Resurrected the 88 olds 88 a couple days ago. it?s been sitting for about 5 years. it needed an upper intake manifold so we replaced that, got a new battery and took her for a short spin. Last night she spilled her transmission fluid in the driveway. Has been a good vehicle over the years but we need her now. We?ve taken good care of her, so how do we determine what the problem might be without hauling it to repair?

Intake manifold-to-cylinder head bolts....96 in-lbs
Intake manifold, upper to lower bolts ....132 in-lbs

Tighten all bolts from center of manifold towards the ends.

It could be the intake gaskets, or it could be that the upper intake is starting to fail. Both are common problems. How fast are you losing coolant? If it's fast, then it may be the upper intake. Also, how many miles are on it, and has the upper intake been replaced before? It may be due for a new one.

Anyway, the procedure for doing the gaskets and for replacing the upper intake are exactly the same, except that if you replace the upper intake, you put on the new one instead of reinstalling the old one. I've done this with mkaake over a couple of days. There's a lot to remove and replace, but nothing that's especially hard to do. Have a service manual of some kind on hand, and do some serious research before you take it apart.

Parts you'll need:

1) Upper intake gasket set
2) Lower intake gasket set (make sure it's the new upgraded version, with metal inserts)
3) Plastic coolant elbow (it's under the alternator, and rarely comes off in one piece. It's also a dealer part, so if you're doing this on a Saturday and the dealer is closed... you get to wait until monday to put it back together - unless you get one ahead of time)
4) Fuel injector O-rings (might as well replace those while you've got them out anyway)
5) Carb/TB cleaner - several cans (you'll want to clean up the upper and lower intakes, and the TB while you've got them off)

That's all I can think of right now. I also don't know prices. Maybe someone else will have that info.

Lower Intake Manifold


15 Nm (11 ft. lbs
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Upper Intake Manifold


10 Nm (89 in. lbs)
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Here is the removal procedure, and the procedure is the same for both the V-6 and the V-8 Vortec engines. Also, be certain to put engine oil on the "o"-ring seal for the fuel injector assembly before installing the upper intake. Let me know if you require any further assistance.

REMOVAL:

1. Disconnect the battery negative cable assembly from the battery negative terminal.

2. Remove the air cleaner assembly.

3. Remove the wiring harness connectors and the brackets and move aside.

4. Remove the throttle cable and the bracket from the upper intake manifold.

5. Remove the cruise control cable, (if equipped).

6. Remove the fuel lines from the intake to the rear of the block.

7. Remove the ignition coil and the bracket.

8. Remove the upper intake manifold.

INSTALLATION:

1. Install the upper intake manifold gasket.

2. Install the upper intake manifold. Use care not to pinch the injector lines between the upper and lower intake manifolds.

3. Install the upper intake manifold bolts. Note the marks made at disassembly for proper stud location. Install the two corner studs first in order to help align the two halves. NOTE: Other than the two torque passes listed below, the OE Manufacturer did NOT address or supply a bolt tightening sequence for the upper Intake Manifold for this model year, or other model years where this 2 piece manifold setup is used. A "Play It Safe" final tightening sequence would be to tighten from the center most bolts to the outer most bolts.

4. Tighten the bolts in two steps: a. Tighten the bolts on the first sequence to 5 Nm (44 inch lbs.). b. Tighten the bolts on the final sequence to 10 Nm (88 inch lbs.).

5. Install the purge solenoid and bracket.

6. Install the ignition coil and bracket.

7. Install the PCV hose et the upper intake manifold.

8. Install the fuel lines from the intake at the rear of the block.

9. Install the cruise control cable (if equipped).

10. Install the throttle cable and bracket from the upper intake manifold.

11. Install the wiring harness connectors and brackets.

12. Install the air cleaner assembly.

13. Connect the battery negative cable assembly to the battery negative terminal. - Tighten the bolt to 15 Nm (11 ft. lbs.).

The only way to replace the thermostat housing is by replacing the entire Intake Manifold. One of Fords wonderful design defects that they used for many years, in order to lighten the weight of the car. The intake manifold is made entirely of ABS (black plastic), while the replacement manifolds are made of ABS with the exception of the thermostat housing and this is made of Aluminum. There was a class action lawsuit against Ford around 4-5 years ago, but for us that were unfortunate enough not to notified of such a problem, we end up getting stuck flipping the bill on our own. About 3 years ago when I had to replace mine, I had about $300 into the parts and a full days labor involved.

take plug,wire,coil and swap with another cylinder if still #5 missing could be head gasket or intake gasket leaking could also be fuel delivery problem

3.8L Engine

NOTE The 3.8L (VIN K) non-supercharged engine uses a two-piece intake manifold consisting of an upper air plenum which mounts the throttle body and a lower intake manifold assembly which houses the fuel injectors. The 3.8L (VIN 1) supercharged engine uses a similar lower intake manifold. The supercharger serves as the upper manifold.
Lower Manifold

NOTE Two bolts which fasten the lower intake manifold to the cylinder head are accessible only after the upper intake manifold is removed. These bolts are located in the right front and left rear corners of the lower intake manifold. Remove the upper intake manifold to service the lower intake.
The 3.8L (VIN 1) supercharged engine uses a manifold similar to the 3.8L (VIN K), but the supercharger serves as the upper manifold.

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. On 3.8L (VIN 1) engines, remove the supercharger assembly. Please see the procedure in this section.
3. Remove the upper intake manifold using the procedure above.
4. Remove the EGR outlet pipe from the intake manifold.
5. Detach the engine coolant temperature sensor wiring harness from the sensor.
6. Remove the lower intake manifold bolts and carefully lift off the manifold.

To install:


Fig. Lower intake manifold bolt torque sequence-3.8L (VIN K) engine

1. Clean all parts well with degreaser, especially the gasket seal surfaces on the upper and lower manifold pieces and between the lower manifold and the cylinder heads..
2. Install new gaskets to the cylinder heads and new seals to the engine block. Carefully lower the manifold into place. Apply thread-locking compound to the bolt threads. Make sure to install the two hidden bolts in the lower intake manifold. Hand start all bolts, then torque evenly to 11 ft. lbs. (15 Nm). Follow the toque sequence, starting in the center, then working outwards in a circle.
3. Install the remaining components in the reverse order of the removal process.

Upper Intake Manifold (Plenum)

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. On 3.8L (VIN 1) engines, remove the supercharger assembly. Please see the procedure in this section.
3. Tag for identification, then remove the right side spark plug wires.
4. Disconnect the ignition wires from the fuel rail.
5. Remove the fuel rail. Please see Section 5.
6. Remove the cable bracket from the intake manifold.
7. Remove the throttle body.

NOTE Two bolts which fasten the lower intake manifold to the cylinder head are accessible are accessible only after the upper intake manifold is removed. These bolts are located in the right front and left rear corners of the lower intake manifold.

1. Remove the upper intake manifold bolts and carefully lift the upper intake manifold from the engine.

Fig. Upper intake manifold and bolt torque sequence-3.8L (VIN K) engine
To install:

1. Clean all parts well with degreaser, especially the gasket seal surfaces on the upper and lower manifold pieces.
2. Install new gaskets to the cylinder heads and new seals to the engine block. Carefully lower the manifold into place. Make sure to install the two hidden bolts in the lower intake manifold. Hand start all bolts, then torque evenly to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm). Follow the torque sequence, starting in the center, then working outwards in a circle.
3. Install the remaining components in the reverse order of the removal process.

Never have seen blown headgaskets on a 3800 engine. Buick dealer parts guy over 20 years. You need a new upper intake manifold as it has leaked coolant into the combustion chamber. Also new plugs as you will have to remove them to get the coolant out. Common problem .