Progress Thread Nasty Ninety Notch
- Thread starter joetrainer31
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Yep! I wish the guy would've told me. Now I get to go buy another intake instead of having the shop take care of it when I worked there.
Time to think about an explorer intake; the 95- early 97 has all the EGR passages, late 97-2001 don't. Either way it is a simple swap. The most difficult part is scraping all the old gasket material off the heads and manifold mating surfaces.Update: Crack is Whack!
I started poking around the engine bay in order to locate the orange ground wire for the HEGO sensors. In attempting to diag codes 41 & 91 I wanted to start at the most obvious place first; the ground wire. While I did find the ground wire, the leads on my meter are not long enough to span between it and pin 49 on the ECM in order to test continuity and ohm resistance. However, I did find the following:
Passenger side front...
Pretty sure I know who did this, but I already fired him a while ago! Anyhow, this would probably cause some air/fuel problems eh jrichker?
The intake already is an explorer unit, so we are on the same page. The lower seems fine and is already ported so I'm looking into an upper with EGR right now.
I'm trying to avoid R&Ring the lower because of said gasket scraping...and my heads are aluminum so its a bit more risky.
Avoid using Scotch Brite for removing gasket goo - See https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=scotch+brite+for+gasket+removal for a collection of horror stories...
Lol! Thank you for the heads up. Since I'm at home I am doing things by hand. I removed the upper yesterday. Today, I removed the TB and spacer from the upper. I cleaned the gasket material by spraying it with brake clean (softens it up), then using a scraper. If I have a stubborn patch I will use 120 paper REALLY lightly on the spot making sure to only remove the gasket. I finish the process with acetone and a clean rag on the surface. Its simply not clean until it's acetoned!
Minor Update:
The car is prepped for when the replacement parts arrive. The plenum is off, the TB & spacer are off the plenum with clean surfaces, fuel rails are finger tight on the manifold, injectors unplugged, intake tract removed.
For the replacement manifold I'm sticking with an Explorer (w/EGR). All the lines are run for that and I don't want to reinvent the wheel.
In order to help diagnose the 41/91 codes I am removing the 4 hole 24s and replacing with 4 hole 19s. I am also removing the Pro-M and replacing with a stock MAF. This way, while investigating the 41/91 codes I will know that 1) the computer is perfectly matched with the MAF, and 2) I will also have a functioning plenum.
If the codes disappear, GREAT! If they are still there then I can rule out an ECM/MAF mismatch and move along to jrichker's check list.
The car is prepped for when the replacement parts arrive. The plenum is off, the TB & spacer are off the plenum with clean surfaces, fuel rails are finger tight on the manifold, injectors unplugged, intake tract removed.
For the replacement manifold I'm sticking with an Explorer (w/EGR). All the lines are run for that and I don't want to reinvent the wheel.
In order to help diagnose the 41/91 codes I am removing the 4 hole 24s and replacing with 4 hole 19s. I am also removing the Pro-M and replacing with a stock MAF. This way, while investigating the 41/91 codes I will know that 1) the computer is perfectly matched with the MAF, and 2) I will also have a functioning plenum.
If the codes disappear, GREAT! If they are still there then I can rule out an ECM/MAF mismatch and move along to jrichker's check list.
I think the new upper intake is going to solve the vast majority of your issues.
Boy O Boy do I hope you are right. This car has been a meat grinder from day 1.
What I read about Scotch Brite applies even more to sand paper. A razor blade scraper and acetone or MEK is just about the best that you can use to clean off the old gasket material.Lol! Thank you for the heads up. Since I'm at home I am doing things by hand. I removed the upper yesterday. Today, I removed the TB and spacer from the upper. I cleaned the gasket material by spraying it with brake clean (softens it up), then using a scraper. If I have a stubborn patch I will use 120 paper REALLY lightly on the spot making sure to only remove the gasket. I finish the process with acetone and a clean rag on the surface. Its simply not clean until it's acetoned!
Public Service Announcement: 
While I'm waiting on my parts I'd like everyone to know: SEM interior paints -spitting their way through your interior since inception.
While I'm waiting on my parts I'd like everyone to know: SEM interior paints -spitting their way through your interior since inception.
mikestang63
SN Certified Technician
Public Service Announcement:
While I'm waiting on my parts I'd like everyone to know: SEM interior paints -spitting their way through your interior since inception.
yep. when the can gets to about 1/3 full, it's like a kid who ate too much pie for dinner.
That's good to know. Yet, my can was brand new! I even shook it prior to painting until my arm fell off. Then, I kept clearing it upside down whenever it seemed to spray slow.
This has happened to me, to various degrees, with EVERY can of SEM I've ever tried. Once those spits/pukes come out you try to paint over them, and it seems to work for a minute...until it pukes again right as you're about to finish!
If it matters, we use some SEM paint products at work.That's good to know. Yet, my can was brand new! I even shook it prior to painting until my arm fell off. Then, I kept clearing it upside down whenever it seemed to spray slow.
This has happened to me, to various degrees, with EVERY can of SEM I've ever tried. Once those spits/pukes come out you try to paint over them, and it seems to work for a minute...until it pukes again right as you're about to finish!
I usually put them on our paint shaker when they're new for about a minute. Really haven't had too much of a problem over the years. But, I wasn't using their interior dye either, so.......
Update: Crapfest in CA
The background: need car done before the 19th due to surgery. Surgery recovery time 2-3 weeks, maybe 4. So Cal summer in full swing by that time and due to Lyme disease I cannot work on the car in the heat. Car will be needed for Dr's appts, etc. Been borrowing cars and getting rides for a year now while waiting for this car.
In diagnosing the many electrical and driveability concerns I elected to return to 19lb injectors and stock maf for a more accurate air/fuel reading and to omit two possible variables in the diagnostic tree. Therefore with a tight timeframe in mind, I ordered some Bosch remanned 19lb injectors w/4 holes. They were supposed to arrive on Thursday. They did not. On Friday I emailed the guy from eBay to inquire about the injectors as they were a day late. He gave me a tracking number for USPS. I checked the tracking number on USPS.com, but found out that it didn't exist.
I emailed the guy again asking about the tracking number issue. He said that he had not actually gone to the post office yet. Then, in some many words, he advised me that he would mail off the injectors when he saw fit. Furthermore, if I didn't like it I could request a refund.
He then told me that he would mail them today (Friday the 13th). I advised him that if he mailed them on Friday that it would be acceptable since he was in CA also. About 30 minutes later he emailed me back and said that he actually didn't have the injectors I ordered, but that he could mail me different ones. I refused and got a refund.
Now, I was stuck with a deadline approaching and no injectors. However, I found a different seller on eBay with better injectors for the same price (including 2 yr warranty). They will be here Monday maybe Tuesday. That leaves enough time. Thank the Lord, problem solved.
Therefore, I unwrapped and cleaned up the replacement intake manifold -an Explorer plenum with EGR provision. This will be the 3rd plenum on this car in less than 500 miles. So, I get both manifolds on the bench ready to transfer the parts & hoses over...this is where it gets good, see below:
Notice anything above? No? Keep looking above and below...
Old manifold...
Replacement...
Aaaaand, we're done! Notice the problem? The car has tapped me out again.
The background: need car done before the 19th due to surgery. Surgery recovery time 2-3 weeks, maybe 4. So Cal summer in full swing by that time and due to Lyme disease I cannot work on the car in the heat. Car will be needed for Dr's appts, etc. Been borrowing cars and getting rides for a year now while waiting for this car.
In diagnosing the many electrical and driveability concerns I elected to return to 19lb injectors and stock maf for a more accurate air/fuel reading and to omit two possible variables in the diagnostic tree. Therefore with a tight timeframe in mind, I ordered some Bosch remanned 19lb injectors w/4 holes. They were supposed to arrive on Thursday. They did not. On Friday I emailed the guy from eBay to inquire about the injectors as they were a day late. He gave me a tracking number for USPS. I checked the tracking number on USPS.com, but found out that it didn't exist.
I emailed the guy again asking about the tracking number issue. He said that he had not actually gone to the post office yet. Then, in some many words, he advised me that he would mail off the injectors when he saw fit. Furthermore, if I didn't like it I could request a refund.
He then told me that he would mail them today (Friday the 13th). I advised him that if he mailed them on Friday that it would be acceptable since he was in CA also. About 30 minutes later he emailed me back and said that he actually didn't have the injectors I ordered, but that he could mail me different ones. I refused and got a refund.
Now, I was stuck with a deadline approaching and no injectors. However, I found a different seller on eBay with better injectors for the same price (including 2 yr warranty). They will be here Monday maybe Tuesday. That leaves enough time. Thank the Lord, problem solved.
Therefore, I unwrapped and cleaned up the replacement intake manifold -an Explorer plenum with EGR provision. This will be the 3rd plenum on this car in less than 500 miles. So, I get both manifolds on the bench ready to transfer the parts & hoses over...this is where it gets good, see below:
Notice anything above? No? Keep looking above and below...
Old manifold...
Replacement...
Aaaaand, we're done! Notice the problem? The car has tapped me out again.
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All I see different is the vac hose on the plenum side (and what looks like an overly chamfered hole). Shouldn't really be a big deal since you'll probably have to do some replumbing with vacuum anyway 
Yes, that vac line on the replacement actually sinks the ship. The two fittings cannot be switched out because 1) the holes are different sizes, 2) the fitting on the replacement is rusted/seized.All I see different is the vac hose on the plenum side (and what looks like an overly chamfered hole). Shouldn't really be a big deal since you'll probably have to do some replumbing with vacuum anyway
I traced the casting numbers to show that there is indeed variance within smog provisioned Explorer manifolds. I wasn't aware of that. So, its not good enough to request an Explorer manifold with smog. You need to know the exact casting number. The car's vac & smog related lines have already been re-plumbed for the casting with "AA" at the end (as opposed to "AB." The vac fitting on the left is critical to proper operation.
UPDATE: Crapfest Averted... I hope.
Since I had no access to torches and tapping tools someone gave me the idea to just move the "T" I need further down the line.
The "J" has now become a "T."
Top side all cleaned up...
Wife petting the complex's cat in front of my car because waiting for paint to dry.
Finished product...
Since I had no access to torches and tapping tools someone gave me the idea to just move the "T" I need further down the line.
The "J" has now become a "T."
Top side all cleaned up...
Wife petting the complex's cat in front of my car because waiting for paint to dry.
Finished product...
