How to do your intake/exhaust gasket

[SHADY280]

Admin, please sticky this for others referance. These are the steps and procedures that i have used to complete the intake gasket in the easiest and fastest method. Feel free to pm more suggestions and editing finds so that it may be fixed for an easier read for other.
Disclaimer: I do not accect any responsiblity for anything that goes wrong or missed procedure on your job, use common sense and a good manual if you have never completed this before, pictures may not represent your vehicles exact intake or setup. for referance only.


The first few steps are simple and can be overlooked, so make sure you check everything before pulling or unbolting the intake to avoid a large headache. This first pic is of the intake before dissassembly.

1. Undo ground cable
2. Remove cap from distributer c/w wires attached to make room to work
3. Remove intake hose between tb and afm
4. Undo wiring harness clamp, and remove all intake wiring, be carefull to not break any of the brittle delecate clips.
5. Remove all vaccum hoses and from surrounding parts. ei brake booster, cruise, intake breather, pcv valve.
6. Drain coolant, about an icecream buckets worth
7. Remove air bypass valve and hoses, and egr control

8. Remove throttle rod, remove hair pin and arm will slide out
9. Remove pulley from front of engine, power steering belt must be loosened first, no need to remove mechanical fan. Pic before

Pic after. Also double nut top stud, and remove stud

10. Remove coolant line running to egr control from above lower rad hose.
11. Disconnect fuel lines, to relieve pressure, touch power + ground to cold start valve, as per factory manual

12. Disconnect egr tube from intake side because its usually not seized like the manifold side.
13. Disconnect exhaust from header pipe, or at manifold flange, or catalitic, whichever is easier and not going to break, use pb blaster or aerocroil.
14. Remove egr valve (if equipt) then heatsheild 12mm bolts
15. Remove access plate on top of intake, to reveal top exhaust bolt

16. Start to undo all 12mm bolts off of exhaust under to intake, do not undo the 2 end bolts on the ends of exhaust or the 3 center bolts, they do not need to be removed to remove intake. for this step use a wrench, long extension, mirror, flashlight, whatever it takes to get these nuts off.
17. use very long extension with swivel and 14mm and remove all 4 bolts from intake and remove

18. Remove final 5 bolts and remove header

19. Clean all surfaces with scraper, if using a power disk, do not make any inperfections in surfaces, this could cause future leakage.
20. installation is revese of removal. to install intake easier, intsall all nuts and washers loosely on sections where intake and exhuast share so you dont have to try and get your hand in there. Tighten all 5 nuts on the exhuast that were previously left untill last.

Have fun and take your time, if its been done before it may only take 2 hours or so, if its your first time allow some time if you break bolts or need other repairs, when putting everything back together use some never seize, it will make next time way easier, esspecially if its you.


i will update this and proof read this later, so please excuse any dumb overlooked errors

[entropy31]

stuck. good job shady.

[thxone]

Word! Hey that looks like a "cardboard" gasket...is it? Doesn't look like there are any major leaks. Did you let that Silicone "set-up" before you put the exhaust and intake on, cause it looks like it spread out during the tightening of the bolts.

[jfairladyz]

antiseize is a better option on the gasket around the exhaust ports then a silicone or similar sealant.

[SHADY280]

i just put it on real thin, then just put on the manifolds, the silicon is really meant for extreme heat applications and has real copper in it as well. oh, that gasket is felpro gasket and is the cardboard type of stuff, i just got the victor reinze gasket like you did thxone, and like it better

[duowing]

How much more is there to this when a Turbo is involved, but this honestly doesn't sound as bad as I had originally thought.

[jfairladyz]

as far as the turbo question goes: It's no more difficult. You have a little less elbow room for getting to a bolt or two directly across from where the turbo sits. But it's really no big deal. I've done both and I dont consider one harder then the other. The only part I did find harder about doing the turbo manifold is the extra weight of that turbo hanging off of there

[duowing]

Nissan quoted me $450 for the job, and thanks to the broken stud about $550 if that's the only one. I said screw it, I'm gonna learn to do this myself.

[n00blar]

Excellent work!

And what a timing there, I need to do this on my 'parts' ZX to get that engine ready for my engine swap!

Thanks for the good instructions.

[chinesekid]

good thing i found this thred... i was about to go do everything free hand and when i found a problem.. i was gonna come back and ask you guys on a thred... so thanks shady... big big big help...

[barrywood 24/7]

One thing that made a big difference in my case was to use 1/4" size for the 12mm intake nuts. the heat shield is the worst part of the job from my experience's. This job is a pain the first time around, but SHADY280 sheds some light for first time wrenches... Good luck time frame first time, the week end.

[cockerstar]

If I change to an aftermarket header rather than the stock manifold is it necessary to change the gasket?

[duckyz]

Yes. Every time.

[Bleach]

it look like Shady used a square port gasket with a round port head and exhaust manifold.

[SHADY280]

stock fel-pro gasket. i think they make them universal.

[duowing]

The gasket I have, has a metal lining for the exhaust ports, but the exhaust ports on the gasket are round, you think that would work with my turbo exhaust manifold?