1998 E250 4.2 162k

Just FYI; two of the 12 bolts that secure the upper intake manifold were loose. And at least one other did not 'crack' loose and came loose with less resistance than expected, though they somewhat tight. Not cleaning the threads, internal and external might cause this, of course improper torqueing procedures comes to mind.

Very likely that the gaskets had been replaced before. Judging from the age and mileage, also the hardware looked like it was not in assembly line condition. Marks on nuts and bolts; missing washers and bolts in places where you could do without them if you did not care too much about the vehicle.

My large diameter vacuum hoses all look BAD ad will be replaced. The smaller ones are hard plastic tubing cased in conduit so I'll leave them as they are for now. A motor swap or rebuild will be on back burner planning status. I'm not planning on towing or carrying much, so I will not be stressing the motor or trans.

The spark plugs are the wrong type so a new set will go in.

The intake passages are filthy, a gallon of seafoam through a vacuum line would not make a dent in this mess. I'm going to leave the mess in the throttle body alone as directed but these intakes are getting a brass brush with some solvent.

So back to the garage for the lower.

 

Ready to remove the lower intake bolts. I'll see if any are loose tomorrow but I did find the lower part of an ECT resting on the engine block. Been there for a while by the looks of it. I broke mine off removing it too, I think when I was taking the socket off it after it was loose but still in place.

Judging from the gasket sealant around the edges of the lower intake gasket it is not the stock one.

Fighting the urge to hose the upper intake manifold passages down with engine cleaner.

 

lower intake bolts... same story a two were loose, two were not torqued down so they did not come loose with a crack. Some of the bolts were oily, some wet with coolant. No doubt a valve guides would be a best practice repair now. But time does not allow that so I'll keep an eye on my oil consumption and hope for the best.

I found a 6 inch long piece of what looks like the time cover gasket but is most likely a part of a valve cover gasket.

 

The surface where the gaskets seal show signs of being scraped carelessly. 'Gouges' would be an over statements but scratches do not seem to cover it. I'm going the easy route becuase I'm pressed for time and not smooth it out unless I can feel a ridge at the edge of a scrape. Fine stainless steel can be used but not at an inside or outside edge of an actual sealing area. Then cleaning up all the debris is an issue. As I'll be cleaning the threads with a tap and die and following the torquing instructions it ought to work out and be leak free for longer then I'm going to run the van with out doing the heads. I'll be happy with 25k miles or two years.

 

My gaskets are in and from a little idling in the garage things seem ok, hard to say until I drive it. I'm a little uneasy about the low torque settings on the lower manifold. Because with such 'delicate' settings the binding of the old fasteners and the tools seems like a larger risk, proportionally. I did chase the threads, both with a tap and die. And lightly oiled the fasteners as directed by the somewhat sketchy Haynes manual.

The greatest trouble beyond the obvious is that the Haynes manual is error ridden. I think that those who know this type of engine, vehicle, just need a little and it helps them. Those who are clueless either muddle through and get it right as much by chance as information from the poorly written Haynes manual. Some may give up and pay a professional, maybe with money that was needed elsewhere in a family budget. <sob> 'won't someone please think of the children?' I have a clue but have a background in air cooled and mk 2 and mk 3 OBD1 VWs, also motorcycles. Finding this to be a sequential fired fuel injection system was news to me. Good news at that. I like a lot of the little details I see in this motor and the vehicle in general. FWIW becuase I'm a computer/network repair tech not a mechanic.

One error I will offer to you is that the often incorrect Haynes manual shows the wrong colors for the wire from the coolant temp sensor that goes to the dash gauge. It shows it having the same color wires as the sensor for the computer. This and another error concerning these devices caused me a great deal of trouble. I was very close to having this towed to a shop... truly I can not afford that. I work two part time jobs and go to school full time becuase I need to earn more money to support my family, not becuase I'm wanting to enrich my self. Though that is a respectable goal, it is just not mine.

So now to get that ABS light off, clean the filth and rust and what can not be cleaned gets hosed down with cheap spray paint.

Did I mention I'm taking my Haynes manual back for a refund?

 

This link looks very helpful, sadly I found it when I was done. This guy deserves a civic award!

P0171/P0174 Fix Procedure - Ford F150 P0171/P0174 Fix

...P0171/P0174 Fix Procedure Continued - Ford F150 P0171/P0174 Fix

 

This is just what i need, but i actually have an intake leak i think.
how long could this take aproximately? and do you know any thing about a pcv tube or coolant tube that could be leaking on my truck, I think it might be an intake manifold gasket. let me know please

 

gettin ready to change my img and ive heard of taking out the plugs and starting the engine to relive the fuel pressure, is there another way ...............
thanks