[1999mercv6]

So after years of putting off I finally gathered the materials and knowledge of how to port and polish and fix issues that have plagued my car.
I'll first start with the vaccum system for the 2.5 v6 as that was the real issue and direct you to the materials needed for the repair or new replacement.
Here's the list of parts used as well as a link to get them.
1. You need a turbo vaccum manifold from ebay. BLUE 1/8" NPT 6 Port Vacuum Manifold Kit fit Turbo Boost Intake Manifold | eBay
Or where else you want but that was the cheapest I could find .
2. You need some high temp silicone hoses in very specific sizes. Here the link. Silicone Vacuum Hose Line Tube 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 12 13 16 mm ID 1 Foot | eBay
Make sure to get at least 4.2 feet of 3/8 inch I.D.
Then also get some 5/32 or 4mm silcone Hoses about 4 feet depending on how much ryour replacing as it could be more.
3. Next you need a 1/4 inch NPT TAP AND THREAD KIT. 1/4 In. Carbon Steel NPT Pipe Tap and 7/16 In . High Speed Steel Drill Bit Set . 313109857858 | eBay
Here it must be this size or it won't fit the brass sleeve that is pressed in.
4. Next your oing to need 3/8 barbed by 1/4 in NPT thread swivel 90. Must be swivel or you won't thread the fitting into the intake.

3/8" Barb 10mm x 1/4" Male NPT Brass 90° Elbow Swivel Rotating 360 Fitting #36 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 3/8" Barb 10mm x 1/4" Male NPT Brass 90° Elbow Swivel Rotating 360 Fitting #36 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

5. Next you need to remove the old plastic bushings and orings located in the tip intake holes and then tap and thread them very carefully BUT I can't stress this enough oil it very well as you thread it or it will cross and the fitting won't thread in properly. Once the thread has been cut wash the manifold as a whole to remove as much carbon and metal shavings as possible. Once dry get some thread sealant and then wrap the threaded part going clockwise if the fitting has the threaded part towards the right of you and the barbed side on the other and wrap at least 3 times around to insure an air tight fit. Once done it should look like this.

6. Now that's done you can install on your car.

As you can see above the top vaccum hose on the vaccum solenoid must connect to the egr valve or it will cease to operate properly.

make sure you mount it as I do or to the left of thr ignition coil to insure it will clear the hood without issues.
Here is my finished product of the vaccum lines.

Here that in another post for this thread I'll do the porting and polishing portion.

 

[skater]

This doesn't really fit the Problems forum. Moving to How-To.

 

[mmc757]

Nice job on the fittings. We've been talking about that as an option for years but I think you're the first to actually show it done that way.
Now we can point to this thread every time those fittings come up again.

Why did you add the manifold?

 

[1999mercv6]

I bought the second manifold so I could thread the fittings in and be able to still drive my car. But how would I move this to the how to section without redoing the whole post.

 

[mmc757]

You cant.
Luckily, skater already moved it for you.

 

[mmc757]

I bought the second manifold so I could thread the fittings in and be able to still drive my car...

I meant the external vacuum manifold. What's the purpose of that?

 

[1999mercv6]

Now with the pictures yall will see I did mess up and make the holes less round in some places because I didn't control the tool good enough. Okay so if you want to port and polish First your going to need some tools.
1. A Rotary tool (dremmel is just a name brand)
Here's the linkhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/283996083136?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=6r-ho_b2q6y&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=JaNNydYATsu&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

2. You'll need some tungsten carbide bits must be carbide or you'll run through them.
Here a link for that as well. 10x 1/8"1/4 Tungsten Carbide Burr Rotary Drill Bits Tools Cutter Files Set Shank | eBay

3. Next you'll need some sanding and polishing dremmel bits. Here's a link 50 Metal Polishing Buffing Wheel Burr Kit Rotary Tool Accessories Set For Dremel | eBay

4.no other parts are needed BUT I URGE YOU TO BUY NEW UPPER INTAKE GASKETS PREFERABLY OEM OR FEL PRO FOR A BETTER TRACING.

NOW thats out of the way lets start by cleaning it. I used a mix of chemicals being gunk degreeser and adams wheel cleaner to get as much caked up carbon on my intake. Once clean and dry I'd flip it over and clean the mating surface of the intake ports. It should look something like this. And you may be wondering why and its because the mating surface will be easier to trace out with a sharpie or paint marker with the surface being clean.

DISCLAIMER IF DOING INDOORS AS I DID MAKE SURE YOU USE PROPER PPE(PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT) AND LONG SLEEVES AND PANTS WITH NO GLOVES. REASON NO GLOVES IS BECAUSE IT MAY GET WRAPPED UP IN THE TOOL. ALSO IF WASHING INSIDE BE MINDFUL OF ANY METAL SHAVINGS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN. AND I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH BUY OR PUT ON YOUR DAMM SAFETY GLASSES.

Now let's start the process by reading the instructions on how to use the tools and bits properly. This will insure your comfortable before proceeding.
Second thing in this process is the actual work.

1. Place the new or used intake gaskets even with the intake manifold porting surface and expertly trace the excess amount of metal in between the gaskets but not too much or it wont seal. It should look something like this.

2. You need to attach the carbide bits to the rotary tool and start removing material. When removing material be careful as it will look slightly ugly like mine if you mess up. I found if you go if the bits instead of against them will give you a smooth removal of metal. But if you go against the way it spins you'll remove more material quickly. Make sure to use an oil based lubricant to prevent shavings from clogging the bits. Here's some pics.

Now that you removed all the material clean and dry the intake manifold and replace the intake gaskets on the ports and trace again if possible. I had to but it ll depends on how much you removed the first time around. Now after the removing of materials, now you can do the fun part of actually polishing the intake. This is where the sanding bits come in. I believe the order is black, green, yellow then red for sanding smooth. Then the white is for polish. Heres some pics of that.

Once it looks pretty sexy then clean it again for the final clean and dry. Then replace the gaskets and look and address your final product.

Once that's done install on car which in turn you'll gain noticeable power and torque over 4k rpms. I'd say about a 10 percent increase in all areas. Then clean yourself your clothes and wherever you did it. Or don't I don't care. But this is just the upper instructional not Lower or the cylinder head ports but can be applied almost the same. Due to it being my only form of transportation I bought a secondary intake for the project and paid 80 shipped on ebay. Toodles everyone!!

 

[1999mercv6]

I meant the external vacuum manifold. What's the purpose of that?

The manifold was for dispersing the 3/8 vaccum hose coming off the intake to all thr remaining fixtures for a cleaner look than the emission cluster like this.

it may be not needed but I plan on putting forced induction in so I wanted the added Ports for later

 

[1999mercv6]

As you can see I found my vaccum leak

 

[1999mercv6]

This doesn't really fit the Problems forum. Moving to How-To.

Thank you for moving it for me.

 

[mmc757]

As you can see I found my vaccum leak

That'll do it!

 

[mmc757]

I actually did find a semi-effective way to scrub inside the UIM once. I used one of those toilet brushes that has the bristles mounted on twisted wire.

I cut open the loop to make a long pipe cleaner, and shoved that in all the holes, then used my drill to spin it.

Here's a post about it

 

[1999mercv6]

Nice I used a can of seafoam after I installed it to get rid of the rest

 

[SpaceCatsAZ]

looks pretty good!

 

[1999mercv6]

Thanks