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[ELITE-3.0-V6]

Hi guy's

Just bought a 3.0 ltr v6 omega elite very cheap at £500 but the passenger manifold is blowing like a trooper now i am a mechanic and thought it looked hard and fiddly but i thought i give it a go so i got him down for £750 to £500 cash..
Now the good old haynes book says that it can't be removed with the head on so the head needs to come off or the engine needs to come out... Not good......

My thoughts are..... maybe the exhaust studs have male torx splines on the end so u can wind the studs right out the block then i cud pull the manifold back a inch which would give me just enough room to allow the gasket to drop between the 2 and then just wind the studs back in the use new nuts and job done.... If the studs haven't got the torx spline on them then i was thinking maybe 2 nuts and wind then out...

Any body tackled this kinda job before or do i need to remove the head... there is no way im taking that engine out lol...

Cheers any body who can spare the time to help...  

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

Any one ?  

[JamesV6CDX]

Right mate, I have done this job. It's fiddly, requires patience, and thick skinned knuckles, but it IS doable in situ, providing you don't snap any studs!!

If you snap studs, you WILL be taking the head off to re-thread.

The trick, is to support the engine on a chain, and remove the passenger side engine mount. You can then swing/support it over out of the way enough to get the manifold out, and get a new gasket in.

Fiddly, but better than head removal. You may not be able to get a torquewrench in there, so go steady if doing up the nuts to a "guesstimate" - theyr'e only meant to be 25nm.

If you're mechanically competent you can do it, but it's not the easiest job in the world

[JamesV6CDX]

In addition -

Only use genuine GM multilayer metal gasket on replacing - pattern ones will fail quickly.

If it does come to removing heads, check the maintenance guide section. I've written a comprehensive guide, and it's an easy job for anyone mechanically competent.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Actualy, you remove the drivers side mount and then un bolt the passenger side....you can shift the engine over a good inch which allows access to the manifold bolts.

I would say 2-3 hours tops for somebody with experiance and you MUST use genuine gaskets (not the pattern composite rubbish).

I assume that the manifold to front pipe gasket has been ruled out?

[JamesV6CDX]

Whoops - I did it the other way around (with sucess and skinned knuckles) - but Mark is the man who knows

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

Wow thanks guys..

It's deffo the manifold gasket and i'm really hopeing that i can do it with out removing the head..

So if i drop the 2 engine mounts and push the engine over to one side that will allow me enough space to do the job yeah??

take it i drop both front pipes and get it out the way first, then remove the mounts and swing it over to the right to allow me to remove the left manifold yeah...

[JamesV6CDX]

Wow thanks guys..

It's deffo the manifold gasket and i'm really hopeing that i can do it with out removing the head..

So if i drop the 2 engine mounts and push the engine over to one side that will allow me enough space to do the job yeah??

take it i drop both front pipes and get it out the way first, then remove the mounts and swing it over to the right to allow me to remove the left manifold yeah...

Sounds like a plan to me

When are you tackling it?

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

Well i pick the car up on monday, so any time really i have 2 weeks off work after next week so ill prop do it then, my mate has a double garage with nothing in it so we where going to do it there, ill bring all my tools home from work and crack on with it..

Im a mechanic so shud be fairly simple task.... lol i wish...  

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

In addition -

Only use genuine GM multilayer metal gasket on replacing - pattern ones will fail quickly.

If it does come to removing heads, check the maintenance guide section. I've written a comprehensive guide, and it's an easy job for anyone mechanically competent.

I saw your how 2 on that, very good work mate...

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

Right i bought the multi layer metal gasket and some new studs and nuts ready to tackle the exhaust nest thursday when im on holiday..
Is there any thing else i should know or be aware of i know we talked about removing the engine mounts to gain access to the left hand manifold but is it really that easy i am a mechanic but just don't want to bite off more than i can chew over christmas if you get what i mean..
Any body tackled this same fault with success

rob

[Martin_1962]

Good luck - well you are a mechanic - worst case you won't get stuck, with help as well - should be fine

[Dazzler]

If a stud/nut feels tight to the point of you think it will snap then i used a hand blow torch to warm them nicely and hey presto all came out without snapping.
The secret is to take your time with the studs and you should be ok

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

I bought all new studs and nuts today and it bloody cost me £40 oh and 2 front pipe gaskets...

Any thing else gonna get in my way....

[ELITE-3.0-V6]

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