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Intake Manifold Is Off! - Now to fix the hard pipes

7789 Views 110 Replies 20 Participants Last post by  fanatichuman
Finally got the manifold off and mostly followed the ShopLife video on how to do it. Now I can start replacing the coolant and heater hard plastic pipes.

Lessons learned with taking off the intake manifold:
1) Have instructions so you can remember how to put it all back together
2) The last manifold nut in the back was hard to take off because I didn't remove the fuel rail
3) Even after vacuuming the areas near the intake ports I found debris near the holes so I covered them up as soon as I removed the manifold but not fully removed
4) The intake manifold gasket is hard to get out and it is breaking while I try to pull it out.

What is the best way to clean the intake manifold and block? I'm going to put aluminum foil over the CCV pipe and fuel hose to make sure nothing gets in them.

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I think some gasket sealant is needed as the bottom housing is pitted
I would say no...Mine are always quite a bit cleaner than that. I think I see old pipe residue in your photos...Is it smooth to the touch? It doesn't look it. I might have a little staining on mine, but a lot less than I see here.

I uses brake cleaner, a pipe cleaner (round wire brush on a handle) , emery cloth, and a scotch brite buffing wheel on a dremel.
I just kept the fuel rail attached and remove the fuel line once I got the IM off the block a little.
Some fuel rails are easy to detach, don't aren't. There is bracket with a 27 or 30 torx attaching the fuel line to the IM.
2001silver330ci:

Thanks so much for taking and sharing your pictures. I just removed 3 IMs at the yard, to practice. From one I retrieved a brand new (almost) set of hard pipes and hoses.
2001silver330ci:

Thanks so much for taking and sharing your pictures. I just removed 3 IMs at the yard, to practice. From one I retrieved a brand new (almost) set of hard pipes and hoses.
Both hard pipes are genuine BMW! Lucky day.
... I simply unplug (carefully) the electrical harness that plugs into each injector, ...
I didn't know that. That sure saves a lot of time trying to get the clips out!
A wobble extension or a universal joint attached to your socket will get that last nut no problem.

Be sure to put a piece of tap inside the socket when you reinstall those nuts...I have lost a couple that I have never found...
Thank you!
I don't see this come up enough but i is worth mentioning that the old plastic coolant hoses are brittle and will likely crumble when you pull them out, possibly to the point that an o-ring stays behind. You'll want to inspect your old pipe ends to make sure they're intact and that you got the o-ring out. If not you'll need a pick to fish out the o-ring and any remaining pieces of coolant pipe that were left behind.
Both hard pipes have DOUBLE o-rings!
scotch brite buffing wheel
The holes felt smooth. I didn't want to introduce brake cleaner into my cooling system.

Are you talking about these buffing pads?

Amazon $12.99 Rocaris 40 Pack 1 inch Abrasive Wheel Buffing Polishing Wheel Set For Rotary Tool - 25mm

These tube burshes?
Amazon $10.80 Long Straw Brush, Nylon Pipe Tube Cleaner 8-ihch 10 Different Diameters Set of 10
.....
This is what it looks like so far. The secondary air vacuum hose hard line broke so I'm just going to use a silicone hose all the way from the back to the cannister. The hoses were falling apart. :-(

View attachment 939094
Thanks so much for sharing the finished tubing, especially in COLOR!
Both hard pipes have DOUBLE o-rings!
I did take out double o-rings. The first thing you see in the hole is the first o-ring, then plastic pipe, another o-ring and then more plastic. :-(
I think some gasket sealant is needed as the bottom housing is pitted
Red RTV?
Thanks so much for sharing the finished tubing, especially in COLOR!
I couldn't believe how they had deteriorated they were! I got the red one on ebay and was thicker than the blue one.
I would say no...Mine are always quite a bit cleaner than that. I think I see old pipe residue in your photos...Is it smooth to the touch? It doesn't look it. I might have a little staining on mine, but a lot less than I see here.
Effduration: You're a very fastidious teacher. Well meticulous! Thank you.
This is what I am talking about - It IS aggressive...a steel wire brush on an aluminum bore...I use it carefully and softly by hand to break up the pipe residue...and then follow with a fine grit buffing wheel. My wire brush is the 1/2 inch diameter size which is much smaller than the hole- easier to control.

Armour Line RP77261 Tube Cleaning Brush, 1/2 in, Pack of 1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0754X9ZHP/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_58Y5G1Z71D18AKJD5484

regarding brake cleaner...its your call, but:
1. most of it will dry or evaporate,
2. It's a tiny amount of solvent in 2 gallons of coolant, and
3. Since I pressure test (and drain) with distilled water before final fill with 50/50, much of it will flush out.
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This is what I am talking about - It IS aggressive...a steel wire brush on an aluminum bore...I use it carefully and softly by hand to break up the pipe residue...and then follow with a fine grit buffing wheel. My wire brush is the 1/2 inch diameter size which is much smaller than the hole- easier to control.

Armour Line RP77261 Tube Cleaning Brush, 1/2 in, Pack of 1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0754X9ZHP/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_58Y5G1Z71D18AKJD5484

regarding brake cleaner...its your call, but:
1. most of it will dry or evaporate,
2. It's a tiny amount of solvent in 2 gallons of coolant, and
3. Since I pressure test (and drain) with distilled water before final fill with 50/50, much of it will flush out.
I think I have one of those brushes I used to clean my battery connectors.
I bought a dremel yesterday with a extra fine finishing abrasive buffer (320 gr - 512E).
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There are loose parts in the runners that are held in place by the intake gasket. Don't lose one... couldn't find a part number for a replacement. Also, watch Chris Fix video on detailing. All you need are wet wipes, a few brushes, and soapy water in a spray bottle to clean that block. I've thrown up a photo of mine. Think about changing your starter while you're there. Also the black and white valve in the rear of the intake is a one-way valve. Make sure you keep the orientation correct. I took the time to use zip ties to color code the wire connections. Helps for the next install.

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There are loose parts in the runners that are held in place by the intake gasket. Don't lose one... couldn't find a part number for a replacement. Also, watch Chris Fix video on detailing. All you need are wet wipes, a few brushes, and soapy water in a spray bottle to clean that block. I've thrown up a photo of mine. Think about changing your starter while you're there. Also the black and white valve in the rear of the intake is a one-way valve. Make sure you keep the orientation correct. I took the time to use zip ties to color code the wire connections. Helps for the next install.
I noticed this plastic pieces where the bolt goes through can fall out. I didn't notice it until I had taken my old gasket out and one fell out when I was moving the intake manifold around.

This Chris Fix Video? You block looks like new!

I thought about changing my starter until I saw the price and how much work it was. I'll change it when it starts to give me trouble.

I kept the orientation correct because I did one hose at a time. lol

What exactly did you do with the zip ties?
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I just recently did this on my car. Also replaced the water pump and thermostat, so had those out when I did the hard lines. I put a rag in behind the hard line holes to help catch any small bits. Glad I did because as careful as I was there were still small bits of plastic that fell into the rags. Hopefully I minimized anything getting into the system. This is a grand 'ol job that I wouldn't look forward to doing again. Also had the oil filter housing and power steering reservoir out for better access.
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I thought about changing my starter until I saw the price and how much work it was. I'll change it when it starts to give me trouble.
....
I successfully removed a 3rd starter in the yard, for practice. I used an E12 spanner (the other end E10), and a 12" wrench/spanner (with a big hole at the end of the handle) for leverage. The 12" spanner offers a lot of leverage, so loosening the bolt was not a problem at all. After the bolt was loosened by a few turns, I switched to a 10mm ratcheting wrench to loosen the bolt more until it was free, without which it would take more longer.

The 2 Bimmers I was working on was a 2004 (and another 2005) 330xi, and one has a metal plate attached on the bolt (next to the vacuum canister) used as a hanger for a wire, that made removing that bolt that much difficult. But since I was practicing, I bent the metal plate (probably not necessary) to gain easier access.

More important for the vacuum canister-side bolt, the 2 heater hoses on the firewall hinder the wrench access to the bolt, so I had to remove the two hoses first.

So gratifying to have the starter out!

Sorry, it was a rainy day here in Portland Oregon, and I was absorbed by the task at hand, that I forgot to take pictures. For 2001Silver330CI's comfort, all the 3 starters I removed were original Bosch products. The last 2 had the manufacturing dates coded: 1 was 03-xx-yy (2003) and another 04-xx-yy (2004). so starters apparently are very durable.

I left the starters inside the car, for whoever may need them. One of these days, I maybe fortunate to come across a replacement Bosch that is less than 3 years old :love:
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