Woot! Another LIM Gasket thread!

[pontiac3100]

so why when i drove the car to my job...which was 3 blocks away i had that stuff under there.
but when i drove to my other job about 16miles i don't have it??
AND i'm not losing any coolant....

[tractorman]

I ain't going to try to unravel the mysteries of the universe for... but 1/4" of mayonaise under your oil cap is BAD MEDICINE. I'll agree that condensation can cause a LITTLE buildup- it happened on my nasty old ford pickup once, but it was only a very thin film.

It's entirely possible that you DO have a very slight coolant leak, but you're steaming enough of it off (now that the engine is getting up to operating temperature) that it's no longer noticeable. Here's a foolproof way to tell: Next time you see mayonaise under the cap... look around and make sure nobody is watching, then TASTE IT. If it's antifreeze, then it'll taste nasty sweet/bitter. If there's no taste, then it's not antifreeze.

[pontiac3100]

lol!!
i'll do that.lol when i seen what you wrote i just busted out laughing.

but now....he said he see's mayo color.
mines is'nt that color it's more dark and the build up is'nt that much either.

i seen it on quite a few cars.

pretty soon i'm gonna have the lim done.
there's no telling if it's been done or not...

[nequamminor]

Its mayonnaise consistancy, and mayo is a one syllable word. Its in actuality more the color of butterscotch, and I know for a fact that its coolant because I've seen a post of someone with a picture of a valve cover coated in it, and his LIM gasket went bad. I just hope that my head gasket isnt gone with the white smoke and all. Its not really bad or anything but you can notice it. Is there any other maintenence that would be easy and cheap to do while doing a LIM gasket?

[tractorman]

Why yes there is! Glad you asked.

While that LIM is off, it's a good time to change the oil pump drive o-ring. They're a common leak, and easy to get to with the LIM removed- damn near impossible otherwise. GM has come out with a new and improved o-ring that's supposed to seal better and last longer- it's brown.

You'll have to remove the EGR valve to do this job. It's a good time to blow air through and make sure the EGR port isn't getting stopped up- they tend to do that. I had one completely stopped up on a '96 achieva- cleaned it out with a coathanger wire and it worked great.

[nequamminor]

As far as the oil pump drive o-ring goes, do you have a part number for that? I've tried a few gm parts dealers and have no clue as to a part number for that o-ring. I just found out that I'm going to be able to get my car fixed up completely the way I want to due to someone helping me out financially with college. Thanks again!

[bszopi]

Pn 1977937 (gm)

[tractorman]

Glad to see that somebody had the part number.

What is it about parts guys? Seems like they're ALL incompetent.

[bszopi]

Actually, it looks like the thread I got that from had the wrong PN. Here is (hopefully) the right one: 10477565

[IsaacHayes]

When I did my last LIM gasket, the parts guy knew what I was talking about and gave me the new brown o-ring, and ALSO a gasket (which wasn't on the car originally) that goes under the oil drive shaft. It's to further seal any oil that might get by the o-ring.

Yeah the EGR passage through the upper intake likes to get clogged. Spray some brake cleaner and run a wire through it.

You can leave the fuel rail bolted to the LIM and just disconnect the lines by the firewall (you'll need the quick disconnect tool for that).

Also you'll probably need a new screw on fitting that goes into the LIM and connects to the coolant black pipe. The plastic inside them likes to fall apart and the o-ring dries up. You can get the plastic insert cheaper than the whole fitting, but it doesn't come with an o-ring/gasket and I don't know what size is inside there... Use teflon tape on the new one when screwing it into the LIM to prevent leaks (and don't over tighten and crack it).

[OldPokey]

While that LIM is off, it's a good time to change the oil pump drive o-ring. They're a common leak, and easy to get to with the LIM removed- damn near impossible otherwise. GM has come out with a new and improved o-ring that's supposed to seal better and last longer- it's brown.

OK, I got everything off and there is the aluminum oil pump drive plug/bearing with a bolt and clamp. I took the bolt and clamp off, but the plug won't come out, and there's no place to really grab it. I could barely slide a gasket scraper underneath it, and gentle coaxing did nothing. How do get it out?

[tractorman]

I've done it a couple ways... never found a GOOD way to get that thing out. Maybe somebody here has a better suggestion.

I've taken a small flat screwdriver, tapped it underneath, and twisted to pry the thing up. It left a little burr that I had to file off, but worked ok otherwise. I've also grabbed the whole thing with vice grips, then hooked a slide hammer into them and pulled it that way.

Put some grease on that o-ring when you go back in. That distributor gasket that Ike mentioned sounds like a good idea. I've never used one, but I've heard that a distributor gasket for a small block chevy fits. When you put that oil pump drive back in, sometimes that oil pump drive shaft doesn't quite line up with the oil pump, so it won't go all the way down. DON'T HIT IT WITH A HAMMER. You have two options: You can either try putting it in multiple times, turned slightly different until it lines up... or you can push it in 'til it stops, hold a little tension on it, and turn the crankshaft a bit with a ratchet. I've done both and they both worked reasonably well.

That fitting that Ike mentioned is a good point. You might as well go ahead and buy the whole thing. The plastic clip will break every single time you try and remove the heater hose pipe, and the o-ring is hard to come by. It's worth the $10 to just get the whole fitting and be done with it.

[IsaacHayes]

Might have to grab it with some pliers and jerk up and down until it frees itself. If it's never been removed it can sometimes be a pain. Also, if you have trouble putting it back in, take it out and rotate it and try again until it slips down easy. Last time I removed mine it came up easy, and I noted how it came out and put it back in the same way and it dropped right back in.

[JustFixIt]

$50 PermaDry gaskets for 95 3100 M

I just ordered a set of Fel Pro ms98004t gaskets from the
Autozone web site for $49.99, they had been $84.99.
The Fel Pro part number for the oil pump drive o-ring
is 70800. Hope this helps someone.

[n0rt0npr0]

right

Actually, it looks like the thread I got that from had the wrong PN. Here is (hopefully) the right one: 10477565

Brad, that is the correct one.