i took the upper intake manifold off the lower, and i took the old gasket off as best i could, but there is still some left stuck on and i think i may have scratched the surface pretty bad. how would you remove the rest of the old gasket and smooth off the surface of the manifold???

thanks

 

Yeah, been there... those gaskets are a bitch. I used a knife and sat there until everything came off. I took apart EVERYTHING attached to the engine, changed every gasket big or small. The worst is that acv assembly it attaches around the lower intake manifold.

As for scratches don't worry you have to put a gasket back in anyway. besides how much damage can you do with a knife?

 

On a alumnium intake a lot with a knife. But I doubt that you hurt it very bad. I just let them sit in my parts washer and the kinda just peel off with a razor blade...

 

You can always sand it down a little with some FINE sandpaper. Don't get too carried away, as you can end up having uneven surfaces.
hanman

 

At the shop to remove gaskets from thermostat housings and the like or to polish up mating exhaust surfaces, we have this drill kinda thing with steel wool attachments. Make a nice smooth surface. Also, wiht any gaskets, I usually give them a light coating of Silicone RTV to insure a good seal.

 

When i did this a couple of months ago, I used gasket remover but still had to scrap the **** out of it. If you use silicone gasket sealer on both sides of the new gaskets, that will fill in all the minor imperfections left by a blade.