have 2 issues that i need to fix...as of now,


1) like title said, b-pipe is sagging. should i replace the rubber grommet? will it actually lift it up that high?




2) there were a lot of oil on one of the spark plugs in the rear chamber.
is this commonly due to the PCV valve clogging up or maybe the valve cover gasket needs to be replaced? I don't have a grommet for the PCV valve b/c last time i replaced the valve, the grommet cracked in half cause it was so old. the only thing thats holding it in are a bunch of zip ties.

 

 

your UIM and rear valve cover look exactly like mine as far as oil buildup. I have a pretty bad leak in my rear valve cover gasket (oil makes it to the ground). you likely have to change yours as well. put your hand back there if you can, does it feel dry? Mine came out soaked in oil. As for the oil on your plug threads, that can be caused by faulty spark plug tube seals. typically these are changed when you change the rear VC gasket. Simple to replace once you've removed the upper IM. I'm going to take care of all that on Friday.

 

blahh, yehh, i doubt it will be dry. i never removed the uim before.
is it easy to get to the rear valve cover gasket? how much do those run?

and for the tube seals, dunno how to do this and how much this run for.
should i get this professionally done?

 

my greddy does that too...

 

Autozone has the gasket with seals for about $57. I think this set includes the front and rear gaskets and tube seals. in removing the UIM, if you take your time and label all of your vacuum hoses and everything else that you remove, you can probably do it yourself. basically just start removing stuff, keeping track of what you remove, until you get it off. there are bolts in the back of the UIM by the firewall that might be kind of hard to remove/replace. but if you have the time, and feel confident in yourself, you can probably save a lot of money on repairs. you can get a quote from your mechanic to compare that cost vs. the money/time involved if you decide to do it yourself.

 

thanks for the suggestion. sigh, i'm sick of spending money on this car, ironic thing is i still want more parts for it for autocross purposes but only gonna keep the car for about a year.

anyways, i'll look into this prob this weekend and take ur advice. i'm guessing this will prob take all day for me if i do it. do you think i should buy a haynes manual in doing this? also, when u take ur uim off, are u gonna port/polish it?

 

do u think its just due to the shape of the catback?

 

oil on the plugs especially on the outside top are of the plug would probably be the spark plug "tube" that slides into the head sometimes they will lose their seat in the head and start to rise up causing oil to get on you plug, now yes its going to be a pain in the *** because you have to remove the UIM and unbolt the valve cover and tap the tube gently back into the head or pull the tube out put a little RTV on the tube and tap it back into place

 

Its a job to do but well worth it. Id say get a friend or someone that has done it before on the org to help you out. My front and rear ones were leaking and replaced them both along with the spark plug seals which were good. I still replaced them though.

 

i would do it if i knew someone who actually done it w/ a max here, but i hardly see any modded max's here in charleston. i might just go get a quote from a mechanic and if its way too much, might have a friend in columbia do it for me...

 

They may charge an arm and a leg cause they just look at the book. Best do it yourself or with some help, it's not that hard, just a little time consuming.

 

well i called a local shop and the mechanic told he remembered doing a similar task a long time ago and how much of a pain the *** it was to do it.
he quoted about $180 for just labor, but i would get a more accurate estimate if he checks out the car first.

i'm sure its not all that hard, just an assload of bolts, nuts, washers and what not, just gotta be really organized. i'm just afraid of screwing up, losing a bolt, etc, during the process since i've never done this before.

 

thats a aftermarket exhaust stock exhayust.. looks like a hack job..

 

this is sadly true. i had this replaced because i think i had a couple holes and bad rust on the previous one and the shop said he could replace it for dirt cheap. at the time, i wasn't smart enough to get an aftermarket b-pipe from say warpspeed or budjet which i should of done.