3.4 dohc intake problems???

[96MonteZ34]

Hey guys i have a 96 monte z34 and i was wondering if the lower intake manifold gaskets are common to going out and the head gaskets as well? I got this car for free and it needs a little love it has been sitting for a year but when i got it all the shit was ripped off and exposed but when i put it back together and started it up it blew smoke out the tailpipes which looked really cool but not so good. So here i am i have to rip it apart again which i did and i took out the lower intake gaskets and they were obviously leaking but i am worried about the head gaskets too. Everyone knows it's alot less time to pull the motor and put in a new one rather than doing heads on this engine so i figured i would ask. i had 2 people tell me it needed 2 different things and they both owned the car (boyfriend and girlfriend) one said heads and one said intake.

Tell me what you think and if anyone can find me a blue right fender and headlight assembly cheap that would be great.

[z34phoenix]

the lower intake manifold gaskets are very common for failing.

the headgaskets are very rare to fail. i have never heard of any of these engines blowing a head gasket.

as for the smoke. i wouldnt assume its a bad head gasket. on my 96 z34, the PCV system is sucking in a lot of oil and this gets burned at startup...because of the surge in vaccum. i have been told when i floor the car too there is also some smoke for a breif second as i go WOT. again cause of the rapid change in manifold pressure and this oil getting pulled in and burned... im working on an oil catch can design to stop this. if it works out i'll post up the plans and the results.

[96MonteZ34]

Thanks for the advice i will just stick with the intake gaskets for now but i am re doing all the pcv hoses and vacume lines as well. Good tip....

[dohcfiend]

how do your plugs look??? do they look unusually clean or do they look wet and oily?

also was/is there any oil present in the plenum? is there any oil in your coolant or coolant in the oil? i am leaning towards either bad headgasket or really bad rings.

i have seen headgaskets go but it is up there in the mileage. like 130-140k+ they can go earlier but the driver really has to be hard on it.