some reason it is cut off and taped around it in my Chevy impala

[@dorkcorecrew69]

Obet oxygen sensor

[@confidential8738]

Pcv valve bro

[@connorw64kshorts]

why is my 2000chevy impala run at a very high rpm when I start it up and it doesn't go down at all I changed thurmastat and intake gaskets with gasket sealer now it's running at high rpm

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

I always go back over my work when I get an unexpected result like that. Odds are you missed a wire or hose connection.

[@pekkahiipakka2165]

Thanks for the video

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

You're welcome

[@michaelwilson8715]

Hi Hope someone can help me out here. I replace the intake manifold gaskets etc, put the van back together and it wont start. I found the problem. On the coil pack are 3 connectors, I connected left one on and the right front one. The back right one is missing. I dont where it comes from. I have looked around and cannot find it. The back right connectors does not come off of the main wiring hardness as it is not there. Can anybody tell me where this wiring connector comes from? Help please Im stuck

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

It comes from just to the right rear of the coil assembly. Check out part 7 at 15:54 as it is plugged in. It must have slipped behind something but it should be right in that vicinity.

[@jamieduck367]

This is not a 3.4 this is a 3400 which is alot different. I know 93-95 camaros, and firebirds (rear wheel drive) have a 3.4. Still the same principle for replacing the intake gaskets, but looks a lot different then mine. Thank you for the very explanatory video.

[@nightdan7096]

This is not a 93-95 Camaro with RWD.The OP states very clearly 3.4L or 3.1L 1998 to 2005 in his description which is correct. The OP even goes into great detail saying "These engines are found in many models of GM vehicles made from 1998 to 2005, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, Lumina, Venture, Impala and Monte Carlo; the Pontiac Grand Am, Grand Prix, Montana, Transport and Aztek; the Buick Century and Rendezvous; and the Oldsmobile Alero and Silhouette." Nowhere in the description does the OP mention/say that this video/procedure is for a 93-95 Camaros, rear-wheel-drive. It doesn't matter if the engine decal says 3.4L or 3400. It means the same thing. I have a 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette with a 3400 engine. This is the engine specs for it "3.4 L; 204.4 cu in (3,350 cc)" from Google. I'm a mechanic and here's the specs right out of the book for the 1998 - 2005 3.4 L; 204.4 cu in (3,350 cc), which averages out to 3400 cc which some Chevy, Oldsmobile, GM, put on their upper intake or specific location for a description of the engine displacement size. Some companies also choose to put 3.4L instead of 3400. What do you think cc=cubic centimeters, and L=liters means? What do you think 3400 cc means? 3400 cc is the same thing as 3.4L, get it? 3400 cc=3.4L. Again it's still the same engine the OP is working on from 1998 - 2005. You need to learn a little bit about engines before letting the whole world laugh at your arrogant ignorant comment. I just took this from Google "Now CC stands for cubic centimeters that is the volume of engine. 3.8 L engine means its volume is 3800 CC.(1L=1000 cc).

[@kenbarnett8189]

Drain oil to remove the intake manifold??? By the looks of your oil cap you have a blown head gasket. Maybe you ought to re-title your videos to reflect that....

[@TheOriginalMechanic]

Coolant and oil passages pass nearby in the lower intake manifold gasket on this engine, much like in a conventional head gasket. The failure of that gasket is why this repair is taking place.

[@MonsterNinjaz]

filmed with 1972 potato