Hello Everyone,

I'm in the process of installing a 2004 4.6L in my 1997. I'm using my '97 harness and will be running Coil Packs and all other electronics will be '97.

I've run into one issue with the intake that has me stumped on what to do and it has to do with the Intake Manifold Tuning Valve.

The intakes are obviously different because of the PI heads on the '04. I've already had the modifications done to the upper manifold to accept sensors and such.
But the lower manifold doesn't have a hole for the Intake Manifold Tuning Valve. Apparently it was done away with sometime between 1997 and 2004.

So I'm left with two questions. What does the Intake Manifold Tuning Valve do and would it cause any problems if I were to just leave the connector disconnected?

Thank you to anyone who can help,

Doug

 

I'm not understanding something here.
Are you converting from a v6 to a v8?
There is no tuning on the intake runners of the v8 unless it's not a truck engine.
What are you doing about conversion from two ignition coil packs to individual coil paks?
Clear up some of these things for us.
I think you have more problems than you think, to work out.

 

ur better off with coil packa over COP setup. and the only 4.6 with the tuning valves is the 4.6 3v i think.

 

DDan1967,
I know what you are talking about. The 4.6 litr V8 had this in the lower manifold at least through 2001. When I installed the Allen kit there is no tuning valve on the intake. I took the tuning valve off the lower manifold, cut the fin off, plugged the harness into it and zip tied it out of the way. You have to hook up the wiring harness or you will get a check engine light.
I am not sure what changed in the later engines. I do know the 2001 intake still had the tuning valve. It is designed to increase velocity and thus torque at lower RPMs and open up for more HP in the upper RPM range.
Other then that, I can't advise you. Perhaps you can get a PI intake from a 2001. I would give you mine but I'm keeping just in case I go back to stock.
Good luck. I got mine here, very reasonable.
http://www.car-part.com/

 

The IMTV opens a divider that separates the two halves of the intake plenum. IIRC, in general, at low RPMs, you want the valve closed to separate the runners to maximize the runner length and generate more low end torque, and at high RPMs, you want it open to maximize flow. Not sure how the Fords are tuned specifically, or where the crossover is, but IIRC, that was the theory behind it, and the switch happened at like 3600RPMs.

As for retrofitting it to the newer 4.6, IMHO, it's not worth the effort. The intake on the '04 isn't designed to accommodate it.

 

Thank you everyone for the helpful answers. I think I'll be doing the same thing as WLF did and tie it out of the way.

To clarify what I am doing. I have a 1997 F150 with a 4.6 V8 and over 200,000 miles and started to get some knocking that isn't fuel related. I have a very low milage 2004 4.6 V8 from a F150, that I am installing as a replacement.

Since there are differences with the COPs and PI heads the following things need to be done so that the new engine will work with my old computer.

The intake needs the heater tube in front removed and converted to add a second sensor location on the coolant crossover. A heater tube needs to be installed in the rear of the intake. There is no place for the for mentioned IMTValve so it needs to be tied up out of the way.

The following from the old engine are reused. Wiring harness, several but not all sensors, Injectors and Fuel Rail, the throttle body and Upper intake elbow that the TB bolts to. The Coil packs with brakets and spark plug wires. The front cover doesn't need to be changed out as I was lead to believe. But a small modification with a die grinder and swaping a stud for one Coil braket from the old engine with a few washers as spacers. I was incorrect on that one. The stupid Power Steering Pump is mounted Higher on the '04 and two of the mount bolts are in the front cover. So for 2 freeking bolts I'm now changing out the front cover.

I'm not quiet done yet but I think I've addressed everything. I do intend to post a topic on the completed project with details of the changes when I'm done.

Thank you again for the information.

Doug

 

Wen I swapped my 4.6 for a 5.4 I had the IMRC valve to contend with. I bolted it to the Intake manifold and left it connected. Here is a pic.

JMC

 

I swapped a 2002 5.4 into my 97 4.6 that had a imtv and i just left it disconnected. no check engine light. also, i just used the heater pipe at the front of the intake and did not move it to the rear. my heater hose worked just fine

 

JMC

That is too funny / cool. I've already cut the fin off of mine, now I wish I hadn't.

Would be cool to rev the engine and watch the thing turn.

Doug

 

I have a video of it some where. At about 2600 rpm it moves.

JMC

 

DDan1967,
If you haven’t already figured something out for the two sensors that go into the heater cross over pipe in the front of the intake then this is what I did.

When I replaced the motor in my 97 I went with a PI block. My old engine had two sensors in the water jacket of the intake as it crossed over the front of the engine. The new engine only had one hole for a sensor. One of the sensors was for the ECU; the second one was for my dash temp gauge.

I took the dash temp gauge (the sensor closest to the passengers side) and ran it to a water jacket port on the rear driver’s side of the block. The block has a drain plug that is the same size and screws into the block. Remove this plug and screw the sensor in and it will work fine. My dash temp gauge read the same as when the sender was in the intake crossover pipe.
You can see the plug in this picture. In the center top of the picture you can see the freeze plug with a small brass drain plug next to it. I installed mine on the driver’s side. I had to unravel the wire harness on the passenger’s side to free the wire but it fit without splicing.

On your motor it will be just behind the motor mount on the driver’s side.
Hope this helps.

 

WLF
That is a good idea, that I'm sure someone else can use. I already had the mods done to my upper intake so I've got the sensors in the same places as original on my '97.

The 2004 upper intake is all aluminum again so it made the mods rather easy.

Doug

 

At low RPM the tuning valve reduces the volume of the intake passages. By reducing the volume the air velocity is increased which results in an increase in the air fuel mass that is drawn into the cylinders. This increases low end torque. Think of it like a garden hose when you twist the nozzle to get a stream the water velocity speeds up.
At high rpm the amount of time that the cylinder has to fill is reduced, by increasing the intake volume you are able to increase the mass of air fuel drawn into the cylinders. In both cases the engine is trying to optimize volumeteric efficiency.

High performance cam shafts accomplish this by increasing lift and duration which helps increase RPM and speed but usually at the expense of low end torque. The tuning valve is a good thing!