Has anybody used this product or had experience with the supplier?

http://www.autopn.com/store/pc/viewP...product=229679

I ordered one of these kits today to replace the failed intake manifold on my wife'* 1998 Park Avenue (44k miles). If it'* for real it looks better than a new OEM style Dorman for $129 and/or the EGR stovepipe mod kit for $70.

I should have it in my hands by tomorrow night so if anybody'* interested I can report.

I don't think anyone here'* ordered from them, but they're on the right track with that sleeved EGR port. Member Bob Dillon has been doing this and shipping them out for less than half that cost.

Less than half including a new manifold? :?

Well, for anyone who cares to know, I got the new manifold today, and so far it looks pretty good. There are no identifying marks on it, and no country of origin, like the "Made in Korea" that'* clear on the Dorman.

Of course the most noticeable difference is the steel sleeve in the EGR stovepipe port. I can't tell if it'* stainless or not, and it'* thin wall. It appears to be pressed into the original bore that was provided for the 3/4" stovepipe. Inside diameter is about 11/16" without putting a caliper on it.

The provided reduced size stovepipe appears to have been machined from a solid piece of 3/4" diameter stock, bored to an inside diameter of just over 3/8", again without putting a caliper to it. This piece is bright silver in color and just like the sleeve, I can't really identify the material. All in all, very nice components for the money. These parts look exactly like the pictures I've seen of the Kenco kit.

The manifold itself is, of course, composite but slightly different in appearance than the Dorman. Whereas the dorman has almost a sheen, this material has a matte finish, and appears almost fibrous. The mold from which it was made is indentical to the original Dephi that came off my car. The Dorman is different from the OEM unit in some areas, but I doubt the differences are significant to the performance of the manifold, mostly cosmetic I suspect.

The new unit is slightly ighter than the Dorman'* 3 pounds 8 ounces, weighing in at about 3 pounds 3 ounces, and surprisingly is slightly heavier by an ounce or two than the OEM unit. I can only surmise that the Dorman has beefier walls, or is made from a higher density material. In any case I'll take an ounce of steel over 5 ounces of plastic any day.

The unit is furnished with the same parts as the Dorman, with the exception that it'* not packed with a new PCV valve. The gasket provided is nothing to write home about but what do I know? It may be perfectly satisfactory but I'm thinking of getting a new one before I install this manifold tomorrow....better safe than sorry, and for the $96.95 plus shipping price I paid for this kit I can afford a gasket and a PCV valve.

My next concern will be removing the old 3/4" stovepipe and installing the new one. I'm not concerned about installation as much as avoiding damage to the bore in the LIM during removal, so that the new stovepipe has a tight seat. We''l see how that goes....

I have another car with the 3800 series II, a 1997 Olds LSS with 45K miles. If the job on the PA goes well, I plan to order another of these kits and change out the manifold on the Olds as a preventative measure.

Thanks, 98pa for the detailed report. I am glad to see manufacturers enter this market for us. A new, sleeved manifold acting as a heat shield, combined with a reduced diameter pipe is the best way we have found to prevent heat-induced perforation in the plastic EGR bore.

I'm curious to know - was there only one stovepipe supplied with the kit? If the OD of the shoulder of the pipe is .750 to fit into the older 95-98 lower intake manifolds, and no other pipe is supplied, they must be expecting 99+ owners to use their stock .625 stovepipes.

That would provide a much smaller gap than what looks like a half-inch OD pipe that they supplied.

I hope the quality of the composite and the accuracy of the mold are as good or better than the originals. It is a good price.

When you have the engine apart, consider drilling your thermostat to provide a bleed hole, and re-filling coolant at the thermostat opening. This will help to prevent air pockets from forming at the top of the lower intake manifold and starving that critical area around the hot stovepipe of coolant.

Bill...was wondering the same (for a possible 99+used Park down the way)...but still working with a 97 Park. Just had the upper replaced with the Dorman kit (115k), and thanks to the techinfo bulletin discovered this is the second one (year on Delphi plenum was "3." The shop did not replace my lower gasket (said it was not leaking). Then I started looking on the internet. The info here is the absolute best I found!! Amazing...so detailed!! Just purchased the Ken-Co kit and am preparing to have a mechanic put it in and replace the lower gasket. I can mention the thermostat idea...hope he understands. Any other thoughts on this matter/project. Thanks and thanks again!

You may want to check out Bill'* post here...

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=56991

I did it on my son'* car, and feel more comfortable with an extra layer of protection.

Sheesh guys! Did you see the UIM repair kit they're selling for $69.95?
Manifold Repair Kit

It'* just the bushing, sleeve and some epoxy...what a bargain...

That'* the original KenCo kit developed by Ken Spragg. Gotta give the guy his props - it is his concept of a heat shield and a smaller stovepipe that we are all working from. The price for the KenCo kit from APN is $10 less than it used to be. But why spend $70 for a kit when $100 to APN gets you a new sleeved upper, a reduced diameter pipe, and a UIM gasket?

I called the manufacturer to get some information on the new APN kit. The 99+ guys using the APN kit will get a .065" gap between their stock pipe and sleeve, unless they have the shoulder on the stovepipe provided in the kit turned down to .625" to fit their LIM stovepipe bores. 95-98 guys get a .125" gap by replacing their original .750" stovepipe with the little one provided in the kit. That'* about as good as it gets. Add the aluminum GM LIM gaskets and a metal elbow (BTW, where do we get the metal elbow???) and we have the best off-the-shelf fix yet. The manufacturer says this kit has been out since late 2004!

How has this not come to our attention earlier?