Andrew Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 yep thats right, the curse of the L36 has finally struck me. Today i started her up and out poured white smoke for about 5-10 seconds. I think that my 1 hour long drive to the 4wheelparts expo this weekend must have been the last straw for my poor upper intake and gasket. So now she sits, and im forced to ride my ninja rain or shine until my parts come in. In all reality though, its 9 years old and just passed 130k miles last week, so it lasted quite long on the crappy stock stuff. Anyhoo, i ordered an upper intake kit http://www.autopn.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=229679 $120 shipped. According to Bonnevilleclub.com, its the best replacement out there. Its supposed to cure the problem. I sure hope so. L36 Upper Intake Manifold Failure info <---- Awesome write up on this topic, should be stickied here !! Then i ordered new lower intake gaskets and coolant elbow from Gmpartsdirect. it was like $55 shipped. these lower intakes are a 2nd gen design and are also supposed to be superior to oem gaskets. Then, just because i always use failures as an excuse to upgrade, i ordered the HV3 intake insert from ZZP, and some injector o-rings while im there. Then ill be going to Napa for a new fuel pressure regulator(cheaper than Gmpartsdirect). I might as well replace the other part that commonly blows up my engine, or sets it on fire rather. My hope is that by replacing everything, my topend wont need any servicing for years to come. I really hope all this shows up on or by Saturday so i have the weekend to fix her up! I'll take some pics if there is any good carnage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Get the 90* tubes in the Help! packages while your at the parts store! Oh, and lemme know how it go's. I'm doing the preventative maintenance come summer time. I'm also gonna do the valve covers as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Get the 90* tubes in the Help! packages while your at the parts store! huh? what are these now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 honestly, when you said curse I was expecting to read about a fire. THAT is the curse. ;)O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 Get the 90* tubes in the Help! packages while your at the parts store! huh? what are these now? Heres the thread I created about a month ago: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=75283 Looks like we are getting the exact same parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 i remembered this morning that GMPD is in north carolina, and it took over 5 days to ship here in WA on my last order, so i called up my local dealer and they have the gaskets in stock, and the elbows!! so i canceled my order and im gonna go pick them up tomorrow. looks like i need an inch/lbs torque wrench. i dunno if my ft/lbs one goes that low. gonna have to go harbor freight too. and damn i didnt even think about draining the coolant. never did on the Z. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick1234 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 too bad cause you would have saved a ton from gmpd... as you prolly already know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 be sure to inspect your UIM around the EGR tube, thats where i've seen them crack and fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 be sure to inspect your UIM around the EGR tube, thats where i've seen them crack and fail. this upper intake kit http://www.autopn.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=229679 comes with a brand new, improved one. too bad cause you would have saved a ton from gmpd... as you prolly already know. actually, with shipping it wasnt much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 FUCK!!! goddamn FUCKK asshole shitheads. Im fuming..... they didnt have the goddamn gaskets in stock like the said they did. so i had to pay an extra $20 to get them overnighted. DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and that means i wasted my whole goddamn morning going over there, gotta go back tomorrow, if i can even make it cuz of work. $85 just for those fucking gaskets. they wanted $15 a coolant elbow and i told them to stick it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 and now i just checked my email and GMPD wont cancel my order with them, so ill have an extra set of lower intake gaskets and a coolant elbow. FUCKERS!!!! they havent shipped it out yet, hell i told them to cancel it within 24 hours of placing the order. on the GOOD side though, my new upper manifold shipped and will be here tomorrow. all in all, i will have paid $60 more than i should have needed to to fix the damn car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 you're getting hosed, they shouldn't charge you overnight freight, those gaskets should be something readily available at their local parts warehouse, and besides they said they had them and then they didn't, they shouldnt be charging you for their mistakes. and FWIW the new gm manifolds are the same as the new and improved ones you are buying, they now have the stell through that EGR hole as they were failing horribly. I've seen them with my own eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 and now i just checked my email and GMPD wont cancel my order with them, so ill have an extra set of lower intake gaskets and a coolant elbow. FUCKERS!!!! they havent shipped it out yet, hell i told them to cancel it within 24 hours of placing the order. on the GOOD side though, my new upper manifold shipped and will be here tomorrow. all in all, i will have paid $60 more than i should have needed to to fix the damn car. If you still have them in a month or so, I'll buy them from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron350 Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 Don’t forget to do a fuel injector leak down test while you have the intake manifolds off. One leaky injector can cause this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 Don’t forget to do a fuel injector leak down test while you have the intake manifolds off. remind me how to do the leak down test. I am replacing the o-rings while im there, this should prevent that right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 you wanna buy some f-body 3800 metal valve covers and UIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron350 Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 You need new o-rings but that is not why the L36 motors explode. The L36 with the plastic manifold can’t tolerate any fuel leaking into the upper manifold because of the waste spark ignition system. If the fuel pressure regulator goes bad or an injector leaks any fuel while the car is not running the condition for an explosion is set. Hop in the car and turn the key and boom. Injector leak down test is simple all you are doing is making sure the injectors do not drip fuel under pressure. The best thing to do is have the dealership perform the test so you will have proof just in case an explosion happens down the road. If your motor is stock and you have an explosion GM should be liable because they have known about this problem since 1996. If you must test then your self. Pull the ignition relay and have a fire extinguisher ready. With the fuel injectors attached to the fuel rail and the fuel lines hooked up. Place rags, towels, whatever under each injector to catch any fuel. Turn the ignition switch to run for two seconds then off. Do this two times to pressurize the fuel rail and injectors. Now you wait a few hours and see if amy of the injectors drip fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 ill definitely have to do that, thanks!! you wanna buy some f-body 3800 metal valve covers and UIM? is this even an option???? i do know that the gen 3 engines use cast upper manifolds, that would be nice. but they use the drive by wire set-up so i dunno how that would work, if they would even fit. got my new fuel pressure regulator today. $55 at napa with my discount. and my parents are picking up my gaskets from the dealer for me. thankfully they were going that direction anyway today so they offered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted April 20, 2007 Report Share Posted April 20, 2007 ill definitely have to do that, thanks!! you wanna buy some f-body 3800 metal valve covers and UIM? is this even an option???? i do know that the gen 3 engines use cast upper manifolds, that would be nice. but they use the drive by wire set-up so i dunno how that would work, if they would even fit. got my new fuel pressure regulator today. $55 at napa with my discount. and my parents are picking up my gaskets from the dealer for me. thankfully they were going that direction anyway today so they offered. idk, ive just got a setup laying here that i need to get rid of i know the valve covers will work. im sure the intake part would be i the wrong position anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2007 idk, ive just got a setup laying here that i need to get rid of i know the valve covers will work. im sure the intake part would be i the wrong position anyway. i see how you are! you know whats funny about this whole situation. the very first thing i thought was "damn, i thought i got away from bad intake problems when i traded in the LQ1." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwmin Posted April 22, 2007 Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 i see how you are! you know whats funny about this whole situation. the very first thing i thought was "damn, i thought i got away from bad intake problems when i traded in the LQ1." serves you right, haha. seriously, you should buy the valve covers and polish them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2007 well i did it today. took me plus one kinda helpful buddy about 7 hours total. took a pizza break and a quick run to Cut rate in between. it ended up being my lower intake gaskets that were bad. the upper was fine. there was a decent amount of coolant/oil mix in the cooling passages of the LI. im gonna need to have my system flushed. gotta change the oil tomorrow. the coolant elbow broke on both ends!! im surprised i didnt have a leak there. all you need for this operation is as follows. ratchet, 6" extension, 8mm 10mm and 1/2" sockets, 10mm and 15mm wrenches, inch/lbs torque wrench, injection pressure tester to remove fuel pressure at the rail, rags and scraper. snap ring pliers if you change out the fuel pressure regulator like i did. Instead of removing the crossover pipe to get to the throttle body bolts, i just removed the upper intake with the throttle body still attached. i had to bend the lower bar that mounts to the bottom of the TB though. there are 2 bolts that are hidden in the lower intake. they are in opposite corners, and are covered in oil so you cant see them. when i put it back together i used a little bit of RTV at the corners of the LI, where the gaskets meet, just to be safe i bought the intake insert from ZZP, and i must say, i think its a rip off. its just a piece of molded plastic, for $200 !! i think i could modify the stock intake runners to give the same effect. im am tired. my legs hurt. so im gonna be lazy the rest of the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted April 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 i changed my oil today. damn, it was milky!!! i couldnt believe it. i wasnt really low on coolant either, only took maybe a quart. im just now hoping that its not my head gaskets that are bad, cuz that would be my luck. ill drive it for a week and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 Check your oil in a day or two once it is warmed up. When it's cold, the fluids will start to seperate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
97loudcut Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 Check your oil in a day or two once it is warmed up. When it's cold, the fluids will start to seperate. Slick is the headgasket master Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.