Ok, so ive got a coolant leak at the UIM, and i figure if i am gona fix that, may as well deal with the LIM as well. Im trying to figure out what all goes into this fix, how long on average it would take, etc. Ive got the haynes manual for it, but well, that has been hit or miss in he past, so im looking to hear from those who have done if before. Are there things i need to look out for? Im limited on time due to work, and cant afford to have the car none running for more then a day. is this gona take me longer? Will a good shop be able to get the fix done faster then i will as a back yard mechanic, if so, would it be worth taking it to them?(and yes, i have a very good shop who do the work i either don have time, or ability to do) also, is this just a gasket im looking for, or is there more to it parts wise?

oh yeah, its a 93 naturally aspirated 3.8 if that info is needed.

~ thanks Derek

To remove the LIM, you need to remove a lot of upper parts. It isn't exactly terrible, but expect to remove:
the fuel rack (will need new O rings etc)
upper intake (new gaskets)
mass air sensor/throttle assembly (new gaskets)
alternator
That will get you up to it pretty well, although I know I am forgetting things like the EGR, plugs, and coil packs. That will open up more room.
The gaskets themselves aren't that bad, but be sure to have a torque wrench or two handy. The Haynes will tell you to tighten the LIM to whatever number of foot lbs, while the upper will want to be tightened in inch lbs.
While Dan, or a lot of other folks here would be better to talk to, but I'm at the end of a bonneville nightmare, and I have spent more time that I care to admit fixing it. feel free to hit me up if you cant get someone betters attention lol.

good luck man.

There is a write up on this in techinfo/maint I believe, or perhaps mechanical. Give yoruself about 4 hours. Nothing major to do, just take your time.

One thing of ABSOLUTE importance is to be careful when you lift off the LIM. One wrong move and all the coolant will dump into the crankcase. I knew about that and I still got the LIM hung up and tipped the coolant out. I was pissed. I had to drop the oil pan and clean it all out, which while not awful, definitely added to the time spent on the job.

Also, if you don't live in a super cold area, I recommend the hack here to block the LIM->UIM coolant passages with a couple plugs and some JB Weld. It keeps the TB from getting coolant and warming it unnecessarily. It also keeps the UIM from leaking coolant in the future... granted, the new UIM designs are not as problematic, but its really not needed to have coolant flowing in there in the first place.

I did it on mine, and its been great, even in the coldest NJ weather.

Someone probably could link to the post showing how to do this, I can't find it right now.

BKNJ

Thanks for the advice y'all. After some thinking, I am just going to replace the UIM. Thats what is leaking, and its not use tearing down more of the engine to get to the LIM if its not leaking. I am most likely going to be selling the car in the next few months anyways, it just doesn't quite fit the bill for me.

do the lower . your there and and it doesnt take that much more to do . It would also be a good selling point to the new buyer.

I just did my LIM last fall on my 94 Bonny. I started about 10 in the morning stopped about 7 that night. Finished in about 2 hours the next day. In that time I also ran to the parts store and went to Sears to buy a torque wrench.
2 things that were time consuming , 1. cleaning off the old gasket material...there must be an easier way than how I did it. 2. disconnecting the heater hose, I didn't know how it connected and thought I had to take off the power steering pump and the idler pulley bracket but didn't need to.wasted some time figuring it out.
This should give you an idea about how long it will take. The write up and pics on this site helped a lot... I forget who I should be giving credit to but thanks. The only drawback was that the write up was a newer engine hence the heater hose dilemma (the newer engines don't connect that way)
Also... I had taken off the UIM a few weeks earlier thinking that was my problem but in my case it wasn't.
one last thing ...I always feels good when you are done and you are successful ! Yeah it is nice to save the money by doing it your self but the sense of accomplishment feels good! OK the saving is nice too...I like my mechanic but I bet he would have charged me 5 or 6 hundred to do it.

Ouch, that'* a long time. I've got it down to about 2 and a half hours.

Yeah....I know I'm a little(a lot) slow. 2.5 hrs as about how much time I spent going to the parts store, sears and eating lunch. And I didn't add the fact I changed the oil and did a few other misc. things.
I was trying to give a time line for some one who has never done it before to expect. I think I could do it in about 5 hours if I had to do it tomorrow. I hope my post doesn't discourage Derek from changing it himself. I was very happy with the results.
But speed isn't every thing... one twisted off bolt or broken part can make wrenching a bear, I learned this the hard way. Brian

I always tell people it'* about a 4 to 5 hours job. having everything on hand really helps.