Installing a new intake and carb tonight, and the car has A/C. The A/C isn't working at the moment, and I am not sure that last time it did. Do folks normally have to disconnect and evacuate any of these lines to replace the intake? If so, what's the best way to go about it not knowing if there is a charge in there or not. Thanks for the advice.
Use a gauge on low side schrader valve to see if system has pressure... If there is none disconnect and cap lines, you don't want dirt or moisture entering system.. BUT the compressor is bolted to head not intake, at most should be only necessary to loosen and slide forward... Yeah lines can be a PITA to work around but if system has some charge, the route I'd follow(and I have access to all the necessary equipment to service)...
Are there some CA emissions pieces that can be removed when replacing the intake... Given no smog required.
All 12 bolts are out? As said, you'll have to do a bit of prying for an intake that's been on for that long.
I usually just use a blunt ended pry bar or retired wood chisel and tap it in between the manifold and cylinder block right beside/behind the distributor. This is called the front China wall and the wedge action lifts the manifold away from the china wall and cylinder head gasket surface to help break the manifolds seal. Sometimes only one side will lift away from the cylinder head and you need to work on both sides of the distributor to get it to pop away far enough to easily finish the removal. Kinda like a rusted bolt.. once it breaks free it's much easier to remove the remainder of the way. Once the bulk of the seal is broken you can also put the curved end of a bigger pry par into the top of the manifold(after carb removal) to pry/wiggle the rest of the way off. Fight the urge to jamb the pry bay down between the cylinder head and manifold sealing surfaces though or you can damage/scar the gasket surfaces. Slight China wall damage is far less of a concern due to the preference to use silicone sealant there rather than the cheap cork seals that come with the gasket kit.
