can't get a mechanic to fix an intake leak, sigh
 

i tried to have a shop i've never used before fix an intake leak i've had and have tried to fix unsuccessfully. i left the car monday, i know what i've done to the car, and they didn't call me after having the car all day.

i call tuesday morning and the response i get is" well, if you want to come and get the car, come and get the car. :ugh: we found multiple codes, ( 3 ) and it would take 850.00 to 1,000.00 or more to fix.

the code i already had was 0505, which could be iacv , that's new. knock sensor ( bs also new ) and 0300, all relating back to the intake leak which can cause the k/s and 0300 to pop up.
i know my car, and know it's an upper or lower intake issue, or a metal hose leaking underneath the egr valve i just replaced. apparently know one wants to work on the car cause i know too much and they think it's going to be a nightmare to take apart even though i've told them what i've fixed.

they either don't want to work on it at all, or want to rebuild the intake and replace a bunch of parts that don't need replacing. has it gotten this bad that just cause my car is 23 years old that know one wants to touch it anymore?

anyone in Montgomery county that knows a decent "honest" mechanic, or can help me find and fix this, you would have my eternal gratitude.

One way of finding an intake leak is to spray a combustible fluid or gas around the engine while it is running. The more combustible the stuff, the smaller the leak detection and also the further away from the leak. People have used lots of different things such as starting fluid (ether), brake cleaner, propane.

But have you checked the rubber collar that connects the MAF to the throttle body? It could be cracking in one of those folds.

The only mechanic I trust is turbobink (aka ... me).

How about seeing if "maxi ride 41" will do the work?

replaced it last year, and i've sprayed throttle body cleaner all over in the back and that seems to be where it's leaking.
turbo, i don't have the skill set to pull apart the back half of the engine, and it's winter time outside and i don't have a garage.
i've done everything i can to find and fix this problem, not a mechanic, but have worked side by side with my mechanic to find the issue.

Hi there maxride41 mo county's top mech is here. The lux97 guy is here somewhere.

If the intake manifolds are taken off by anyone it, will be hundreds of dollars.

Buy some new gaskets ,take the upper and lower off. And clean them up. Buy all new fuel and vacuum lines.

yeah kris, not planning on doing that. i want to do exactly what your saying. that's what a nissan tech said was a common problem for my year max. fuel lines were new 5 years ago, and vacuum lines as recent as last few weeks.

What's the problem your exactly having with the car. I am fair when i charge for prices. Is the plenium giving you troubles or a vaccum leaks.

Dude he honestly has a good point, I was going to clean my throttle body on the 2k 5 speed, saw how dirty the egr (fed spec) was making my upper intake, proceeded to see how dirty my lower intake was, and in this process saw that every pcv line, valve, all vacuum lines, o rings, upper intake gasket, vias gasket, egr gasket, throttle body gasket, all needed replacing anyways. It's not that hard to take apart, I guarantee your intakes could use a cleaning, if y'all have swirl control butterflies in the lower like us, you can remove them, weld the side holes shut and gain some cheap ponies, not to mention the crud you'll get out of the mani's will regain lost ponies, and you will see what we mean when the unseen damaged vacuum lines and such are brought to your attention. Makes for a great time to really degrease engine, vacuum between banks out, check for oil leaks, spark plug tube seal leaks, change plugs, coils, valve cover gaskets, and even putting headers on are all made alot easier by doing this cleansing that only takes a few hours to complete in its entirety..

Did you try pumping smoke through a vacuum line (with engine not running)?

She has a good point. I found my vacuum leak using a cheap cigar. My friend had a vape set he used.... it put out a lot more smoke.

i see some smoke when i drive it a lot, only at start up. i took care of this car, all the vacuum lines, gas lines, maf, egr, knock sensor, plugs, injectors, coil packs, you name it were replaced in the last 16 months. plus, i cleaned the $hit out of the intake, use 89 or better gas, and know where all the oil leaks are. i know the car, it's in the back, either upper or lower intake gasket, or a small metal line underneath the egr valve leaking. trust me, i did my homework on this one. i'm sure at this point some things are a little dirty after this winter, but i will clean up those areas when it warms up a bit. i really want the car to run right, and i'm almost there.

Blowing smoke with either a smoke machine or cigar will show you exactly where the leak is. I found a vacuum hose leak in my Toyota doing this. Blow smoke into your intake through a vacuum hose and watch for where smoke appears. I sympathize about you not having a place to work on the car in winter weather. I have faced that myself. These cars are worth it. I expect to get mine to over 300k and I have put little into repairs because it just hasn't broken down.

The ecu can always have a hidden chip or controlled device that will make your car shut off or run ****ty.