I have a coolant leak from the water crossover tube. I purchased gaskets, removed alternator and other obstructions to get a good view of the tube. I started to remove the tube and found it too difficult to reach one of the bolts (passenger side rear that is removed from underneath). I'm no mechanic, but it appears that the intake manifold will need to be removed to replace these gaskets. Does anyone know if this is the case and if there are other considerations to completing this project.

Any help is appreciated.

 

I think you are referring to the bypass heater tube that runs under the intake manifold? If so then the gaskets you mention would be "O" rings? I would remove the intake manifold to remove the two bolts that secure the tube at the rear of the passengerside cyl head. Then you can slide the tube off and replace the O rings. There is another way to fix this leak that jbrew and others here use. It involves using a short piece of heater hose (instead of O rings)and two hose clamps to make the connection with the nipple that protrudes from the water pump housing. When reattaching the tube at the rear of the cyl head you only need to use one bolt. Ford actually ommited the second bolt on later models. Its a tight spot back there and will save you a few minutes. good luck.

 

Did you ever get this fixed? If so what did you use for gaskets?

 

I doubt he's going to back anytime soon buddy lol. From what I recall, there isn't a separate gasket for the cross over, - at least I didn't see one in the parts explosion/ list. (?) - I've searched for one before and all I could find is the intake to head gaskets and the throttle body (elbow) to intake gasket.

No O-rings or gaskets were listed separately for the crossover and I've never had one apart from those models. So, I can't say for sure or why they wouldn't list one, -if that's the case.

 

I THINK he is talking about the metal crossover which does bolt to the plastic on the intake. The bolts are from the underside... and There are a few that I think would be hard to get at without the intake off. I'm not sure if there is a gasket between the plastic and metal... I assume so- Just saw those bolt when I was cleaning my intake.

 

I wish someone would post to confirm either way. Like I said, I show nothing in exploded view. There's one for the throttle body(elbow) to plastic manifold, thermostat housing (says optional, but the T-Stat O-ring is necessary), and intakes(intake to heads). Maybe it's like a plastic recessed edge where the crossover and manifold come together ? Not sure, no crossover on my 5.4L lol.

 

I have this same leak I am trying to repair. My intake looks like this:



The leak is between the plastic and the metal on the passenger side. I also tried unsuccessfully to remove just the metal crossover. There does not appear to be a separate gasket that I can find. My intent was to remove it and use coolant sealant specific silicone gasket maker.

Does anybody have any ideas?

 

Yea, there isn't a repair for that. Replace Manifold. I know of someone with an 03 they'll part with, - actually I know of two people that have one on the shelf.

 

Mine is leaking on the thermostat side, got to be another way besides buying a whole intake!

 

That would depend where it's leaking on that side. If the manifold is cracked, your screwed. Doesn't really matter what side. Now there is such a thing as "Plastic Welding",- if your curious enough , you could look into that. I'm not familiar enough with it myself.

If you need a replacement, go for the 99 (F150 ONLY) or 03 manifolds, if you can find one. The 99's are Aluminum, the 03's are composite, but supposedly, Ford upgraded the composite formulation (it's stronger). I don't have data confirming that, but have heard about it here and there.

 

 

Do tell. Please PM me the details.

I effected a "get me to work Monday" repair with gobs of silicone outside the leak but that will not hold for long.

 

Will do, -If it begins to leak again (which it most likely will) and to temporarily keep mobile, use Lacquer thinner and remove the silicone. This has to be done dry, - that should be possible. After the silicone is removed, -emery cloth it or sand paper, - a wire wheel may work, rough it up/score/ wipe it down again with lacquer thinner. Purchase Permatex two part plastic epoxy ($5.99), -not the clear, it's more of a light brown or beige colored product , the clear with Blue lettering isn't as good. I've used this stuff as a permanent fix for plastic hot water steamer parts, - it works. I just wouldn't trust it as permanent for your manifold, but it's probably the best you can do for now. They sell this stuff at all third party parts suppliers. You only have 5 minutes to apply once it's mixed and what ever you do when messing with this stuff, wear plastic gloves or you'll need a bench grinder to remove it from your fingers lol. I'll PM yuh about the manifolds.

 

BTW - I do have data about the updated plastic intakes.

Data forward ~Ford/Customer class action lawsuits/alleged that the coolant crossover passage of these intake manifolds may crack.

End Result for part -

Starting with the 2002 model year, and implemented halfway through the 2001 lineup, Ford began using a revised DuPont Zytel nylon-composite intake manifold with an aluminum front coolant crossover that corrected the issue. Replacement intakes were also made available for 1996–2001 engines.

 

Great tip. I'll give it a try. I won't be able to take on a manifold for at least a couple of weeks.