Intake Manifold and EGR Cleaning/Replacement - How hard is it really?

Got it all put back together tonight, took about 3 hours to get the new water pump and thermostat in, oil catch can, intake, etc. etc. and all buttoned up.

I am paranoid I forgot something since there are so many places you can forget something, but so far, no massive coolant leaks, no CEL's, and I was able to drive it home from where I was working on it without a hitch! (About a 25min drive, and the coolant level was stable when I arrived home).

Had a slight bit of rattle/knock when I had it in maintenance mode that sketched me out, but that may have either been due to it having sat for so long this week, or the coolant working through the system, or the fact I forgot to hook up the air hose to the MAF at first lol.

Seems to have stopped that knocking, so, hoping it was just coincidental and nothing I did wrong haha. I'm not sure if it's placebo but it does seem smoother when switching between EV and the ICE kicking in, not as much of a jolt which is great!

Thank you to all for your help! I couldn't have done it without the guidance and suggestions you provided! I have expanded my skillset and saved a few thousand in labor costs

Will followup with any updates if there are any (but hopefully no news will be good news haha)

Thank you again

 

So far, the oil level has yet to drop, but will continue to monitor. I used a bore scope camera when the old spark plugs were out and the pistons have some carbon but were relatively clean, almost suspiciously so, but it was hard to tell and i haven’t had experience looking at many others so I could just be paranoid about the HG.

I’m also using Valvoline restore and protect to help the rings if they are stuck in any way.

How difficult is a head gasket replacement compared to the work I just did? It seems daunting, but so did the EGR work and I was successful (so far haha)

Although I will add that I hope since there is no coolant loss, no misfires, no white smoke, passed coolant exhaust gas test, etc etc that the work I did would help preserve the HG. Of course it isn’t as ideal as if the previous owner had done it sooner, but nothing was fully clogged so that should bode well at least.

If I can get a couple years before HG issues I will be happy. But it’s basically a game of wait until something happens haha.

 

Here’s an image from cylinder 2 iirc, I didn’t take pictures from the others as the spark plugs were all similar condition so I figured I’d see the same thing in them all, so I only looked in 1 and 2 before just swapping the other plugs out

 

Well, figured I’d hop on here and give a little update.

Turns out I won’t have to worry after all lol

Deer ran out and hit my car on 12/15. Damage didn’t seem that bad so I figured they’d get it fixed. However yesterday I heard confirmation from insurance that after the supplement was sent by the body shop, they declared it a total loss.

Thank you again for everyone’s help. Second car in 2025 to get totaled but at least now I won’t have to worry about whether the head gasket is good or not. Not my problem anymore I guess lol.

I learned a lot and enjoy being able to say I accomplished what I didn’t think I’d be able to, and I owe it to this forum for getting me there!

Thanks again and Happy New Year!

 

Yeah, my initial estimate was about $1500, but once they got stuff apart it added another $5k. $6,500 total, vehicle was only worth about $7500 based on KBB, so I knew right away they were almost certainly gonna total it.

I am currently leasing a 2026 Corolla LE that I negotiated a pretty good deal on. Hopefully will provide some stability for a few years to give me a break from everything that happened in 2025 lol

Don't love the idea of a lease, but it made the most sense for our situation at this point. Stable and predictable without being locked down to owning something I don't love.

Best of luck to you! I hope whatever happens it works in your best interest.