is it bcoz of the intake manifold ? PROBLEMS

[blue-stang]

hi everyone

my car raving so bad,not smooth and power decreased

when i hit full throttle the rpm stop somewhere or making like cuts


i though i need to change spark plug so i took the old one out

and found water over them

i changed T.stat gasket but the car became worse than before

is the water leaking from intake manifold gasket or i need to get

a new intake manifold


its 2003 GT stang

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Hmm, well...

The water, was it clear water or coolant liquid? Do you wash your engine?

If you wash your engine you will most likely get water in the plug wells. I wash my engine all the time and I have to remove the water every single time. If you get water in there the COPs will get steam cooked and destroyed the water will not just evaporate out.

Need to know if it is clear water or coolant in the plug wells.

 

[Night Shifter]

+1 if its coolant it more than likely your manifold..especially if it's still leaking after the new gasket... oh and if i were you, id change the plugs and the c.o.p boots after you change the manifold as well..no since in keeping the wet stuff in there cause it will just act the same

 

[patman0911]

Wait, this is a 2003 so you can confirm it does have the aluminum coolant crossover tube, correct? With the aluminum tube, it's unlikely that it's a cracked manifold if the leak is at the front. It is still possible for the heater hose fitting at the back of the manifold to crack though.

If the leak is indeed coming from the thermostat area then it's gotta be leaking from the between the thermostat housing and manifold, between the crossover tube and manifold or between the manifold and head.

Did you put a new thermostat gasket in? A new gasket is recommended when you replace the thermostat. You did put the gasket in correctly, right? Thermostat goes in first and then the gasket on top between the thermostat and the housing.

If it's not coming from the thermostat housing then a bad intake manifold gasket is the next likely culprit.

Clean the area really well and then see if you can see where water is actually coming from, ideally while it's running, or from the tell-tale trails it leaves behind when it evaporates.

 

[Night Shifter]

some 03's came with the plastic manifold as well...kinda dumb but they did...i know there is someone on here that just posted about it..

great advice though...if it is aluminum check everything patman said....its very rare but i have know of the aluminums cracking too..but like i said rare..

worst possible case, your head gasket has went down the crapper...but i doubt it

 

[blue-stang]

thx guys for ur fast response

its clean water

i changed the spark plugs and the car raving become worse and worse

the water leaking behind T.stat under it i guess

i changed t stat gasket and installed new spark plugs but i still have the problem

and now worse

water is right to the t.stat and behind it next to the first coil

from the thermostat area

 

[fast97gt]

If it does have the plastic runner it might some left from 2002, but I'm almost certain that 02-04 has the aluminum runner, maybe I'm wrong but from like july 02 till october 04 got em.

 

[blue-stang]

i capture a video to show u where is it


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBTJCEPkz1k

its not clear but i u can hear the car raving and the sound

 

[Night Shifter]

hmmm...i have no sound on the computer im on but you definitely have the aluminum crossover...

not sure why it would be leaking..did you clean the cop boots when you put them back in? was there any kind of liquid inside the boot? the water getting into those spark plug holes is more than likely whats making your car rev like chit

 

[Twista]

Is your intake manifold installed correctly or the gasket?? I remember when i installed mine incorrectly (gasket was mis-aligned) i had the same air whoosing sound coming from my engine bay... also had coolant/water escaping like yours. My guess is your gaskets are broke and you need new ones.

either that or you have a vacuum line unplugged which would cause the air sound im hearing from the idle engine, but wouldn't cause a water leak. Are you capable of removing the intake manifold yourself and checking the gaskets

 

[patman0911]

Yeah, as long as water is getting in the spark plug wells, you're gonna have misfire problems - rough idle, stumbling and bad vibrations under acceleration, etc.

I couldn't really tell much from the video too dark too see anything definitive. You're just going to have to inspect it closely and figure out if it's coming out above the thermostat or below the manifold.

Did you use a torque wrench when reinstalling the thermostat housing bolts? Overtightening, undertightening or uneven tightening could cause sealing problems.

 

[blue-stang]

Night Shifter: i didn't clean them i just found water on the old spark plugs n installed new ones

used air to clean everything there



Twista: its the OEM intake manifold and everything was great till i reached 85000 miles
but im half sure its from the intake manifold gasket but i just want to make sure the intake manifold is not damaged it self and do i need to replace it or not

patman0911 : i changed the T.stat gasket at work shop
i though the leaking is from it but its not the reason i guess

i washed the engine with water few times this month, do u think its the reason ?

few days before the problem i went into a highway trip n crossed 200 miles maybe the gasket damaged !?


how can i make sure its only the intake manifold gasket
not the intake manifold

last question what do u think is the problem

 

[Night Shifter]

there might have been a little bit of liquid up in the boots.. i know you used air but there's people on here that have done the same with air and still had misfiring problems until they swapped the boots... me being one of them...

i think the boots all together were around 35 bucks from the parts store..there were 2 per box if i remember correctly

 

[blue-stang]

where can i buy cops or boots online ??? i wanna knw if there is prob wid gasket or intake manifold or jsut chnge cops nd boots ???

 

[patman0911]

If it is in fact leaking, then you gotta fix the leak first or the misfire problems will return and you'll continue to damage COP boots.

On the other hand, it is possible that it is just water from you washing the motor. You said it's clean water? If it was coolant than it should be green if theres a lot of it, or if you touch it, you should be able to smell it on your finger and it should feel slippery (unless you run straight water in your radiator).

Once water gets in the plug wells, it has a very hard time getting out by itself since the COP boots (or spark plug wire boots on earlier cars) traps the moisture down in there, it won't just evaporate off from the heat of the motor like water in the valley or anywhere else on the motor would. Every heat cycle just sends it further into whatever minute cracks it finds in the boots and once they start shorting out and carbon trails start forming, the boots are done for.

Again, you're going to have to clean that area off (Don't hose it down! Use some degreaser on a rag) and see if the water returns and if so, where it's coming from.

Good luck

 

[blue-stang]

last time i washed the engine was month ago

two friends told me maybe the heads gasket is the reason for water leaking

i dont know what the hell to do

so confused

 

[patman0911]

Water from leaking head gaskets would end up in the valley, not on top of the heads.

 

[Shiroelex]

I definitely hear a hissing noise in that video. It sounds more like a vacuum leak to me. Do you have a Check Engine light on at all? I've had the COPs go bad before and not throw a light.

 

[blue-stang]

theres no Check Engine light and i think i knew the problem


the intake manifold craked from one side and the green water came out

now im thinking to buy one of two

99-04 Intake Manifold, 4.6L Pi, Lrs-10153A Reqd by Ford Racing

99-04 Intake Manifold, 4.6L Pi, Lrs-10153A Reqd by Ford Racing at LRS - Same Day Shipping!


or


Ford Racing M-9424-P46 - Ford Racing 4.6L Performance Improvement Intake Manifolds

Ford Racing M-9424-P46 - Ford Racing 4.6L Performance Improvement Intake Manifolds - Overview - SummitRacing.com


same price


so are they the same ? or which one do you recommend

 

[fast97gt]

the one from summit, theyre a reputible place for engine parts and that one in paticular is frp