The title pretty much says it all. I'm leaking oil out of the intake manifold and i think i'm going to try to tackle it by myself. For me...this is a big job because of the distributor and the carburetor. I talked to a guy at o'reilly's and he told me to not worry about getting it to top dead center. He said just mark the position of the cap and the shaft of the distributor carefully in reference to the manifold and i should be fine. What do you guys think?

Also, i have never brought my car to top dead center and im not exactly sure how to do so. I know it has something to do with taking out the spark plug on the #1 cylinder and (somehow) cranking the motor until a puff of air comes out. is that pretty much the gist of it?

And i have heard a lot of controversy on gaskets. Now, i'm thinking i should use the front and rear gaskets because they engineer them like that for a reason right? But then i have heard to just throw them away and use rtv. What are your opinions?

any advice on the matter would be very helpful too. I have no idea what i'm doing i'm just going to dive right into it tomorrow.

 

Make line-up reference marks in relation to the rotor and base of the distributor. Disconnect the battery so you don't accidentally tap the engine over. You won't need to mess with finding TDC at all. And yes, toss the end gaskets and use RTV.

 

Yeah, toss the end gaskets, they are junk.

And you should be fine if you just mark the cap and shaft. And there will be a little gasket that goes on the distributor shaft as well, don't forget that one. But sometimes the distributor doesn't like to go back in and you gotta wiggle it around a little and it should go right in.

The carburetor is simple to take off and put back on too, as long as you don't put the throttle linkage on upside down(don't ask me how i know that).

Now the gasket wont want to stay put on the heads. But I found that if you put some RTV on them and kind of stick them to the heads it wont be a huge problem and you can just set the intake manifold right down on top them and they wont slide. And on the ends, dont be stingy with the RTV. Get a nice big bead of it about a quarter inch wide all the way across and you should be golden.

 

The felpro 1205 gaskets even have a slip of paper that says to toss them. Also you say your worried about the carb, Just disconnected the linkage and lines. Don't take it off the intake, thats just unneeded work.

 

Be careful if your car is a stick trans to not leave it in gear! I've seen guys mark it all and leave the trans in gear, then lean on the car while their working and have it turn the engine slightly as they push against the bumper to reach the engine. Put it in neutral, and set the brake so it wont affect the engine once the distributor is out.
I put a bolt in at each end of the intake gaskets while I silicone the ends to hold them in exact location. Then once you're ready to drop the intake back on just remove the 4 bolts and drop it in place carefully. Make sure you go straight down, and lined up as you set it, so you don't shift it once it touches the RTV. A tiny amount wont hurt, but if you shift it too much the seal wont take on the ends.
After you've got all the bolts started run them down in the cross pattern just snugging them at first, then tighten them once they're all snug. I don't start the engine for several hours to allow the RTV to set up.

 

awesome thanks alot guys. That helped a lot, i wasn't sure how much rtv to use. do you have any suggestions on what kind? there is like...a whole flippin wall of it at o'reillys. Also i have this copper gasket spray, would that easier since i already have it?

I have an auto trans so that won't be a problem i'll just keep it in park. And thanks for the carburetor tips! I am thinking of painting the manifold though so i might have to take the carb off anyway. I'm going to give it a good wash, and i have this silver engine enamel that i used for the thermostat housing and the power steering bracket. The valve covers are also silver so i think it'll match up nicely.

 

Some of the best gaskets to use are the Fel-Pro blue. DO NOT use any adhesive on the gasket surface, as that defeats the whole purpose of what makes those gaskets so good. Just use a dab of RTV at the tabs, where they meet the valley wall (the ends). Permatex Ultra Black would be the RTV of choice.

 

+ 1 on ultra black.

 

+2 on ultra black and no spray. Just a dab on the tabs.

 

lol alright alright no adhesive, use ultra black. i'll hit the store today when i get out of class. Oh, and just through watching automotive shows, if i remember correctly, do i need to put some sort of grease on the distributor gear?