thump

hey guys
i have an 02 mustang gt and i had to replace my intake manifold because of a crack at the thermostat housing.
i replaced the intake put new fel pro rubber intake gasket in and it had notches in the bottom that keep in aligned. i took my time made sure that the gaskets did not move when put the intake on it. i did not use any rtv since its not a cork gasket, i torqed to 19lbs and in the order that my haynes manuel described basically it was from the middle and worked its way to the outsides. started her up she sounded great but i have a constant decent size drip of coolant. i see that it is coming from the rear passenger side part of the intake gasket. now what i dont get is that there is a bolt hole in the gasket that meets the head but not the intake and does not have a bolt in it and that is where it seems to be leaking from. there is no vacuum leak and the car was running great.. i do not want to torque more cause i scared to crack my new $270 intake manifold. has anyone experienced this? help is much needed thanks guys

thump

this is a pic of how the intake gaskets site on the head. the bolt hole with the white circle is where it looks like a bolt should go but actually doesnt and this is where my main coolant leak is coming from. any ideas? should i use rtv

thump

WhiteFoxGT

There isnt a bolt that goes in that hole. I'd be willing to bet the intake manifold itself is cracked and leaking. The heater hose nipple is right on top of that point on the intake, common leak spot

thump

Its a brand new intake. And it doesnt look like its leaking from the nipple. I got it from american muscle. Is it possible its cracked?!?

WhiteFoxGT

i must have missed that part of your post where you said you replaced it. Only thing you can do is clean it up and dry the area, pressure test system and eyeball it. If the intake is new and gaskets are on and correct there shouldnt be an issue. That tube in the center valley has coolant running through it as well. but only so much we can speculate behind a keyboard and not looking at the car myself

Mello210

I know this post is really old but I found it when doing some research I am having the exact same problem right now and saw that nobody answered you did you ever figure out what was causing the leak from the bolt hole (missing bolt) hole thanks

WhiteFoxGT

I believe I covered everything there is in my post above yours. Rule out the variables. Rubber heater hoses above intake. That metal tube. Intake gaskets. Or manifold itself. Dry the area and pressure test it and observe. If you aren’t capable of that find someone who is lol