So today i decided to work on the max, getting her back in shape by cleaning out the engine compartment and inside the engine.

Now i KNOW that you can clean the Throttle body near the butterfly plate, but what about beyond it? I noticed ALOT of black crap past the butterfly plate which i could not get through to.

I've highlighted this section, and i was wondering if its possible/easy to remove and clean the entire thing. Correct me if im wrong. Tips welcome.


What else can i remove/clean while im in there with throttlebody cleaner to same some time?

 

Just lookin for a simple Yes or No.

 

Yeah, you can pretty much take the entire intake manifold of along with the tb and clean everything...if your already doing that you might aswell do a 00vi swap lol.

 

I dont have a 00vi...nor know what it exactly is. Haven't looked into it. I know its another intake but BETTER! hehehe

But yea, i was just wondering if i could remove all that without having anything spill/explode/combust on me.

Thanks, im gona pick up some TB cleaner and get to it.

 

Just go slow and take pics so you know where everything is supposed to go back and be very carefull.

 

nice work on the engine bay, looks clean.

 

What in the world is up with that air filter hanging out like that?

 

^^^

 

Whoops, forgot to mention thats not my car.

I saved that pic a while ago for some reason and used it as reference for the TB.

I guess the air filter being that way is another "MOD" the Owner did instead of a hacked Air box.

 

I meant the little filter attached to the breather on the side of the engine.

 

I dont even know what that is...

i'll look up the guy later, has to be in my bookmarks somewhere.

 

How do you take off the Big piece where the red "?" is on? is that the Intake manifold? I tryed giving it a good few tugs but the only thing that moved was my entire front end, hehe.

I took off the 4 screws in the front which are visible, but it wont budge. Are there screws in the back? If so, how do you reach them?


ASAP please, its getting dark.

 

OK, i got the whole thing loose, Only ONE problem in my way from removing the Manifold. (? mark in picture above)... A Hose.

There is a hose behind it that is shaped in a "C" . The betal brackets are in the worst postions possible and i dont have room to get my plyers in there to loosen them up.

Please post soon, its getting dark, dont want to put everything back together and wait for tomorrow.

 

you need to take needle nosed pliers in there one way or another and push back the metal clip to pull off the hose from either end of the "C"

by the way, it's full of coolant, so you will be spilling some

 

man I got to clean my engine bay, someone told me to bring it to a self washing place and steam clean it, does it really work?

 

OK everythings all done, but i think im speaking too Soon...

My engine feels wierd. Im getting crazy Idle' drops and jumps from 1500-200rpms...

When i first Started the car, it started fine, but then it slowley died. I tried it again, and then i stepped on the gas to keep the RPM's at 1000 and a little bit of smoke came out near the Intake Manifold. YIKES! Now my car feels like its shake in a Thump..thump..thump..thump kinda way.

Im worried guys, cant let the Max die.

Is this normal? when i took off the Intake Manifold, i did spray some TB cleaner in the 6 holes to clean off the sludge/grime.


I need answers ASAP! gotta go to the AID's Walk tomorrow morning.

 

Its not too hard like they said be patiend and careful, I did it like 2 weekends ago, IT was sooo dirty its not even funny, well good luck and let us know what happens, btw, its best to get a haynes manual it might help .....

-moo

 

^^yea, took me about 5 hours just to get everything off. and 2 to get everything back on.

Im still worried, it keeps on turning off. Somethings not right...

Could it be the gasket? I didnt want to over tighten the 4 screws holding the front of Intake Manifold cuz i heard they warp in heat... So i took it easy on them, but they're snug.

 

just pressure wash the motor. no need to take anything off. just spray some orange clean on that beeyatch with a toilet brush and ur good.

 

Stop trying to get your posts up....you do need to take out the battery and cover your filter if you're not stock. Possibly any exposed wires as well. Water in any loose or cracked wires will cause problems.

As for the problem....have you run the car more? The smoke came from the cleaner you used. You need to go back and make sure everything was attached correctly. Everything was torqued to spec correct? You're IACV or TB are probably the problem in this case since you're having problems with idle. Check and make sure that's all hooked up correctly.

 

pull out your spark plugs, I'll bet they are covered in black soot from TB cleaner.
Fouled spark plugs will cause the engine to stall.

Nick.

 

My god this is horrible...

I thought it was the gasket or not being tight enough, i went back, loosened the whole Intake manifold, adjusted the gasket a lil bit and tightened everything back on really tight. (how tight is too tight before the threads strip?)

I turned on the engine, turned on fine, then started to hissssss. And turned off.

Tryed it a second time, turned on perfectly, then again started to loose RPM's and hiss. Giving it gas seem's to keep it alive, soon as i let go it dies and hissses.

Please give me a call if you have suggestions or can talk me through it.
562-964-3283
Adrian


This is really scaring me. Didnt know this project could cause such a problem.
Please help. Also, if my last resort is to take it to a mechanic, how much do you think this would cost?

 

did u check the spark plugs as was mentioned earlier?

and whats with this comment:

aaa99max has had the best advice in this thread so far

 

how is that the best advice? He's trying to figure out what's wrong with the car for one. And you shouldnt just go in a power wash everything in the engine bay....

 

Guys: Ignore the things that dont matter, let it slide. Right now lets put our heads together and get this baby on the road again. I really appreciate you all taking your time to help out, even if its just a little, it helps. Thanks


Spark plugs, No i havent.

Do i get to them by removing the engine cover?

I wouldnt know what torque to install them back in.

 

Isn't it a good idea to replace the intake manifold gasket when removing the manifold? I noticed all of that gunk inside my manifold when I removed my throttle body to clean it. I have heard that cleaning the inside of the manifold may increase flow a little better, but gives no noticable results.

 

Can i get a new gasket at any auto parts store? or do i get it from a Dealer?

 

The front 3 plugs can be accessed by removing the front cover held in by a few cap head screws. After removal, you will see 3 coils each held in by 2 small screws/bolts. Remove the screws and pull up on the coil to access the plug. You will be able to see the rear 3 coils once you lean over the passenger fender. Again, remove the 3 coils held in by 2 bolts to access the plugs. As far the torque, I try to tighten the plugs close to the way they were when I removed them. Do Not Overtighten.

 

You can try a parts store, but to be honest, I'm not sure if you can buy them there or if you will have to go to a dealer. That particular gasket may be reusable, but I thought if you removed the intake manifold, it is best to replace it. I may be totally wrong. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will be able to chime in.

 

thanks, im gona head out to Kragen and Autozone first, see if they have one for my car.

 

I'd call first. Might save you a trip.

 

Went to 5 diff. autopart stores(kragen and autozone), niether had a gasket. I had to order a set for $20.99. Its going to be here on tuesday or before if im lucky.

I was thinking about going back and making sure there isnt any debri on the gasket/heads but i dont feel like taking all that **** out. Ill just wait for the new one... Also dont want to mess with the spark plugs. I dont want another problem with those.

Its deffinetly a vacuum leak.

Thanks to you all, ill keep you posted

 

I asked before but didnt see it answered...did you torque the manifold bolts back to spec? That plus not putting new gaskets back on could have caused your leak.

 

Torque spec is 12-17ft. lbs. But i dont have a tool that will tell me how much i torque'd it (shift_spelling) so im just stuck with a rachet.

I found the order of tightening the bolts though, so ill do that.

I still hope i didn damage any threads, friend of mine said the threading on the engine are tough so...hope he's right.

 

Ok well when you're putting on the new gaskets buy a torque wrench. Even if it's a cheapo one for now. Make sure they are torqued to spec when you reinstall it all.

 

That's Freeway's engine right?

 

^^might be.

Torque wrench - COuldnt find one at either autoparts store, they only had one to rent, which was 100$.

 

I think you can get a torque wrench at Pepboys for around $30-40.

 

You can also get a cheap walmart one for $20. That will be strong enough to do the manifold.

 

ok, new gasket installed. No more hisssing sound or car turning off...yet.

But my idle still seems unstable. It keeps wanting to drop but my car/computer brings it back up.

Should i let it run for a while or drive it?


My friends also told me they here a faint knocking/clicking sound near the rear pistion chambers. But i never messed with that so i dont know what that could be. They said they can hear it when if i accelerate. (when in Park.)