Nathan: Glad to hear you're growing a pair :-) When I went through the trouble of taking the intake manifold off I replaced and clean/painted almost everything. I would definitely take the time to thoroughly clean and paint the valley. I think I spent 2-3 days just cleaning down there so the paint would stick. I then decided to use POR-15 black to paint. I followed it's instructions about using their Marine Clean product as well as the Metal Ready surface preparer. I would at very least use the Metal Ready as it will etch the surface to prepare it for the actual paint. POR-15 is strong stuff, but preparation is 95% of the job. I've got a few pictures on my little website that I took while doing it... http://www.rit.edu/~tan5732/repairs/engine/eng-seals/index.htm or http://tinyurl.com/fgwyz Also, be sure to use A LOT of anti-seize on any bolts you put back in, especially if you decide to replace those Y-Pipe bolts with stainless equivalents. The aluminum and stainless will fuse over time if you don't. You might also decide to get really ambitious and paint the intake manifold, valve covers, etc. while you're in there. I did that too, at a later time, still haven't had a chance to put them back on the car, though. http://www.rit.edu/~tan5732/repairs/engine/engine-paint/index.htm or http://tinyurl.com/oksoz I can't give you a definite answer as to the vacuum switch. I can tell you that mine does not spin, so I would be weary of reusing it in your case. They are not that expensive and considering what you would have to go through to replace it in the future, you might as well do it now. When's the last time the water pump was replaced? That's another one of those while you're in there jobs. Murphy's Law seems to hover around our cars. Have fun! Todd Nelson 1561, Vermont http://www.rit.edu/~tan5732 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nathan Sobieralski" <valleyrat12@xxxxxxxxx> To: <dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 2:25 PM Subject: [DML] Major preventative maintenance GOING GREAT! > Hello everyone, > > > > I decided to grow some balls and take off my manifold in preparation > for replacing the slave cylinder. To my complete delight all four of > the bolts that hold the Y pipe came out without breaking! I was scared > at first because they would not budge. I just applied increasing > torque in between rests so that the bolts could cool down. Eventually > they all popped loose! I am going to replace the hoses under the > intake, replace the Y pipe bolts with stainless ones, clean the unholy > dirty mess, and possibly paint (?) the valley before bolting the whole > thing back together. I am also replacing my accumulator and related > hoses at the same time. My car is nearing mechanical godliness. :) > Here are my questions: > > Should I pain the valley, or just clean it out? > > Is the plastic part of the vacuum switch supposed to spin (move) > freely against its base? > > I noticed carbon deposits on my intake valves. Could this be from the > previous owner who drove the car on premium for three years or from > some other issue? > > Nathan > 2277 To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/