Intake manifold WILL NOT GO BACK ON!

[deerhunter156]

I replaced my intake manifold gaskets with no problem but when i try to put the manifold back on top of the heads it will NOT FIT! If one side is laying flat the other is gap about
1/4""

I have tried just about everything from trying to start bolts on one side and forcing it to using brute force.

Is it possible that the heads that the manifold sits on actually contracted in the cold???? The engine was warm when i took it off and after several hours the temperature droped to under freezing?

Any help on other possibilities or ways to get it fixed would be great!

2003 chevy tahoe 5.3

 

[skaffy03]

If the intake manifold is anything like my buddie's '00 silverado, it's kind of a bit**. You have to have the bolts pushed all the way down, and it all has to be seated EVENLY. If you have one side on, the other likely will not go on.

Just keep finaggling it and pushing them into their respective slots. May take a bit of force to kind of "pop" them into place before you can start threading them in.

 

[electro]

Maybe clean up all the threaded inside and out. You don't want any crap down in the holes.

I agree with the above advice. Set it on and place the bolts on and gently work all the bolts into place.

 

[Goodinblack]

Woah this is crazy...... never knew.

 

[Millioke]

(I didn't realize this is a week old. It's probably fixed already.)

I just changed my gaskets and had no problems. Was it something under the intake? On that area where the knock sensors are?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2