100% agree with you, I've had my fair share of buying cheap tools and having them bend or break on the first try. And I've had some that lasted me a while. I guess it's all on the gamble you're willing to take, but from now on I'm buying name brand good stuff.....AC Delco

on to my LIM gaskets.

 

Just when you think you have all of the answers..... somebody comes along with an exception to the rule DON'T use GM intake gaskets. Felpro gasket set #MS98002T is the ONLY way to go on 1996 and newer 4.3L engines. If clean up is done properly, threads are chased and thread sealer applied, tightening sequences and torque values are followed correctly, they will not leak..... OEM will leak, guaranteed.

 

I've always had good luck with Felpro gaskets, I will definitely use those. I probably won't get around to it until the weather here starts to warm up a little.

I've seen a few people unbolt the LIM with everything on the upper manifold still attached, and some with the upper removed. Which is easier/proper? I've had the upper off many many times that I'm almost sick of looking at it removed :P

 

It's much easier to maneuver the lower intake manifold, especially reinstalling, if you remove the plenum first... less bulky, somewhat lighter, and makes clean up easier. It also forces you to replace all of the gaskets You're right there, you have all of the tools out, they come with the gasket set, and they really should be replaced anyway.

 

sounds good. I saw on here as well that when re-installing the distributor, cam retard needs to be checked and adjusted? Is this mandatory?
I'm going to assume that before removing the distributor, having the engine at #1 TDC would be a "safety blanket" to making sure you re-install correctly without timing issues, no?

 

If you want accurate cylinder misfire detection and identification, along with no misfires caused by crossfire inside the distributor cap, yes, adjusting camshaft retard is mandatory. Don't misunderstand, if camshaft retard is not within specs, the engine will run, but likely misfire, whether you notice it or not, without necessarily setting a misfire DTC in memory, or turning the SES light on.

Before you remove the distributor, manually rotate the crankshaft clockwise so the timing marks on the crank are lined up and the rotor segment points to the "6" on the distributor housing. Don't move the crank while the distributor is removed.

 

Misfire on my 01 was faulty head gasket along with cracked cylinder head. Felpro complete set at Advance auto with all top end gaskets was cheaper than buying just what you needed to get by with. The mechanic that helped me said they are the only gaskets to use and he uses them on all cars because he hates doing them twice. Glad you got it fixed. The Captain has helped me a few times and it's great someone will take all the time and effort to help another.

 

welp, when the distributor cap and rotor were replaced, it seemed to fix the problem for the day. a day later on acceleration, it stumbled a couple times then was fine for about a week and today I noticed the misfiring is back and a little rough idle. Yesterday I replaced the spark plugs with AC Delco. I'm kind of at a loss, this stuff just confuses the hell out of me where it can be good one day, bad the next, and good the next day...I notice the misfire when letting up on the throttle halfway at 50-60mph, but when pressing the pedal back to where it was to continue 50-60mph, it won't be there. I dont know guys, more solutions?

 

Did you check camshaft retard yet? If it's out of spec it will cause crossfire in the cap. No SES light unless it's off ~27 degrees or more, and possibly no DTC's in memory.

 

I was thinking about this earlier, I will have it checked friday. Is this adjusted with a scan tool only? or do you turn the distributor according to the measurements on the scan tool?