Well, my brother and I got everything torn off, except for the thermostat on Saturday while it snowed 2 feet outside! Made for an interesting ride home, but hopefully it was worth it. We will be installing the new manifold gaskets today and replacing all 8 plugs/cops. So far so good, only one nut is MIA, hope to find it in the process. I'm going to be nervous wreck when it comes time to start this thing back up. That EGR tube (I think that's what it's called) is a PITA and took us about an hour to get off. Had to take off the drivers side tire and put it up on a jack. I'm optimistic we'll get everything slapped back together today. Are there any sort of rules for start up? Should I wait a certain amount of time between piecing everything together and turning her over?

 

One rule to follow anytime you lose a nut, screw whatever when you have the intake off. Find it! If you can't find it make sure you inspect all 8 cyl head intake ports (visually and with a magnet) before reinstalling the intake. Small parts have a tendency to fall right into these ports and can cause major damage to the engine when it gets restarted. If the sparkplugs were out when you lost the nut same thing goes. Check in the sparkplug holes and if the part was small enough to fit into the hole and drop into a cyl... Then before you fire it up check inside the cyl with a flexable magnet or rotate the engine by hand. If you feel resistance then stop a small nut can lay on top of a piston and bad things will happen. I like to use a shop wet vac to clean out the cyl head intake ports and sparkplug holes before reinstallation. You don't want a lot of antifreeze laying in these areas as well if any was spilled. Once the intake is reinstalled pour antifreeze into the thermostat hole until it completely fills the block all the way to the top of the thermostat hole. Install the thermostat and all hoses then fill the degas bottle to the top line with coolant as well. Run it with the heater on and periodicly check coolant level. Note if you removed the fuel lines make sure when you reconnect that they snap back into place on the fuel rail connections, double check that they are completely on and will not come off. Reinstall both fuel line connection safety clips in the correct direction as well. You don't want a major fire here after all your work... Good luck.

 

Yep, I lost my fuel line @ 55 mph taking my daughter to school. Pumped fuel all over the back of my engine, -used my boot laces to tie it back together lol. I lost #8 coil, but it could of been much worse

I didn't put those safeties back on and my spring was rusted inside the connector. You can bet I re-did that with new parts after. Thank god I D-electrified the snot out of my coils, but I still lost one.

 

Some guys will try anything to get a new truck Jbrew notice I used the proper name for the "DEGAS" bottle...Starting to sound almost professional huh?

 

I noticed Degas right off and new exactly what you were talking about lol. Yea if it would have caught fire, that would have been the end of it for sure, but I would have to find another 98, I did have an 01 for awhile, but didn't like it. It had a 5four, but it still didn't pull like the 98. Sold it for a grand more than I paid

Hell you always sound professional, -more than I do anyway lol.

 

how can i attach pictures for you guys to see? Do I have to create an album, I don't see anywhere to just upload them? BTW, the nut was lost prior to me opening any holes...thank God. Found it when the intake came off. I'd like to post a pic of the milky residue fluid that was on the upper gasket to get your take on it. I'm assuming that is where my leak is, the lower ones don't look too bad. Of course what do I know, this is my first LOL. Now you guys are scaring me about setting my darn truck on fire.....

 

a picture posted in a thread has to come either from an album or from an internet hosted site such at Photobucket. Can not come straight from your hard drive.

 

Thanks Bluejay. I created an album with the pictures of the before and after, the upper gasket milky fluid. I'm an idiot and couldn't figure out how to include them in this message, but the album is public for your viewing. What do you guys think?

 

Click on the pic in the album. There will be two address lines under the pic. Click on the bottom line and copy it, then paste it in a post box, that is all you have to do.

 

Just go to your album/ click on the second link BELOW the pic, the [IMG] link , not the url at the top of the page and post it here. You have to be signed in, you may have to do this twice depending how you arrived at your link.

Like Bluejay said

BTW- We like pictures.

 

Hey Brew, lil slow tonight are we?

 

 

I'm getting there, just took my meds. They have been misplace, found them in the f150 behind the seat, now I have EXTRA!