Yaaaayyyyy! Now the really fun part lies ahead of you, bro. Getting it back on. I was going to suggest that you remove the motor mounts and just try raising the engine a couple of inches. That still isn't off the table, is it?

 

I did have a hell of a time getting it out from under the front edge of the cowl. Had to rotate and rotate and rotate and rotate and rotate until it accidentally popped up and out.

I had indeed seen that mentioned for the third generation cars but not the first gen. So I kept it in my back pocket. But thank you for the suggestion

 

Okay here are some intake selfies


4 and 3

3 and 2

3 2 and 1


2 and 1

One looks pretty wrecked. There is no gasket residue or gasket pieces stuck to the manifold itself so I don't believe I ripped this when removing it. As for the red material that is missing, anyone's guess as to where it is. Looks like a compressible bead used to seal against the manifold. So I'm assuming this is where at least part of my **** idle is coming from. It's amazing how little the RPM changed when I doused it with intake throttle body cleaner.

Anyway, my path is now someone more direct. I know I need to plug the intake ports on the engine so I don't get crap in them.

If I remove the IAC and TPS, can I get this dunked in a parts cleaner? Or will that just introduce more strange **** into it?

I assume throughout a body cleaner from the throttle body end and carb cleaner into the runners?

I thought about taking the throttle body off and cleaning it properly for the first time in its life, but then I'll be changing two things at once and if I still have an issue I won't know which was to blame.

Also, the FSM does not mention using any type of sealant lake permatex Gray etc, but it seems like the Saturn dude who put that together did use it. I'm using a FelPro flat replacement gasket. Thoughts?

Thanks again for everyone's support during the whining phase of this project.

 

I would follow whatever Felpro recommends when installing their “new improved design” gasket. I used the old fashioned Permatex aviation sealer on the minivan intake gasket.

 

Thank you, Andy.
Will research and move forward after I clean the surfaces

 

I'm pretty sure that red bead was on the OEM gasket and meant to compress to help seal the gap, derf. I have no idea about a new or improved design but would do what Andy suggested since he's a mechanic and I'm not. Have you found torque specs and how in the hell are you going to get a torque wrench on them?

 

As for torque specs, I have the FSM.
I'm probably going to try to use my inch pound torque wrench set to the equivalent foot pound value. These things are such a pain in the *** to get tools on, but once I got the mid length sockets, things went much faster..

The torque is only 20 some foot pounds surprisingly so I might make up a funky rig where I can practice on it trying to hit the value and then use it at the end of installation to break **** off.

Thank you for the info about the bead. That is exactly what I figured. I'm not sure how I'm going to get basically the entire gasket off the engine. I haven't tried but I hope it releases cleanly. Whoever put that gasket on used the permatex Gray and it was probably appropriate for that gasket. The felpro one I'm using is a metal core and completely flat on both sides and the website makes no mention of requiring anything of the sort.

 

How time and progress flies.

​​​​​​Gasket residue removed. Most was on head. Enjoyed laying across the engine scraping gently with a razor blade but hey, some things you just got to do. Cleaned the manifold side, put the manifold back on, wanted to tighten it up.

Figured after all this effort, I should probably put the gasket in between them.

Intake removed gasket gently inserted, all nuts finger tight. Torqued in sequence to 22 foot pounds.

Put the injectors back in, fuel rail, dumbass fuel regulator which I have always understood had to be removed to get the fuel rail out but according to the FSM that does not. Somebody's lying. Anyway, got it put back in with the fuel rail in the car, hooked other wiring harnesses up.

Down to the power steering pump. I misplaced one of the footlong brackets that supports it. Found it yesterday lying partly inside the radiator fan and partly on the exhaust manifold. It is officially not well lit enough, the part is sufficiently dark black, and I am sufficiently a doofus that I did not see it for over a week.

Strangely I am missing several other specific power steering bracket bolts. I have a vague memory of them falling behind something on the shelf but I have looked behind everything and I cannot find them

I also have to take the front bumper off as there is a nook at the very bottom where you cannot get a magnetic retrieval tool. I believe there to be at least two sockets and one bolt that I know of, probably much much more. No, just removing the air dam does not give you access.
Ordered those special bolts online. Should be here this week.

Also did a thorough degreasing while the intake manifold was out as I could get at 80% of the gross under the hood stuff on top of the transmission. I noticed the other 20% I missed and it's bothering me so I will do it tomorrow, then have to degrease my garage floor again.

If there's anything under that hood that I didn't know about or what it was, I pretty much do now.

So here it is, lit somewhat darkly so you can't really tell if it's clean or not



Just waiting on bolts.

The attempted startup will be one continuous annoying video for all of you to suffer through just as I do in real time.

 

Progress is good.

 

This will be derf once he's finished.