Okay, so I know that my actuators are working just fine since I did the vacuum test on them to make sure the pushrods worked. So then as I was installing my LIM, I did a test with it not bolted on, but just on there to make sure they aren't experiencing any sticking inside the ports themselves... Tests out okay. Now after I got all the nuts and bolts on to 17ft-lb, they wont move anywhere! I tried cleaning out the ports with some carb cleaner and a shop rag attached to a 3/4" socket to try and clean out the gunk without it going into the housings. Worked great, and the insides are clean as new. Then I lubed them up with a little bit of the cleaner and stuck it all back together, torqued all the bolts and... STILL WON'T TURN IN THE PORTS!!! I don't know what else to do, it seems like everything I try just is a waste of time. Tomorrow I will try lubricating the outsides of the sleeves with petroleum jelly and seeing if that works, but what happens when that burns off?

I am at a total loss, and would appreciate any help to make sure they work perfectly. Thanks guys.

 

I know some people are going to tell you to disable them and to just wire them open. I'm going to be the voice of logic here and say don't give up. Be patient. You gain nothing from having them open and only lose half your powerband. The most frustrating part of working on them is that you have to keep taking off the manifold. The sleeves will only attach to the actuator rods one way. Make sure you aren't truly to force the rods on them the wrong way or you may find they are just binding in place.

I wouldn't add any petroleum jelly or lubricants. They'll end up getting coated with dirt and will only help to bind everything later. I lightly sand the outside of the sleeves by hand with sandpaper and make sure the runners are completely clean. Make sure the rods rotate smoothly.

 

Could you show me how they are supposed to go on? I tried various ways of doing it but the only thing that eventually worked was shoving the manifold on while they were in the runners and torquing the bolts. I'm sure that is the wrong way but I could not get them on by hand for the life of me.

 

What I do is hold the sleeves up the rods while it is outside of the car just to see which way they go. You'll see if you do it this way. They only attach one way. See which way the sleeves should sit while closed and then try to put the sleeves into the engine in that position. I leave them hanging out of the engine an inch or so. Then I try to line up the rods this way and then push the lower manifold on.

 

That's what I did. Idk if i am tightening the bolts too tight or what else could be going on

 

I don't know what you could be tightening too tight. The tightness of bolts shouldn't be affecting them at all.

 

it might sound stupid but are you sure you install them correctly?

the bigger side pin should face down. it probably won't affect it's movement but just a thought.

 

Just to clarify, what gasket are you using between the manifold and the engine? Are the port sleeves clean? Do they rotate inside the housings before you install the manifold?

 

Hopefully this will help you out.

Sorry for the double post.

 

Perhaps you could align the little control rods and push them into the sleeves and then push the manifold/sleeves into the block?

 

@nycgps: I will have to check on that, I could have done that wrong. By bigger, do you mean diameter or length?

@DaBrkkdy: im using the Atkins middle intake gasket, the sleeves and port runners are both cleaned to the nines, and they spin near freely in the ports alone. I'll have to look at that diagram, altgough I have the FSM so its probably in there.

@Derekcat: that's what i did in the first place. Maybe I put them in wrong but the way they should rotate it makes sense the way they went in. I will double check everything. Thanks guys.

 

Using the word vacuum in your first post makes one wonder. They are activated by pressure.

The picture in post number 9 above should have helped.

 

Also, to correct what I said in my previous post, I am using the stock gasket for the LIM. For some reason my mind was thinking of the middle gasket which would have no effect on any of this. Sorry about that. I will try sanding them down a bit before putting them back in, but not too much.

 

If you have the lower manifold on but leave the actuators off, can you turn the rods by hand? They should move very easily. The rods need to turn freely in the lower manifold when the manifold is off of the car. The sleeves need to rotate freely in the housings with nothing attached to them. The actuators need to move in an out freely under pressure, not vacuum. You can even blow into them and they should move. The actuator rods can only go on pin on the sleeves one way. They will not fit the other way. If you are trying to force them on the wrong way, they won't go and you might be able to bind them really badly.

The only way you can be binding to the point that they don't move when it is all put together is if you did something wrong. I'm not even sure I could purposely make them bind like you are describing.

 

It's okay, everything is fine and working beautifully now! They were indeed on upsidedown. When I took it all back out and took the sleeves off the rods, the holders were bent a little bc I shoved them onto the larger side without thinking. So I used some pliers and bent them parallel again, and turned the sleeves around, and they went on like cake. I had my feeling stupid moment. Then I took them back off again and sanded the outsides of them with a really high grit paper, and then I sanded the runners with the same paper, re-installed everything back together, and tested them again just by pushing the rods, and they turned like a new ball-bearing. Smooth as glass. Then I applied the air pressure, and again, no effort at all. Thanks for all the help guys, I'm extremely hapopy to know my 6PI is working how it should be again. Judging by how hard it was to turn them when I dissasebled everything, I am assuming they weren't working when I was driving the car. Hopefully I notice a difference. Later on I will post some pictures and a video for everyone to see and share.

 

so it was upside down. I WIN !

 

@ HAILERS2: Yea IDK why I was saying vacuum. My mind never really works at its fullest when talking/writing. It's better just to keep everything bottled up in my noggin haha.

@ nycgps: Yes you do, lol.