90% Preparation; 10% Execution

Parts for gasket repair

This week’s focus has been gathering the parts to fix the head gasket on the car. The last parts arrived yesterday, and I am ready to start working on the car next week.

Approximately five thousand miles ago, I needed to repair the lower intake manifold (LIM) gasket. The head gasket was not leaking externally or showing signs of leaking internally -- the car was not overheating or blowing white exhaust. There was a coolant leak, but the LIM was leaking. I was reluctant to remove the exhaust manifold; therefore, I decided only to repair the LIM. In hindsight, I wish I had tested the coolant for the presence of exhaust gases. The downside is that I must repeat the work I did last August. The upside is that I know what I am doing up to removing the head.

We’ll see how next week goes. My biggest worries are removing the exhaust manifold without damaging the fasteners and thoroughly cleaning the old gasket material from the heads.

If you have any advice, please share it in the comments below. For your reference, the car is a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu LT with a 3.5 liter V-6.

P.S. I figure it's an excellent opportunity to change the spark plugs while the heads are off.

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