UPDATE BELLOW

Hey all, been a while...Back before winter i had posted about a blocked cooling system, mystery goo and swapping out the heater core in my 98 F-150Xl...
last i did before it got really cold was run water from top to bottom and bottom(garden hose and pipe threaded into block drain) to top, and try to get all the crap out...
this past presidents day weekend i started back on the project.i pulled the water pump to make sure there was no more major blockage, impeller was a little rust coated from the goop, but cleaned up well, inside i could see a little residue from the gunk but what i could see was pretty clean, so i reinstalled with new gasket..
I then finished the heater core job, installed new radiator,thermostat, upper and lower radiator hoses and began to fill the system..

Now the new problem!!
as i was filling the coolant and getting all excited i was finnally gonna get this thing running about the second gallon in ,i hear coolant pissing on the ground..
look around, heater conections, side of motor nothing...
its coming right from the back side of the motor, possibly intake down, or my worst fear, infront of the tranny..coming from over the starter area and right out the tranny converter drain hole
i took a mirror the best i could behind the motor, hard heater lines look dry, head to block mating surfaces look dry, side freeze plugs are all dry..
i am assuming its a crack, intake, or rear freeze plugs???

my questions are:
1) is it possible even though i had the block drain open over the winter , is it possible there was water trapped in the cylinder water jackets???

2) now i cant see anything without either pulling intake or seperating tranny/motor...is it possible to pull the tranny back just enough to check the rear of the motor???


thanks so much in advance for any info and for reading

Chris

 

there is a coolant line behind the water pump.its under the intake manifold.when that leaks it runs down back of the motor and looks like a headgasket leak or something else major. not even sure if you can get a mirror in there. i think its half metal and half rubber line.

 

My '97 4.6 started leaking from the last freeze plug on the drivers side just last week. My engine came with a block heater, which was in that freeze plug location. I bought a $2 rubber plug from NAPA to temporarily get me by until my new engine is ready. So far, so good.

There are three plugs on that side, the last one is 1.5" diameter, the other two are a little bigger.

Neal, one of the forum regulars here, really provided me with some good info. Here's a link to that thread.

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=273705

Hope this was helpful, but even more so, I hope it was this freeze plug. It was easy to get to. Good luck!

 

Hey Keith,
i was able to get the mirror to get me to view just as the bend started towards the front of the motor, while it was dificult to use the mirror, i looked at all the mounting tabs and it was pretty dusty/dry ..i wish it was this tube , but it doesnt seem so at this point,,maybe i will ty one more time , just to be sure
thanks
Chris

 

hey Billy,
thanks for the link, i did check out that thread, and i am pretty sure all the side plugs are fine, my XL seems to have the AC plug for the heater, but its just laying there on the frame with no heater installed, just a plug..wonder if it was pulled along time ago???
what scares me in that pic on the stand, is th etwo plugs hiding behind the outer edge of the flywheel, directly behind the cylinders, that is what i am hoping its not...
thanks
Chris

 

tiny thought update
judging by some other threads, it would be highly likely that the block valley would be flooded with coolant if the water pump to heater line was leaking..

but since it is so tricky to see through the intake runners, i am not ruling it out 100%..simply because i would rather pull the intake before i start seperating the motor and tranny..
warmer weekend aproaching, trying to figure wich way to attack this..
1. pull the inatke just to be sure of the pipe,
or
2. just go for pulling the tranny/x-fer case back

thanks
Chris

 

Hey all, little update , sunday afternoon,
just finished pulling the intake..suprisingly i am not to upset , being a backyard mechanic, i have learned that these things never go easy or as planned..
its not the heater pipe, intake gasket was in fairly good shape, and also the top of the tranny bellhousing is fairly dry..
Plenty of room to get at the top motor to bellhousing bolts i guess..

well, leaves me to only suspect, a crack in the back of the block, or a core/freeze plug has let go...time to pull it apart..
guess that can be a new post....
Chris

 

HI!... From what I understand when you pour coolant into the engine and you hear coolant hitting the ground it is coming out of the hole in the bellhousing for the TQ converter drain access????/

If so then it sounds like you have a rear frost plug leaking.

You can see in this pic that there is two frost plugs that are within the bellhousing bolt pattern.
You will have to pull your tranny to see of they are leaking. If they are, once the tranny is pulled they are very easy to fix. Make sure you do it on a hoist.

 

Hey Neal, thanks for the reply...Thats exactly what is happening..
i was afraid this might be the case, but i tried the heater pipe route anyway..
When you mention the hoist, do you mean to hold the engine in place so it doesnt tilt down when the tranny gets pulled???
If i pull the tranny it will be with a regular floor jack, the hardway..
Thanks for your time and any more input..
Much appreciated,
Chris

 

HI!... If you have any access to a vehicle hoist USE IT! The job is 10 times easier. You don't have to support the engine when pulling the tranny. The motor mounts will hold it just fine. Use air tools if you can. With a hoist and air tools I can remove my tranny from my truck in 35 minutes. But I have a 4x2.

 

I had my BIG a$$ E4OD 4X4 tranny out in about 45, it wasn't that bad - but I turned 3 fingers purple doing it lol ..

OUCH!!!

get that freakin thing off me lol

 

ouch is right, sorry to hear that.
Unfortunately , i am outside, in drive way no lift.i have pulled rwd trannys out before but never with a transfer case..
Is it typically done together or does the tranny get unbolted from the transfer case first than removed?
guess i should post in transmision forum.
Chris

 

Done together , but w/tranny jack - I tried to balence mine with my regular 2 toner.

It didn't work....