FZJ80 lower intake removal by sawzall (1 Viewer)

[jpoole]

I've heard mention of cutting the lower intake manifold to remove it without disconnecting the harness on either end, etc. but have never seen pictures so I thought I'd share a few.

The story is that after pulling the head on my '97, with lower intake in place but pulled out of the way, I decided that cleaning it would be difficult and risky with it near/over the open engine. With 200k+ of carbon build up the lower intake needed to be removed and since the wiring harness is one of the more fragile things on the truck I didn't want to mess with it any more than I had to. A little investigating lead me to believe that cutting the intake was the best option for my truck. I don't think strength or sealing will be adversely impacted at all.

A metal cutting blade in my cordless sawzall, plenty of protection to keep the aluminum out of the engine and a few quick minutes is all it took. The harness slid through the gap easily. Now that it's off I'll finish the cut edges a bit but only minimally.

 

[450LX]

A good option without any negative affects is my opinion. I doubt you will have any issues with sealing or rigidity. I just did my head gasket too and undid the ecm harness and slid it through. I didnt have any issues and it made it super easy to wrap the harness by the egr. However, I have heard of wires breaking while disturbing the harness. With the cutting of the lower intake one could bolt the lower intake on the head before setting it on the block. This would allow you to be able to torque all the bolts and give you a good handle to help set the head on with. I tried not to disturb the harness too much so i slid the lower intake over the harness in the natural position that the harness was in. If I tried this with the intake bolted to the head it would have been very akward. Nice work!

 

[jfz80]

There go the nuns.... kidding; Nice work. Several before you have ventured here. Beno has some good pics of his still up from 2008/9 era i just came across the other day. That harness weaving is a PITA for sure trying to get all the plugs up through the runners.

 

[fz1boxer]

i just did this but cut it after just to make it easier installation.i wanted to check the harness and make sure everything was well connected before putting the intake back on,which being cut was much easier to do.

 

[AustinKordell]

Hey man I’m doing the head gasket on my 80 right now and have reached the harness part of the job. Being shocked at the illogical design that is running the harness through the manifold I turned to mud to find a better solution and found your thread.

How is this holding up 7 years later? Any issues with the manifold sealing or notable negative consequences?

If none this will be the method I do going forward to make my life easier now and make field repairs a lot easier. Also, I’m looking for a trustworthy machine shop in east TN to do the head work, I’m in knoxville but I’m willing to drive for a good reputable shop. Thanks!

 

[Kernal]

All the way across the state but this company is known to do good work (however don't know if they do the head work themselves or send it out??)

MOSLEY MOTORS

Mosley Motors is a company that provides parts and services for FJ40, FJ60, FJ80, FZJ80, UZJ 100 Toyota Land Cruisers. Engine conversions, fuel injections kits, leather upholstery and more.

www.mosleymotors.com

 

[jpoole]

@AustinKordell

I've had no issues with the head, or whole drive train for that matter, since the head gasket replacement work that I did about 80k miles and 7ish years ago. I really don't see how removing the section from the intake could compromise the integrity of the intake manifold or cause any sealing issues and I don't think you'll have any issues if you make the same cut and then just moderately smooth/clean the surfaces without removing material in the gasket sealing area.

Dover cylinder heads here in Chattanooga did the head work and the engine has run great including towing a 3k lb camper to the Rockies and all around the Appalachians/etc. I've noticed no valve noise and haven't had any odd running issues, etc. My notes indicate that for $350 in 2017 they did:

"valve job, new stem seals installed, valve lash check/set, surface, pressure check, clean"​

I did the head gasket, etc., job as preventative maintenance because at 220k my 80 was in really neglected and rough shape but since going through the HG and a lot of little "while in there's" it's been an impressively reliable rig since. I wasn't sure all the work was going to be worth the effort back then but my belief that once "right" the 80 series platform is very reliable has proven true.

Good luck with the work.

 

[AustinKordell]

@AustinKordell

I've had no issues with the head, or whole drive train for that matter, since the head gasket replacement work that I did about 80k miles and 7ish years ago. I really don't see how removing the section from the intake could compromise the integrity of the intake manifold or cause any sealing issues and I don't think you'll have any issues if you make the same cut and then just moderately smooth/clean the surfaces without removing material in the gasket sealing area.

Dover cylinder heads here in Chattanooga did the head work and the engine has run great including towing a 3k lb camper to the Rockies and all around the Appalachians/etc. I've noticed no valve noise and haven't had any odd running issues, etc. My notes indicate that for $350 in 2017 they did:

"valve job, new stem seals installed, valve lash check/set, surface, pressure check, clean"​

I did the head gasket, etc., job as preventative maintenance because at 220k my 80 was in really neglected and rough shape but since going through the HG and a lot of little "while in there's" it's been an impressively reliable rig since. I wasn't sure all the work was going to be worth the effort back then but my belief that once "right" the 80 series platform is very reliable has proven true.

Good luck with the work.

Great to hear. Will contact that shop tomorrow and see if I can talk to someone.

Made a slight mistake tonight on my initial cut with the angle I went at (stupid mistake that’s totally on me) and ended up straying further down into the manifold then I had Intended closer to the mounting bolt.

Caught my mistake but was too late by the time I had realized, unsure if I will attempt to run this manifold or if I will just buy a used one and make the right cut. Part of me thinks it Should be fine but I’m loosely concerned with vibrations over time causing the cut to spread leading to the manifold losing its torque.

Any opinions on the matter?



Update: got a used one on the way, rather not chance it.

 

[OGBeno]

Funny how this stuff re-emerges after many years. I did this in 2007 or 2008 I think…. December 16, 2007 to be exact.

Far out.

EDIT: Found the old picture.