Lower Intake Disaster

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Phillio99

Registered User
I've been tearing down my SC to find a vacuum problem, and so, in my mind, that justifies taking my blower and plenums apart for a little porting. I am down to the lower intake manifold and I am having problems getting the thing loose. I see the bolts that hold the manifold to the block, is there any way I can leave the fuel rail installed and squeeze the manifold out? If not, does anyone have a way of getting that thing out?
Thanks,
Phil
 
the fuel rail will come with it, not hard to take off either, just take all the the bolts off and pry on on either the driver side or passenger side, it should jsut take a lil persuasion. also on the fuel rail there is a bolt under the FPR that secures it, i think its a 13mm make sure you get that bolt
 
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Yea I saw that bolt and I was wondering how i was ever going to get that thing off. Can I remove the fuel pressure regulator to get at that bolt? Will I have any problems with the radiator hose on the front of the manifold? There are little clips that hold the fuel rail up that bolt to the manifold that are in the way to getting at the intake manifold bolts. Can I bend these? Any suggestions would be great.
Phil
 
should be able to get a wrench or socket on it, id recommend jsut taking the fuel rail off, buy a lil torx bit set and take it off its just those 4 lil bolts, and then you dont even have to disconnect the fuel rail you can just swing it off, but be careful not to bend it, i broke mine ha. just dick around with it alot it u'll get it, but remember when it ur putting it back together, just misplace that bolt on purpose :cool:
 
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I actually have one of those little torx socket set. I can't get a ratchet with the torx socket to fit back there to get those four off. Any enlightenment on your method of removal would be great.
Phil
 
good luck on those fuel rail bolts. i broke 3 torx bits before i busted out the dremel cutting wheel. i tried slotting them for a regular screwdriver but they were seized! i finally had to cut the heads off of 2 of them. i used a breaker bar on the intake manifold bolts. they weren't much of a problem.
 
Phillio99 said:
...There are little clips that hold the fuel rail up that bolt to the manifold that are in the way to getting at the intake manifold bolts. Can I bend these?
Click to expand...
No! You just push the injector into the rail a little bit and slide the clips out. If they bend you'll need to bend them flat again. You actually don't even need to take them off as all they do is hold the fuel injectors to the rail. Pull the injectors from the head side and leave attached to the rail if you can. Get new O-rings..they are cheap.

NMxr7SC said:
good luck on those fuel rail bolts. i broke 3 torx bits before i busted out the dremel cutting wheel. i tried slotting them for a regular screwdriver but they were seized! i finally had to cut the heads off of 2 of them. i used a breaker bar on the intake manifold bolts. they weren't much of a problem.
Click to expand...
I hear that, I chucked those Torx Bit screws in the trash next to the phillips screws that held on my IAC Valve. I matched the threads/size and put bolts in their place. Of course that was after I had a chisel and hammer to those ^%$# things! :rolleyes:
 
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Yea thats what I was talking about the fuel rail bolts, two on either side. Is there a way around not having to take those off and getting the manifold off? That would make life so nice.
Thanks,
Phil
 
I hear that, I chucked those Torx Bit screws in the trash next to the phillips screws that held on my IAC Valve. I matched the threads/size and put bolts in their place. Of course that was after I had a chisel and hammer to those ^%$# things! :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

I actually just went through this whole procedure earlier today because i am fully dismantling the engine. At first i was having a very hard time with the torq bits in the screwdriver they are made for, until i realized that they would fit in the right sized socket, bang those were simple. Then the intake manifold were in pretty good, just took time. Also that bolt under the FPR is reachable just very awkward, took forever, one click at a time.
 
I left the FPR bolt out when I reinstalled the fuel rails.

When you get the torx head out.Put anti-seaze on
before you reinstall.You should use anti-seaze on
any steel bolt being threaded into aluminum.And
don't forget to apply some sealer to the manifold
bolts.I use plumbers dope.There maybe something
better to use.

Put a little grease on the injector o-rings When you
reinstall your injectors and fuelrail.After you have the
injectors installed.And the torx screws back in fuelrail.
Before you go any farther,turn your key on to power
up the fuel pump.Do this to check for any fuel leaks.
If you have leaks just wiggle the injector around while
pressing down on the injector.

BE SURE TO CHECK FOR LEAKS AROUND INJECTORS
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE THE ASSEMBLY .

When removing the injectors,I would just wiggle them
out of the heads.I would just leave the little clips
holding the injectors to the fuelrail inplace.And remove
the fuelrail and the injectors at the same time.

Good luck
 
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Phillio99 said:
Right sized socket? Do tell how, did you do this?
Click to expand...
You can buy the torx bits mounted on a 1/4" or 3/8" socket so they just snap onto your socket wrench. Are you using the screwdriver kind?? :eek: Man, make life simpler for you and go buy a set of the socket kind from your local part store.. $10 maybe. Sears has them too..

The guys have a trick on that FPR...after you get it off you can cut a slot from the end to the hole in the bracket so it will just slide off once you loosen the nut from the stud. This will make sens once you get it off and take a looksie. Pretty sure it is 12mm nut on mine. Then you won't have to completley remove the bolt next time. Anytime you're getting back there, I found it easier to remove the hood and cowling, but you'll need those torx bit sockets for that too and a helper as well so you don't scratch your hood. Plenty O' Room once you get that cowl/hood off and out of the way.. ;)
 
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I have a set of torx sockets, well I did have it until i broke it today. I still haven't been able to get any of the torx bolts that hold the fuel rail to the manifold. I also located the bolt that holds the FPR bracket to the head, and I am struggling to get that one off too. I am at a crossroads. What is the easiest what to get this manifold off? I am not sure which way to go. Should I cut off the torx brackets then slip the manifold off? Suggestions much appreciated.
Phil
 
Phillio99 said:
I have a set of torx sockets, well I did have it until i broke it today. I still haven't been able to get any of the torx bolts that hold the fuel rail to the manifold. I also located the bolt that holds the FPR bracket to the head, and I am struggling to get that one off too. I am at a crossroads. What is the easiest what to get this manifold off? I am not sure which way to go. Should I cut off the torx brackets then slip the manifold off? Suggestions much appreciated.
Phil
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place the torx on the bolt then give it a quik rap with a small hammer this will break loose the bolt then unscrew them use anti seize when installing and you may have a bolt in back of head holding fuel press reg
 
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Should I cut those brackets that hold the fuel rail to the manifold? How can I remove a stripped torx nut?
Phil
 
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Is there any way i can get the bolt behind the FPR, that holds the bracket to the head, disconnect the fuel lines, disconnect the injectors from the head then pull the whole assembly? Is this a possibility? There seemed to be a wire harness in the way of the above mentioned bolt, that wouldn't let me get a socket back there. The bracket bolt for the FPR is 12mm or 13mm, thats what Ive heard, is it correct?
Anything helps a lot,
Phil
 
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Phillio99 said:
Is there any way i can get the bolt behind the FPR, that holds the bracket to the head, disconnect the fuel lines, disconnect the injectors from the head then pull the whole assembly? Is this a possibility? There seemed to be a wire harness in the way of the above mentioned bolt, that wouldn't let me get a socket back there. The bracket bolt for the FPR is 12mm or 13mm, thats what Ive heard, is it correct?
Anything helps a lot,
Phil
Click to expand...
that bolt holds the wi harness too its a pain but it has to come off when reinstalling use anti seize, ans the injectors have small clips holding them to the rail
 
Phillio99 said:
Should I cut those brackets that hold the fuel rail to the manifold? How can I remove a stripped torx nut?
Phil
Click to expand...
i don't think you can cut them and still be able to reuse them. if you can get the FPR bolt out, you will not need to replace it if your torx brackets are in place. i had to cut the heads of the torx bolts clean off on the pass. side. then, once you get your manifold out you can use vise grips to turn the rest of the bolt out. mine came out a lot easier this way. i used my dremel cutting wheel to cut the heads off. just be careful not to cut the fuel line. sparks and fuel go boom! :eek: my FPR bolt wasn't too bad though so i can't help you with that.
 
FPR Bolt

It never ceases to amaze me when I work on my car, the ridiculous practices of automotive engineers. The FPR bolt on the back of my 94 block has a 10mm head. It is also about 2 inches long. 1-1/2 inches TOO LONG! It took about 15-20 minutes just to get that sucker out. One click at a time with a flex head 3/8 drive ratchet. And when I looked at the length I figured that somebody was smoking something in the engineering breakroom at Ford. I do believe that the bracket will be slotted when I reinstall it.
Sometimes I wonder if the thought of servicing the vehicle had ever crossed their minds. I have worked for one of the big three and I was not impressed with the majority of their engineers.
Too many engineers don't take an extra minute to evaluate their designs from their customers aspect.
I'm just griping.
Bill
 
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