As I was messing around in my engine this evening I came across something curious and wondered if you all might be able to shed some light on it...

I learned a while ago the way of determining when an intake manifold mas manufactured, but looking at mine it seems a little uncertain as to exactly what year it was made...

Here is what is indicated on the "year" spot...however it doesn't look anything like the example provided in tech info.



By this the best guess would be 2002, but like I said it really doesn't look anything like the example provided...

Then there is this over on the "month" indicator...



Again, it'* different than the example provided in that the example doesn't have those numbers on either side of the arrow. This leads me to wonder if my manifold was manufactured in 1997, possibly the original factory part.

I am not the original owner of this car. The original owner kept meticulous documentation of every scheduled and unscheduled maintenance performed, and did not mention an intake replacement in 2002 or any other time.

So if it actually was made in 1997...it leads me to wonder, if after 10 years and 135,000 miles is it really going to fail? Maybe not! I certainly suspect it'* quite rare for one to have lasted this long if so.

Any information you have on this is appreciated.
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yes, that is a 5/97 manufacture date manifold, an dit appears that you have been quite lucky with that UIM

It very well could have failed already, and was replaced with a "NOS" piece. But if it IS original, keep a very close eye on that coolant tank.

Cool! Thanks. And what is a "NOS" piece?

I check the coolant several times a week and since the cooling system was last affected (about six months ago when I noticed my recovery tank suddenly lost a couple of pints, needed a new water pump) I have noticed my coolant has not lost a single drop.

I'm hoping maybe it'* warped, melted, or burned itself into some sort of state to where it won't fail. Probably not, though. It'* a good thing I just got this truck in case it does fail, because I'd like to try to fix it myself even though I have never attempted something on that massive of a scale. We'll just have to see what happens I guess.
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NOS is "New old stock"

And I am betting it won't be long until it fails. I give it 5,000-10,000 more miles.

Off topic - Also keep a close look on your 4.3'* LIM gaskets. They could possibly be on their last legs. /end off topic

Ah, I see.

Guess that means I've got about 4 - 8 months of life expectancy left on it. Oh well. Would be neat if it set a record for the longest lasting of these.

What kind of symptoms would I notice if it failed on me? I'm assuming that it would fail during driving when the engine was hot.

If for some reason it does slip by me and destroy my engine, I plan on replacing it with either a Series II or Series III supercharged powerplant and accompanying transmission.

Aside from the predictions of doom, do you all think that someone who has never done more than small repair and maintenance (thermostat, intake work, a few sensors, oil change, filter replacement, etc) would be able to replace the upper intake? I'd like to be able to save the $500 or so on labor. I would hopefully have my second vehicle by then so time wouldn't be an issue. I suppose if I botched it or got stuck I could always get it towed to a repair shop, and since that would have to be done anyway given the nature of the problem I suppose I could always give it a shot.

EDIT: And I just saw your comment about the S10. Even with only 38000 miles? Great. :? Coolant was full last time I checked.
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Let'* not jump to immediate doom conclusions saying he'* only got X number of miles left. Some cars go much longer than others. It'* kind of a crap shoot, but it is inevitable. That'* why it is still critical to keep an eye on your coolant level and make sure you're not consuming any. Regardless, at some point in the relatively near future it would be a good idea to do some preventative maintenance on it. I bet you could do it yourself too.

You really think so? As I said, time would not be an issue. I'd much rather spend ~$150 for the aluminum gaskets, manifold, stovepipe and all and do it myself rather than over $700 to buy all that and have someone else do it.
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Change it out. I'm just saying not to put a time to destruction since there'* no way one can be 100% sure. Don't forget about your lower intake gaskets either.

Might as well, I guess. If nothing else it'll be a good learning experience. Plus it'll give me piece of mind. I wish I had a dollar for every time I panicked when I smelled hot engine or thought my coolant was lower than it should be, when in fact I was merely on an incline.

I'm hoping it can last (it should) until Memorial Day which is when I will finally have the truck over here and available for my use.
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