A few weeks ago I noticed my '03 GT was losing coolant. Wasn't getting into the oil and all the hoses checked out so I couldn't figure out where else it was going. I did start noticing little pools of coolant below the thermostat housing though.
So I nursed it along for a bit and finally took it to the local Ford dealer last week for diagnosis. They found the intake was cracked by the thermostat housing and gave me an estimate of $1200 P&L to replace it. Ouch. I called a local indie shop and they said they'd do the same thing for $800. Still a bit high...but certainly less than Ford.
I ordered the intake from LateModelRestoration.com for about half of what the shops wanted (thanks LMR!) and took it to the indie shop yesterday. Also provided them with new hoses and a thermostat since those would need replacing (144K miles on the car...those were the factory parts still). They had to order gaskets and I also asked them to change the (original) spark plugs while everything was apart. The total came to just under $500 for their time and the few bits and pieces they had to provide.
The car runs so much smoother now! Before this, the needle on the tach would kinda fluctuate at idle just a little bit...but now it's steady. Feels great, and no more leak.
So I nursed it along for a bit and finally took it to the local Ford dealer last week for diagnosis. They found the intake was cracked by the thermostat housing and gave me an estimate of $1200 P&L to replace it. Ouch. I called a local indie shop and they said they'd do the same thing for $800. Still a bit high...but certainly less than Ford.
I ordered the intake from LateModelRestoration.com for about half of what the shops wanted (thanks LMR!) and took it to the indie shop yesterday. Also provided them with new hoses and a thermostat since those would need replacing (144K miles on the car...those were the factory parts still). They had to order gaskets and I also asked them to change the (original) spark plugs while everything was apart. The total came to just under $500 for their time and the few bits and pieces they had to provide.
The car runs so much smoother now! Before this, the needle on the tach would kinda fluctuate at idle just a little bit...but now it's steady. Feels great, and no more leak.
