1997 Ford Explorer 4WD V6-245 4.0L SOHC VIN E EFI -Cracked Upper Intake Manifold | Ford Explorer Forums
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1997 Ford Explorer 4WD V6-245 4.0L SOHC VIN E EFI -Cracked Upper Intake Manifold

J

jjlink

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City, State
SF Bay Area
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Ford Explorer 4WD V6
I have a cracked upper intake manifold which leaks air. The Ford part has been discontinued (F87Z9424BA) and does not appear to be available anywhere. Any ideas on a replacement part of a fix?

Thanks
 



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No luck on www.rockauto.com they only have the lower intake manifold (not the upper - plenum).
 






They are plastic, is there any way to get some epoxy in there or something?
 






Looks like Dorman makes an aftermarket lower but not an upper.

You could try a junkyard or ebay.

If it were mine, I'd probably just JB Weld it.
 






BubbaFL said:
Looks like Dorman makes an aftermarket lower but not an upper.

You could try a junkyard or ebay.

If it were mine, I'd probably just JB Weld it.
Click to expand...

get the damaged area good and clean, rough it up and, if you can easily get at the crack, you could also "V" it a bit with a Dremmil . then mix up some JB Weld and glop it on. just be sure to give it plenty of time to set up (at lease 12 hours). i've repaired some fairly amazing things with that stuff. it's a "hail-Mary" shot, but quick, easy and inexpensive to try. if that doesn't work, ebay or salvage yard would be your best bet.
 






Maybe check with member kbakiak he has helped many here. Remember 97 has the Variable Intake System VIS so you probably need one like that or do the repair. Also at the top of the Stock 2G page there is a parts thread. Ped5stang
 






OK, I just pulled out the upper intake manifold plenum. Doing a visual check I do not see any cracks on it. So the mechanic that told me that must have been guessing rather than actually looking at the part. The original symptoms were codes P0171 & P0174 Lean on banks 1 & 2. The real problem is it won't idle on a cold start (<60 degrees). On a cold morning at 41 degrees east of Yosemite I had to idle it by putting a stick on the accelerator peddle and keep it at 1500 rpm for about 13 minutes until the temp gauge was in the normal range. After that the car was fine for the trip back to the SF bay area (about 275 miles). It did not give the error codes until the other morning when it took it to the shop and did not really let it warm up since I wanted them to see what happens when it a cold start (no fast idle, & dies).

Is there any check I can do on the upper intake manifold plenum for leaks?

I'm thinking the gaskets look pretty good here. Don't let the bad picture fool you the front and back gaskets a all looking the same even though the picture makes the front gaskets look bad.
http://flic.kr/p/oxTVw6

There must be a leak somewhere.

Any thoughts on how to proceed?

Thanks
 






Intake o rings could be shot. Lowers too. They flatten out and harden. Very common repair. Also check vac hoses and IAC hoses.
 






If the upper intake isn't cracked, I bet upper/lower mani gaskets. I had the exact same codes on my '98 and changed both gasket sets and now she starts like a champ and idles right nice in dead of Texas winter at 35 degrees (sorry those in colder climes.)
Gasket kits are really cheap at RA. Remove/replace the gaskets is easy for the pros but I had to take my time and be meticulous about getting everything off and back on (back on correctly is the challenge.) It can be done by a non-pro tho.
 






Yes, I ordered new gaskets for the upper and lower from RA. I'm sure putting the upper intake manifold will take a while to make sure everything gets reconnected correctly. I haven't pulled the lower manifold yet; it looks to be easier (I hope).

Thanks for all the responses.
 






replace upper & lower manifold gaskets

I agree with others that you should replace the upper & lower intake manifold gaskets. They are cheap and you've already done half of the work. Check the EGR tube O ring. It also gets brittle from heat and often breaks when removing the upper intake manifold. Your engine has the variable intake system (VIS). Make sure the lever that controls the length of the intake runners moves freely. Make sure the link between the vacuum motor and the lever is connected. Make sure the vacuum hose from the vacuum regulator to the vacuum motor has no leaks. Be careful when starting the screws that hold down the manifolds. They are easily cross threaded and then will strip out the plastic.
 






Yes, I replaced the o-ring gaskets and that fixed the problem. The lower o-rings were obviously flattened out and leaking. Now the Explorer idles perfectly at a cold start up in cold temperatures.

I gave Bob's auto repair shop a bad review on Yelp for telling me that lie about the intake manifold being cracked. :thumbdwn:

Thanks for all the suggestions.
 






jjlink said:
Yes, I replaced the o-ring gaskets and that fixed the problem. The lower o-rings were obviously flattened out and leaking. Now the Explorer idles perfectly at a cold start up in cold temperatures.

I gave Bob's auto repair shop a bad review on Yelp for telling me that lie about the intake manifold being cracked. :thumbdwn:

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Click to expand...
Look calm down there.. They where giving you a general answer and would not more till they got it opened up... That's really unfare to them cause you cant ask them to tear you motor apart and find the problem for you to say put it back together and I will do it my self ...
 






Torqueranger said:
Look calm down there.. They where giving you a general answer and would not more till they got it opened up... That's really unfare to them cause you cant ask them to tear you motor apart and find the problem for you to say put it back together and I will do it my self ...
Click to expand...

They charged me $120 dollars for that guess. How much time do you think they spent on making that guess (5 minutes)?
That is not fair to the customer. I should have said show me the crack in the intake manifold before paying them.
 






jjlink said:
They charged me $120 dollars for that guess. How much time do you think they spent on making that guess (5 minutes)?
That is not fair to the customer. I should have said show me the crack in the intake manifold before paying them.
Click to expand...

You every work on a car for a living ???
 






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