cardsrus1

My 2001 Mustang GT has the dreaded crack next to the thermometer. I have tried to use JB Weld's Liquid Weld, that failed when I tightened the coolant elbow back on so I added QuickSteel over/in the crack. I just drove it to get gas after letting it sit for a day and once it got to running temperature I could feel that the crack opened again. It started pinging/gargling at times and felt like it was losing power. I have a new intake manifold arriving tomorrow, but I need to take it a good 20 miles out of town to get the swap done. My biggest concern is the way it starts running once the leak opens up, is that normal or is there likely another issue? It seemed to be running fine up until the crack opens, then it is a completely different animal. There has not been any engine lights come on at any point through this, I will plug in my reader and check anyways once it cools down.

jwog666

so you are willing to risk a few thousand dollars instead of paying for a tow? you are jumping over dollars to pick up dimes my friend.

cardsrus1

There is no chance I will drive it with the crack open. My concerns are what was going on once the crack opens up. I just checked for errors and my reader came up empty.

jwog666

once it opens up, it will lose coolant till the engine overheats 20 miles is a long way to go with low coolant

Granatelli Sales

As long as you have the tools, an intake manifold swap is pretty simple to do yourself. There are many Mustang owners who have compiled step by step instructions for a manifold swap. A simple internet search should provide you with all the information you will need to complete the job.
You should avoid driving the car with a coolant leak for such a long distance. Besides damaging the engine you could also cause your heater core to fail, and that job is no fun at all.
Good luck!

cardsrus1

I am not doing the 20 mile drive or tow since my insurance will not cover the tow.

Most repairs I do make myself, this one has way too many critical steps that I want no part of. I think I have corrected a minor part of the problem, I had too much antifreeze. I think that was what was causing the excessive steam/pressure blow off. Since last night I also found someone local to do the swap, only about 4-5 mile drive now.

Granatelli Sales

Good to hear! Good luck with the repair!

cardsrus1

It appears there is also an issue with the cooling fan. I ran the car for 20-25 minutes tonight, mostly just idling. During this time the radiator fan never started up. The temperature was just at the point where if there was no QuickSteel over the manifold intake crack it would have been steaming badly at the cracked area. Is there an easy way to test the fan? I am guessing there are relays and switches everywhere that could be bad for that one fan to work properly.

jwog666

turn the ac on, the fan should come on when ac is commanded. if not, time to check power and grounds to the fan, and work back to the relay, and fuses

Camster

I've done mine,and the job is not as difficult as it appears.At first glance,it was daunting.Step by step,layer by layer.
Put in a new thermostat and gasket while you're at it.
Use a good torque wrench on the manifold bolts.Check for antifreeze in the spark plug wells.