Hello all!! Trying to get some help here. I'm a little tight on cash right now, I'm trying to figure out if i could save some bucks and still use my intake plenum if at all possible. It IS the original that came on the car, over all though, doesn't seem to be in that bad of shape. A little worn around the Egr port but not too bad. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! (thanks in advance)

The intake can be used if it is inspected in the EGR port area and doesn't have deterioration in the bore wall. I strongly recommend if you do re-use it, you install a sleeved kit and reduced dia EGR pipe.
I'll try and find you the link that explains it.
Edit: Here'* the link.
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ght=egr+sleeve

thanks ssebonne4eva!!! I'm gonna start reading up on this now. Before i start, is this something i can do without alot of tools and presses?? I guess i'll find out soon tho! lol Thanks again

one quick question, it doesnt say the parts that are needed, and how exactly it was done. Does any one know where i can locate that info from??

You can do this easily if you find a sleeve that is not too large. Possibly .755 - .760 and it should be a good press fit. You will also need and epoxy like JB Weld. I thing the Ken co. kit is a larger sleeve dia that requires a hammer to install.

oh ok. So where would i find a sleeve? Bone yard or? Are there any instructions for doing this that tell me what parts and things i need to pick up??

Send a PM to Bill Buttermore, the author of that thread, and see if he still has some available for purchase.

yea i sent him a message. I was hoping there was something that i could do now, i start a new job on wednesday and I need this car bad or I will lose this job. If anyone knows of a "quick fix" for right now, please let me know. I'm willing to do anything.

LOW PRICE - HIGH QUALITY - QUICK TURNAROUND Choose two, sacrifice the third.

You cannot get a good quick fix for this problem without paying a lot of money.

You can get the best fix by doing it yourself with an APN kit and GM aluminum LIM gaskets - that will cost you about $250 and take a week to get the parts and install them.

You can get a good a fix (depending on the condition of your UIM) by repairing your own upper, installing a reduced diameter stovepipe and aluminum LIM gaskets, but that will only save you about $50 or $60, and will still take a week or so to get the parts and install them.

You can have someone install a Dorman UIM and aluminum LIM gaskets for you locally, but you will not get a heat shielded upper and you better figure to pay $400-500 to get it done, more if you want a "rush" job. This fix is not as good as the APN.

Please read this Techinfo article that explains the problem: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...e=article&k=38

Shielded one-piece stovepipes are only recommended for new or nearly new Dorman UIMs or Delphi UIMs that are sold without a heat shield (metal sleeve) in the EGR passage. http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=70553

Was your old UIM leaking? Are you losing coolant internally? If you are losing coolant and can find no perforation or evidence of leaking in the upper, odds are the LIM gaskets are shot. If your oil has become contaminated with coolant, every day you delay in draining and flushing the oil and fixing the problem makes it more likely that serious bearing damage has occurred.

To evaluate your old UIM, take a sharp instrument, like an awl, upholsterer'* needle, or a dental pick, and strongly probe the walls of the EGR bore. Heat from the proximity of the hot stovepipe turns the plastic porous and soft, eventually leading to perforations that allow the engine to ingest coolant. Probe the outside top of the UIM to get an idea of how hard good plastic should be. Don't be fooled by the shiny black appearance of the EGR bore. In an old UIM, that is more likely to be petroleum coke residue (carbon), than good, sound plastic. Understand that probing the EGR bore may result in a perforation into the coolant passages in the UIM making the part un-usable until it is repaired by installing a sleeve.

If you determine that your UIM is bad or going bad, you won't have time to install a repair sleeve in your old UIM and have it running as dependable transportation by Wednesday morning. There are lots of repair options, but anything you do to get it running safely in one day will cost you more than if you could afford to wait for better, less expensive parts. If the LIM gaskets are leaking, you could install the plastic gaskets you have already purchased, and install a new Dorman upper from a local parts house (about $150). The plastic coolant elbow between the tensioner assembly and the LIM should also be changed. And you will need to do two oil changes with filters to reduce the risk of bearing damage.

That would be a lot of work for an experienced mechanic in one day. But if you don't do the repair properly, you may destroy your engine. Your time constraint, I am afraid, puts a low-cost fix out of reach.

Because your UIM is more than a year old and especially because your stovepipe was the old, larger one that subjects the plastic to more heat, repairing or replacing your UIM are the only realistic options for a lasting repair.

Here is the post that describes how you can repair your old UIM:
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=33565

The post is a couple of years old, but the fix is just as good as ever. The only thing that has changed from the procedure described is the size and thickness of the sleeve used to repair the old UIM. .875" OD, thin wall sleeves are now available, that will provide a .115" insulating gap when used with a 5/8" reduced diameter stovepipe.

When considering re-use of the UIM, you need to examine around the throttle body seal and on the coolant sealing surfaces under and around the ERG bore to make sure you haven't suffered warpage that could cause coolant or vacuum leaks.

If warpage is minimal, installing a sleeve is the least expensive lasting repair you can make for an L-36 UIM. The cost for all the parts and supplies needed to repair and re-install your old UIM would be about $60.

Most people opt for the APN kit described and linked in the Techinfo article because they get a new UIM (no warpage) with a sleeved (heat shielded) EGR passage along with all the gaskets needed for about $115 delivered to their doorstep.

Compared to purchasing the APN kit, the money saved by repairing your own UIM is about $55. If the value of other parts supplied with the APN kit are considered, this savings is reduced to perhaps $40 or less.

Before the APN kit was available, repairing your own UIM was a reasonable option. But now that the APN kit is available, I must recommend that to you as the best repair at the best cost for value received.

It is also strongly recommend that you replace your LIM gaskets with the aluminum frame style described in the Techinfo article linked above. Plastic LIM gaskets are the next best option. A bad LIM gasket will kill your engine just as easily as a bad UIM. It is foolish to tear down the engine to remove the UIM without undoing the extra few bolts to change out the LIM gaskets as well.

Finally, if your car is still running Dex, drain it, flush it, and fill with "mixes with any color" coolant according to this procedure: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...=article&k=100

All that said, I realize that it is not cost effective to purchase the stainless steel tubing needed to fabricate one sleeve and a stovepipe, so for those few who really want to do it themselves, I can provide the necessary parts (reduced diameter stovepipe and EGR bore sleeve) for a reasonable price. PM me if interested.

How about another option. Bob Dillion had filled the coolant passages on one of the UIM'* and was running it. Also I believe WillWren and EK98 had one that was also filled. There was a relief hole to be drilled, but otherwise I think it worked fine.

That could be your quick, low cost fix and then follow up later on with a new APN sleeved UIM to restore the coolant flow.