scott4.6

whats the deal with that? its a 03 so i guess the intake is ok, but where could it be leaking at?the 1 st 3 plug holes on the drivers side was full of coolant. the last plug was fine and so was the other side.

1998Slow 'Stang

I'd check the thermostat housing and it's gasket, or the intake gasket where the crossover meets the head. Clean the wells out and start it with the hood open and see if you have any leaks under pressure.

scott4.6

do i have to remove the complete intake ? or can i just remove the alum cross over and replace those gaskets? looks like a mother fu#$%

1998Slow 'Stang

I think it looks a lot more daunting of a task than it actually is. Although don't know why you would remove it if you didn't have to.... Have you confirmed the intake gasket is your problem? It could just be something to do with the thermostat housing, as you only have the coolant on the front of the drivers side bank.

97stanger

I'm going through this SAME exact problem. I went to check my plugs and my first two on driver side and back one on driver side completely filled with coolant (dont ask why third one wasnt) so I have been doing a lot of talking/research. Seems to either be intake gasket or like stated thermostat housing/gasket. Next weekend I am going to pressurize my coolant tank (I dont have oil in the car, I dropped it because I wanted to make sure it wasnt a head gasket) so I can see if I can find where the leak is. I'll let ya know what I find, and maybe our problems are the same. Either way, its really not a bad fix, however my car was running like crap

scott4.6

i think it is the thermostat housing, it also looks like the very bottom of the housing to. im to buy a new thermostat gasket also i will buy a thermostat, could i use a 180 ? if so do i need to tune for it?

1998Slow 'Stang

If your thermostat isn't acting up, why buy a new one. FWIW you could try without a gasket on the housing. My gasket has been MIA for a couple months now and I just bolted it down without one and went on about my day....after walking a mile and half for a new upper radiator hose toting a gallon of water in the 95 degree july sun down here in southern Florida...

1998Slow 'Stang

But, I'd stick with whatever stock is, probably no real gain from 180 unless you're boosted or somethin'

cliffyk

The intake manifold to crossover sealing grooves have likely deteriorated and broken apart, this appears to be happening quite frequently of late as the PI cars reach 7 to 10 years old--mine did earlier this year and I have seen/read of half-a-dozen more since then.

Here's what it looks like from beneath when the seal groove rots and the sealing ring pops out into the coolant passage:



The fix is to get a new intake manifold. DO NOT get a Dorman replacement from a FLAPS, instead get the FRPP unit from AM, Summit, etc. which costs less and is far superior.

Or do as I did.

As my '03 GT is my DD I bought a Dorman replacement from Advance Auto and found it to be such a piece of crap that I took it back. I ordered the FRPP replacement, however as I did not want to wait a couple days I removed the crossover pipe (6 or 7 bolts), scraped it all down to solid plastic, cleaned the mating surface of the crossover, then degreased it all and reassembled it with JB-Weld.

It has been fine for 6 months/8k miles now, showing no signs of leaking. Of course if I did not have the new one in the attic it would not have lasted a week--now it will last forever.

If you do this there are two important points. The first is clean/Clean/CLEAN and degrease using Prep-All or similar aircraft stripper, then alcohol.

The second point applies to the proper use of the JB-Weld epoxy. Apply it to both surfaces leaving no gaps, then remount the crossover to the manifold snugly (there are no torque specs for this so just use you own judgement--making the bolts pretty tight for a brass insert nut in plastic).

Next let it sit for 4 or 5 hours before remounting it on the engine. This allows the JB-Weld to set, but still be a bit pliable and will make the final assembly be made with some further compression. Now mount the manifold back on the engine and torque it down (18 lbft), and wait another 18 to 24 hours before refilling the coolant and starting the engine--this allows the JB-Weld to fully cure.

You don't have to do all of the above, however if you do not you are pretty much wasting your time bothering to do it at all...

caaraa

Clean the wells out and start it with the hood open and see if you have any leaks under pressure.