shogunmma

I'm hesitant about taking off the Intake Manifold for a headgasket job. How hard is it to put it back on? The lack of tutorials/documentation is what scares me away from this DIY.

s2000ellier

nothing hard about it, have the right tools and dont try to "save time" by not removing things that are in the way

zeroptzero

it is quite easy, make sure you have a shop manual as torque values are critical for the manifold bolts. Having a variety of extensions, sockets, and flexible adapters will help you reach all of the manifold bolts without issue. As mentioned above remove as many items as you can to give you the best access to the work area.

flanders

This is a pretty helpful guide Installing an Intake Manifold Insulator/Spacer

jyeung528

billman250 has a procedure for head gasket removal without removing the intake manifold. try searching or PM him.

afzan

I'd rather replace my clutch again vs reinstalling my intake manifold

zeroptzero

I removed my head with the manifold attached, The ability to rock the head using the manifold for leverage was a plus to getting it loose after the head bolts were removed.

s2000Junky

Ditto. Took me about 8 hours first/last time I did it. That was with breaks and a lot of swearing and a day in between to gather myself lol. But basically it is not a fun job. Many of the bottom bolts are hard to access and unless you have figured out a system with the exact proper sized tools (meaning you have done this job a lot) I don't see it being a pleasant experience for anyone on their first time. Easy is definitely not the first word that comes to mind when I think of this job.

flanders

I haven't done my clutch yet but your comments^ makes me a bit more confident
Didn't think the intake manifold was to bad just a bit time consuming.

engifineer

I can't (even looking at the S2000 shop manual) see why the manifold would be hard. But then again, I have worked on much harder things, so I guess it is all perspective. The clutch was cake on this car ... only time consuming because of the number of items to deal with when lowering the subframe .. but not difficult at all on jack stands. But then again, I kind found it odd how many complained about the top starter bolt ,so maybe my input is not valid for someone not having worked on a lot of other cars (the starter bolt is harder to see than it is to remove/replace by the way).

As mentioned, dont try to shortcut by working around things. Typically that makes the jobs harder in the end. Having a good assortment of extensions, universal (wobbler) fittings and some tape typically helps with a lot of these things. Tape is good for making your universal socket adaptors more stiff so they do not flop around when installing hard to get to bolts, and in a pinch the tape can also be used to attach bolts to a socket while starting them.

Your camera is a great tool as well, to take pictures so you remember how things were routed and installed.

A bin that you can sort parts to keep related ones together is also a great idea.

I helped out working at my fathers shop enough growing up to respect how easy this car is to work on actually. I have seen way worse for sure :P