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So, the other day, I went outside and there was a puddle under the truck. It had been sitting for a couple of days, IIRC, so I thought it was strange. It rained since then and the driveway was dry one day later, so I didn't give it much more thought at the time. Then the puddle appeared again. Went out with a flashlight this evening and looked around. I remember there was moisture in a couple of spark plug holes when I replaced them. Some of it was oil, but one was definitely watery. So, I am not surprised that there is a leak somewhere. But what I do find strange is the location of some of the puddles, and where it drips from. I guess since the motor slopes down as it goes back, maybe the leak is really at the front and it's just running down the head next to the intake to drip from the back of the motor? There is water next to the intake manifold there, to support that theory. But there is a puddle on top of the intake around the #1 injector. How does it get there? My pressure tester is one of the old ones that attached to the radiator neck, so I'll have to find another way to pressurize the system to look, but has anybody had this happen? It doesn't seem to match up to descriptions I've seen of the crossover tube or the heater/water pump tube.
Coolant dripping down the back of the motor from the passenger wheelwell.
look at the aluminum crossover tube under the intake, in front of the alternator. The o-ring grooves fail in the plastic manifold and leaks underneath.
Thanks. I had just read that thread. Wasn't sure if it was applicable or not since there was coolant on top of the spot where the injector lives. Sounds like I've got some fun coming my way. Strange how I don't really remember driving it when it started leaking. Maybe I did run an errand or something. Oh well.
Yeah, I'm sure it isn't really all that bad. Like most things, the worst part is thinking about it beforehand. When I did the brakes, I ended up finding the right rear wheel seal leaking. So, I had to pull apart the rear end and replace it. Wasn't bad, never is, but I sure did dread it before I started.
I wasn't looking forward to changing plugs either after reading all of the horror stories about how hard it was. I spent more time with the air hose blowing crap out of the plug recesses than I did actually changing plugs. If they'd all been clean, it would have been an hour job!
I picked up antifreeze and the intake gasket tonight on the way home. Hope to get that done this weekend before it gets chilly next week. We'll see.
the part that craps out is the manifold itself. It is plastic and has an o-ring groove to seal the aluminum crossover tube. If you just have a manifold gasket leak, that would be great......... but I would take off the crossover (manifold off) and look at the o-ring and groove... I actually filled in the groove with epoxy and put gaskets on the tube. Most opt for a new manifold.
Well, I got it apart tonight. Won't get to mess with it again until Wednesday, as I'm out of town for the next couple days.
I can order the manifold for $175, but I do like the thought of applying that money to other stuff. So, I guess I'll think about it overnight and decide tomorrow. Steve, what kind of epoxy did you use? Most of the ones I look at say not to use above 120F, and then others say not to use in wet environments.
I noticed that the replacement manifold has a smaller plenum. In theory that should reduce torque, right? I suppose it isn't noticable, but I wonder why they did that. It also looks like the Dorman lacks threaded inserts in most places except for the throttle body mounting bosses. I'm not sure I'm thrilled about that. I guess that's the price difference between the Dorman and an OEM manifold, huh?
I see that there was an aluminum manifold used on some '98-'99 motors. Looks like it was mainly 4.6 but, do these manifolds fit the 5.4? I found one Youtube video of a guy touting his aluminum manifold to stop the plastic manifold problems. It looks like the Al is taller than the plastic ones and the heater hose is in a different spot. Otherwise, would the Al one work?
Well, getting the system flushed now. Takes a bit of time, warming up, cooling off, draining, filling, etc. But, I got the manifold replaced. Went with a used one off of ebay. Has the threaded inserts unlike the Dorman replacement. I like that. Everything I read says that '02 and up should be better. The part number is different, so they did change something, and it's not the shape. So, I guess I'll see how it holds up.
Had a look at the heater tube while I was in there. No apparent leaks, so I tapped on it as much as I could and it sounds pretty solid, so for now, I decided to leave it. If I would have ordered it last week, I would have had a replacement for today, but I didn't. Ford could have another for me tomorrow, for $45 and change. Amazon has one for $25. If it does spring a leak, I'll probably just replace it with a hose unless I have another reason to remove the manifold.
11-05-2014, 09:16 PM
