96 Riviera intake gaskets leaking!

[Fitzgr8]

Hello all, just purchased a 96 Riv with 102k on her and I need to change the intake manifold gaskets out and was wondering how much of a bich it is going to be. I bought the gaskets at the stealer. Are fel-pro better ones to go with? Also, what type of oil should I put back in the pulley end of the supercharger. I have the factory service manuals that say use GM part# blah blah blah. Can I use a good synthetic oil like Mobil 1 5W-30. Thanks

 

[T-Keith]

Do not motor oil in the supercharger. This can cause damage as it will not lubricate the snout properly.

Buy the stuff at the dealer, it's only about $8. Currently there is no aftermarket alternative. Some people have used motor oil and had the bearings go out in a very short time.

 

[Darth Fiero]

The Fel-Pro gaskets should work fine provided you follow the factory installation and torque specifications TO THE LETTER.

DO NOT USE any surfacing disc to clean the gasket surfaces. I can't tell you how many 3800's I have seen in the junk pile at the junk yards because some idiot used a surfacing disc on a die grinder to clean the surfaces. All this does is throw finite metal particles into the engine which accumulate in the crank bearings and eventually bring everything to a grinding halt; literally. THE OIL FILTER CANNOT FILTER THESE PARTICLES OUT. GM has a TSB out addressing the use of surfacing discs which many shops disregard. If you are not doing the work yourself, be sure the shop you take it to does not make the mistake of using them. I cannot stress this enough.