Drove it. Parked it. I do smell coolant, but lecel is f8ne, an it isn't dripping. I left the truck on whrn I got home, and looked. Nothing was wet like those pictures I posted before.

I did buy a wifi endoscope to help. It is semi rigid, color, waterproof

 

Use that to look behind the alternator down in the valley under the intake manifold. See if you can see any coolant or residue. If the heater pipe is leaking at the back of the water pump it takes some time to fill the valley with coolant and start to overflow.

 

How much is some time? I drove it on saturday with no issues. Yesterday, tuesday, when i went to work, it was all wet and dripping again

 

It depends on how bad the leak is. The valley area will hold a decent amount of coolant.

Are you sure that is coolant and not condensation drip from the air conditioner? The drain is on the passenger side of the firewall, scroll down to post #13 in this thread to see its location.

 

I will double check it, but I am 99.99% sure it is a coolant leak, and not the ac drain. While I am not losing any coolant that I can tell from the reservoir, it is a pretty big puddle, and doesn't happen until it seems days after use. Also, I do know for sure there is coolant under the intake in the valley

 

Time to pull the intake and fix it.

 

Before I yank the intake, is that what it is? Is there a way I can verify other than just pulling it? I did just take out the fender flare, and wheelwell liner. Haha, good thing I am very familiar with that stuff, as I deal with it daily @ work on Teslas

 

look what I found!

 

so I can't figure out how this guy got that hose through there... my motor looks the same, with the big hunk of intake right above it, but I can't figure out how to get that hose in there, or how to cut it, and then bend part of it to put something else?

I am not against running it out the front..... I really don't want to pull the intake.....

 

 

I SWEAR TO GOODNESS THIS BETTER BE MY STUPID LEAK.......

anyways, since I can't figure out how the quick fix is supposed to happen...... I am going to do it the correct way. or more correct --- off comes this dang manifold


currently @ 9:40 per this video.... want to do more, but it is a pita.... my truck is sooooo high...... like Willie Nelson.....

 

The quick fix is easy. All you do is run a long heater hose under the intake and out the back. Connect it to the back of the water pump with a hose clamp. Then cut the heater hose coming out of the heater core and connect it to the new hose you ran under the intake. You use one of these and two hose clamps to connect the two hoses.

When I did the fix on my 1997 it had over 300k miles so new intake gaskets, spark plugs and a deep clean didn't hurt. I ended up using a pipe cutter to cut the end off the metal heater pipe under the intake and replaced that section with a small piece of heater hose and two clamps. Just like in the post from jbrew I linked earlier.

 

yeah, I can't figure out how to even get the hose back there, or get the line cut from the top, so out it is all coming, doesn't look like I am really too far away from doing it.... HA, this better be my stupid leak!

Good thing this isn't my primary vehicle

Do you guys think it is possible that I don't have a heater core issue? and that this leak is what I was smelling inside the cabin? where is the air intake for the ac/heater? I do feel that coolant hitting my exhuast while driving could make that smell, and then get into my fan intake

 

So, I was doing some searching, and have found the F150 intake is plastic, and there are no metal replacements.... BUT have heard the e150 has a metal intake?!

can I use the e150?

 

what brand intake gasket should I get? trying to get all the parts together before I rip into things even more