I thought I had a leaking manifold gasket on my 98 F150, 4.6. The problem is worse, but still trying to find answers to what the deal.

It turns out the outer wall on the water passage under the thermostat is very thin a cracked. It was patched with epoxy before I bought the truck and the epoxy cracked. Just cleaning the epoxy off turned the crack into a hole. Has anyone else had a problem with thin casting?

FelPro packages a gasket that does not work on my heads. The head has alignment holes on the upper side of the intake openings while the gaskets pins are on the lower side, next to the block.

What's the deal with these pins and my heads? Does anyone know what FelPro part number I need?

 

Check out this thread. It was the first I'd ever heard of it but apparently it does happen.

Good luck.

 

LE PEW: Thanks for connection to the thread. That is exactly what happened to my head.

I called FoMoCo about the possibility of a bad casting. They want me to take it to a dealership, the closest is 45mi and over a mtn. I will either need to load it on a trailer or pay a tow truck, Even after they inspect it there is no guarantee that they would do anything to fix it. I don't mind gambling, but I like to think I have a chance of winning.

I was planning on using some epoxy putty (Quick Steel) because it can be pushed through the hole and molded on each side. I have taken a Dremel tool and sanded both sides.

Now if I can find out which FelPro gasket will fit those heads. Thanks again. Found this site when looking up information for this repair. Glad I did.