A GMC van arrived in the shop with a coolant leak. The culprit turned out to be the intake manifold gaskets. I pulled it into the shop and got started.

I've learned over the last 18 years of turning wrenches that a camera can be a very valuable tool, especially with a job like this. It is often beneficial to have a picture of where things are so reassembly goes smoother.

I started by draining the coolant and moving things out of the way, like the alternator, to give me some room to work.

A lot of the pics from this project are simply to note the position of things like wiring harnesses and vacuum lines so they can be reassembled correctly.

Little things, like the stud that holds the oil fill tube in place, can easily be overlooked. Pics like this are very valuable in the event I have parts left over after reassembly.

The great thing about a full-sized van is that engine access is plentiful with the engine cover removed.

Before I start taking things apart, I took a bunch of pics to note the positions of things like wiring and vacuum lines. The photo above shows the rear of the intake manifold.

Noting the position of the distributor at the rear of the intake. The distributor will have to be removed during this process.

Engine coolant temperature sensor wiring.

Throttle linkage components.

Connectors for the distributor

Fuel lines at the rear of the intake.

Throttle cable.

Rear of the throttle body.

I moved the wiring harness for the left-hand cylinder head coolant sensor out of the way.

The transmission dipstick and oil fill tube will have to be moved.

The transmission dipstick and oil fill tube are attached to studs in the intake manifold. Removing the nuts allows the brackets to be moved out of the way.

I removed the alternator bracket and moved the wiring harness out of the way.

Moving a vacuum line that attaches to the front of the throttle body out of the way.

Removed the EGR solenoid.

Disconnected the IAC and TP sensor.

The injector harness will also have to be removed.

Noting the position of the injector harness.

I then unbolted the throttle cable bracket.

The bracket for the throttle return spring attaches to another stud in the intake manifold.

I removed the ignition coil.

The brake booster vacuum line unbolts from the throttle body.

I unclipped the injector harness and moved it out of the way.

The final item to address was the distributor, which will have to be removed.

I took a few pics to note the position of the distributor cap.

I disconnected the distributor and oil sender harness.

The next step was to disconnect the fuel lines.

The coolant line at the rear of the intake manifold also needed to be removed.

I loosened the clamp and removed the coolant hose.

Two fasteners hold the distributor cap in place.

I took more pics of the orientation of the distributor with the cap removed.

The distributor has to be reinstalled in the correct position in order for the ignition timing to be right.

The rotor needs to be pointing in this position, (toward the left side of the engine), when I reinstall everything.

The oil fill tube rotates counter-clockwise out of the way.

Everything is out of the way at the front of the intake.

The intake manifold is held in place with several bolts and studs. I took a few pics of the fasteners so I know where they go.

Intake manifold fasteners on the right front of the intake.

Not only do I have to orient the center of the distributor correctly, I also need to note the position of the base relevant to the hole in the intake.

To do this, I made a mark in the distributor base and on the intake manifold with a small punch.

By aligning the marks, I'll know the timing is right.

Noting the position of the distributor before removal.

With everything marked and documented, I removed the distributor.

With the distributor out of the way, the oil pressure sender can be removed.