NWP Spacers Re-use Review
11-24-2009, 05:24 AM
#1
NWP Spacers Re-use Review
With NWP spacers previously installed (12000-mi) I recently swapped out manifolds (UIM and elbow only) on a 2003 6MT. Prior to the swap I consulted Aaron at NWP about how to handle the RTV seals on the spacers. In short, his advice was to use gaskets scrapers (preferably of a material that won't scratch or gouge the surface) and brake cleaner to wipe down the surface.
In addition, I also had some Permatex silicon gasket remover on hand just in case.
As Aaron (NWP) noted, beware when removing your intake manifolds. Due to the RTV seals the spacers will be firmly attached to the surfaces. Resist the temptation to pry the spacers off with any type of blade or flathead screwdriver. Doing such could cause damage to both the spacers and manifolds. With a little work the spacers will eventually pop off by hand. I also found that lightly tapping the sides of the manifold with a rubber mallet helps loosen the seal. "If you must pry the spacer up, be VERY careful to pry it up at the right spot. If you stick the screwdriver in the middle of the spacer and try to pry, it could delaminate the spacer. If you look closely at the Spacers, you will see that it’s made of several very thin layers of phenolic and bounded into a laminate. But if you pull hard enough with your fingers at various spots, you should be able to remove the spacer without using a flathead screwdriver." [Aaron, NWP]
With the spacers successfully removed I found that all that was needed was to wipe down the UIM, elbow and TB surfaces with brake cleaner, reapply RTV gasket maker to the spacers, and simply re-install. No scraping or silicone remover needed. Put everything back together, Accelerator Pedal Released Position Learning Procedure, and Throttle Valve Closed Position Learning Procedure. Foe me, no Idle Air Volume Learning Procedure needed.
Audibly checked for leaks during idle and then took it for a brief spin. Drove fine, no indications of leaks. Driven over 100-miles since and have had no problems.
As always please be very familiar with installation instructions. I took my time carefully re-applying the RTV gasket maker, lightly bolted down the adjacent components (e.g., elbow-TB), removed them, wiped down the excess RTV, and then finally re-installed and torqued to spec. You may be surprised about how little RTV is actually needed.
Hope others find this useful.
In addition, I also had some Permatex silicon gasket remover on hand just in case.
As Aaron (NWP) noted, beware when removing your intake manifolds. Due to the RTV seals the spacers will be firmly attached to the surfaces. Resist the temptation to pry the spacers off with any type of blade or flathead screwdriver. Doing such could cause damage to both the spacers and manifolds. With a little work the spacers will eventually pop off by hand. I also found that lightly tapping the sides of the manifold with a rubber mallet helps loosen the seal. "If you must pry the spacer up, be VERY careful to pry it up at the right spot. If you stick the screwdriver in the middle of the spacer and try to pry, it could delaminate the spacer. If you look closely at the Spacers, you will see that it’s made of several very thin layers of phenolic and bounded into a laminate. But if you pull hard enough with your fingers at various spots, you should be able to remove the spacer without using a flathead screwdriver." [Aaron, NWP]
With the spacers successfully removed I found that all that was needed was to wipe down the UIM, elbow and TB surfaces with brake cleaner, reapply RTV gasket maker to the spacers, and simply re-install. No scraping or silicone remover needed. Put everything back together, Accelerator Pedal Released Position Learning Procedure, and Throttle Valve Closed Position Learning Procedure. Foe me, no Idle Air Volume Learning Procedure needed.
Audibly checked for leaks during idle and then took it for a brief spin. Drove fine, no indications of leaks. Driven over 100-miles since and have had no problems.
As always please be very familiar with installation instructions. I took my time carefully re-applying the RTV gasket maker, lightly bolted down the adjacent components (e.g., elbow-TB), removed them, wiped down the excess RTV, and then finally re-installed and torqued to spec. You may be surprised about how little RTV is actually needed.
Hope others find this useful.
11-24-2009, 04:19 PM
#3
I was wondering how to go about removing all of the old gasket material. Thanks for the info. Next time I'll try the scraper method.
FWIW, I just removed all of the big chunks and re-applied more rtv; making sure that the gasket was flat on the mating surface and not raised anywhere due to excess gasket material. No leaks for 10k miles.
FWIW, I just removed all of the big chunks and re-applied more rtv; making sure that the gasket was flat on the mating surface and not raised anywhere due to excess gasket material. No leaks for 10k miles.
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