This is what I've done lately. I've got other threads going with most of this info in it, so if you have seen my spark plug thread then you might wanna skip this post.
Back in Feb 2022 my truck developed a serious oil control issue on cylinder #7, and started fouling that plug every 120 miles or so. Over the course of the next several months I try, first band aids, an anti-fouler which just caused pinging, running a hotter plug in that cylinder, which didn't help much at all. Then came compression and leak down tests which showed all 8 cylinders as healthy. So I went in and changed the valve stem seals on #7, with no change. In the end it would turn out to be the intake manifold gasket sucking oil out of the valley, and while I had the intake off I cleared out the EGR passages in the intake as well. About then I'd realize the bearings on the water pump were more than a little loose, so replacing that was needed.
Getting back to project I was working on before the oil control issue popped up I started working on getting the ESC system working. I knew the knock sensor was bad and frozen in the block, but decided I should get a look at the module. Upon removing the glove box I found the ESC module missing and the harness cut so someone could do the ESC bypass trick, but under the dash instead of at the distributor. So at that point I install an adjustable vacuum can on the distributor. Seems like my truck will take about 18 degrees of vacuum advance without much pinging. Since I tow and haul with this truck I backed it down to 16, to put a little safety margin in.
Let me tell ya, between getting the intake gasket replaced, getting the timing sorted out, this truck has never run so good as long as I've owned it.
Yesterday was interior clean up day and engine bay clean up day. Pictures:
Below, #7 & #5 intake runner in the head looking at intake valves. Both of them have signs of oil being sucked in but look at the brown trail on #7. It's pretty obvious.
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All put back together and wiped down.
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Well for the last few months, I'd been spending all my free time under the hood, so the interior was beyond dirty. Feels good to have it all cleaned up again!
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