H3 Oil in 4 of 5 coil pack holes

[Duffey]

OK Guys, I apologize if I did this twice but it the first time I have posted anything and Im still figuring it out.

I decided to put plugs in the wifes H3 Sunday afternoon.
This is a highway queen Adventure Model that is bone stock, clean, dry and driven every day and runs great.
I do all the service on it and other than an ignition switch and sunroof drain issues its been relatively low maintenance.
It was running fine, It just had a little rich smell and I though it probably needed some plugs and maybe clean the intake and throttle body again at 104k miles.
We bought it at 60k so I thought the plugs had probably never been replaced.

Anyway while taking it apart I notice the passenger side PCV hose was all mangled and soft so i went and got one real quick.
Came back and removed the first coil pack. It was full of oil (full). All but the far back one had oil in it. (a Lot) like way more than a sock would soak up, 5-6 ounces.
OMG this cant be good. Then I thought well maybe it just needs a valve cover gasket and O-rings around the packs.

I had a couple guys say replace the PCV hoses but what really happened here? and why? Did I miss something? I noticed that the driver side hose where is goes into the valve cover looks to be holding oil. Whats that all about.

Then I see that the intake must come off to change the valve cover gasket. OMGosh I am a pretty good mechanic and after pulling the wheel and wheel well plastic, I still cant even see the intake bolts, IF I cant see them or get my hand in and feel them how they heck!!!!
Am I just holding my mouth wrong or it really that bad?

Any good news or advice from you professional H3 guys would be appreciated a whole lot.

 

[Rodzlla]

Replacing the camshaft gasket can be done without pulling the intake manifold. I just did it.

It was sketchy. Yanked it out from under the intake manifold, but could not squeeze it back in with the brand new gasket in place (did not want to mess it up). I used a ratchet strap between the top of manifold and hood strut mount to pull manifold over about 3/8 inch to get clearance needed. Not a great option, but there was no way I was going to get all the wiring bundles/harnesses, brackets, and fuel lines out of the way to get to the manifold bolts. It this option or start hacking out metal in the wheelwell.

I wish anyone taking on the removal of the intake manifold much luck!

 

[mjferencak]

It's funny you're doing this because I was doing this same thing Sunday. Plugs, throttle body cleaning, brand new PVC hose, and valve cover gasket. I tried doing the same thing as you by taking the wheel off and plastic tub but I couldn't get to most of the bolts. Only the back two. I figured the only way to get the intake manifold off is to remove or lift the engine high enough to get to the intake manifold bolts so I gave up. Horrible design by GM. I got all but two bolt out of the valve cover because of how far the intake manifold hangs over the valve cover. I just pressured washed the engine and will keep an eye on it.

The oil is in there because your gaskets are failing as are mine. I also have oil in the spark plug valley.


I asked a member on another forum that did the job without removing the engine. Here is his response:

[FONT=&quot]"It was extremely annoying. We put a million extensions on the socket wrench. I reached down from the top and guided it as best I could for my dad who was Manning the socket wrench from the wheel well. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]It's certainly annoying. I believe we may have even loosened the manifold a bit or so it could be manoeuvred a bit.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Sorry it was a long time ago now. The job was very annoying though. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Good luck!"[/FONT]

 

[cbetts]

It was an all weekend job for me to remove/replace my intake manifold. Might be worth the effort since the manifold bolts are notorious for rattling loose.

The hardest part was remove the gobs of wire harnesses attached to a plate just below the manifold. I used a pair of panel clip pliers from Harbor Freight to pop the harnesses off the plate. Removal of the front left wheel and inner fender also helped greatly. If you decide to do this, I recommend swapping out the alternator while everything is out of the way.