03 Explorer V8 total coolant loss during acceleration!

[mateusz1122]

I need help! I had some minor coolant loss on my 03 Explorer V8, so I replaced the intake manifold about 2 weeks ago. Some coolant got into the engine so I parked it and changed the oil today when I got back from a trip. After, I took it for a drive. White smoke was coming out of the tailpipe. I gave it a bit of gas and then I heard a pop under the hood, and the belt started squeaking. I pulled over quickly and opened the hood. Coolant had sprayed everywhere in the engine bay and the degas bottle was empty. Luckily I was pretty close to home, so I limped it home watching the gage. It didn't overheat.

Tomorrow I'll be looking thru what happened. I'm speculating that the Rock Auto intake failed, or one of the gaskets blew. Has anyone seen this before?

 

[LMHmedchem]

This is a fairly common issue with a replacement intake manifold. There is a plastic cap on the manifold the is held on with a spring clip. This port is used for some engines but is not used for the explorer engine. Companies like Dorman make parts that fit a variety of vehicles and there can be features that are not used on every vehicle. Since the port is not used for this engine it is just capped off. This system is very poorly designed and it is common for the cap to come off. A screw plug would have been a much better choice then a spring clip, especially since this issue has been known for years. I don't know what brand you used but I am guessing the issue exists with many brands. I can see the same cap and clip on pictures from other brands as well.

If you go to this listing,

DORMAN 615175 Intake Manifold

and click the red arrow to move to the second image you will see the black cap a the top right corner of the manifold and also the spring clip that more or less holds it in place. The zoom feature will help to show it. Some folks have better luck with a worm gear clamp then the spring clip. Hopefully you can find the cap.

There are several threads here about this issue and some other owners will likely report the solutions they have tried. As long as you didn't drive it too far then the only issue is that you have lost your coolant.

LMHmedchem

 

[mateusz1122]

Yes! That was exactly the issue... I fixed it up.


However, it seems I still may have a leak. I keep smelling coolant, even after I washed off the engine bay and underside of the car. Yesterday I saw a medium size puddle of coolant under the back of the engine just past the front axle. I've already put 3gal of Ford Gold into the degas bottle but the level keeps dropping significantly after a drive. Oil is clean, so it's not getting in, but it's definitely losing coolant somewhere

 

[LMHmedchem]

You are probably just going to have to idle and look carefully with a flashlight while it's running. You should be able to follow the trail of leaking fluid from where it is collecting under the truck to where is is leaking from.

If you still can't find it, you can get a UV coolant dye leak detector additive to put in your coolant. With that additive, you can use a UV flashlight to light up traces of the leaked coolant.

What did you use to secure the cap over the unused manifold port?

LMHmedchem

 

[mateusz1122]

You are probably just going to have to idle and look carefully with a flashlight while it's running. You should be able to follow the trail of leaking fluid from where it is collecting under the truck to where is is leaking from.

If you still can't find it, you can get a UV coolant dye leak detector additive to put in your coolant. With that additive, you can use a UV flashlight to light up traces of the leaked coolant.

What did you use to secure the cap over the unused manifold port?

LMHmedchem

I am trying to attach an image but it's not working....

I used a coolant hose and plug from McMaster.

 

[mateusz1122]

I am trying to attach an image but it's not working....

I used a coolant hose and plug from McMaster.

 

[mateusz1122]

Welp I found my issue... Rear psgr corner of the NEW intake is gushing coolant. Defective part or the gasket is blown. Now I get to redo the entire job again. Plus there's coolant in the oil so that's wonderful...

 

[LMHmedchem]

I would probably contact rockauto customer service at service@rockauto.com and tell them that the part failed immediately after installation and you either need to return it for replacement or get a new set of gaskets. I just don't like the individual gaskets used by these aftermerket manifolds. I much prefer the OE style of gasket but I don't know if you can use the OE style with the available aftermarket manifolds.

If someone knows the answer to that it would be helpful information.

You might ask rockauto about that as well and get a set of Mahle or Fel-Pro gaskets if they would work.

Don't forget to check if there is oil in your coolant as well. It doesn't seem like there should be much cross contamination but you will have to evaluate and decide if you need do do a cleaning of the coolant system or not. This can be done with dish soap as well as coolant cleaning products from the auto parts store. I don't think a very small amount of coolant in you oil is a big issue but that side can be cleaned as well if you oil got milky.

LMHmedchem

 

[mateusz1122]

So I dug a bit deeper... Turns out O'Reilly's cut the wrong ID coolant hose for me when I asked for 5/8. They gave me 3/4. That explains why coolant was gushing past the worm clamp. There was no interference fit (min 1.5mm for best seal, according to some SAE/engineering design standards I follow at work) between the coolant hose and the nozzle. I decided to cap the nozzle off with the provided plug, and cinched it down with a worm clamp. No more leaks. Additionally, I found that the bolt in the left passenger corner, holding the intake down was about finger tight... Figures why I had a leak. Perfect storm. I'm not sure if I missed it, or it backed out a bit once everything heated up and expanded.. I re-torqued everything to 20 lb-ft just to be safe.

Filled with fresh coolant, took it for a spirited drive... No issues. Happy to put this BS behind me...

I would probably contact rockauto customer service at service@rockauto.com and tell them that the part failed immediately after installation and you either need to return it for replacement or get a new set of gaskets. I just don't like the individual gaskets used by these aftermerket manifolds. I much prefer the OE style of gasket but I don't know if you can use the OE style with the available aftermarket manifolds.

If someone knows the answer to that it would be helpful information.

You might ask rockauto about that as well and get a set of Mahle or Fel-Pro gaskets if they would work.

Don't forget to check if there is oil in your coolant as well. It doesn't seem like there should be much cross contamination but you will have to evaluate and decide if you need do do a cleaning of the coolant system or not. This can be done with dish soap as well as coolant cleaning products from the auto parts store. I don't think a very small amount of coolant in you oil is a big issue but that side can be cleaned as well if you oil got milky.

LMHmedchem

 

[fordysenior]

cap the nozzle off with the provided plug, and cinched it down with a worm clamp.

If you're talking about the provided plug given with the purchase of the part, they are very weak. Mine lasted two years before it blew apart. So I bought a replacement part at an auto parts store -- it also lasted about 2 years. And of course, they blow when you're out driving around. I switched to a section of actual heater hose a few years ago and have had no trouble since then.

 

[LMHmedchem]

Additionally, I found that the bolt in the left passenger corner, holding the intake down was about finger tight... Figures why I had a leak. Perfect storm. I'm not sure if I missed it, or it backed out a bit once everything heated up and expanded.. I re-torqued everything to 20 lb-ft just to be safe.

The combination of aluminum engine block + grade 8 steel bolts + vibration + corrosion generally means that bolts just can't hold as tightly as when they were new. It helps to replace the bolts but I always use either blue or orange threadlocker when I re-install a bolt. I typically use blue on the engine and orange for suspension parts. The threadlocker fills in little gaps caused by wear and helps to keep the bolt secure. At the least, you should re-torque the bolts after a few thermal cycles.

You also might want to change your oil at some point soon, especially if it's due in the near future.

If you're talking about the provided plug given with the purchase of the part, they are very weak. Mine lasted two years before it blew apart. So I bought a replacement part at an auto parts store -- it also lasted about 2 years. And of course, they blow when you're out driving around. I switched to a section of actual heater hose a few years ago and have had no trouble since then.

I always thought that the best solution would be to thread the port and install a brass or high temp delrin plug with a high temp thread sealant. Some of this depends on luck with the ID of the port. If the port is close to the size of a standard NPT female fitting then it would probably be straightforward. You could also thread the outside of the port and use a cap. Again, that would depend on the OD.

This is what the manufacturer should have done in the first place instead of this idiotic cap and clip. Seriously, how hard would it have been for them to thread the port and include a threaded cap? It's not like this problem just appeared last week, yet all of these manufactures keep rolling out the same garbage and the retailers keep selling it with no caution and warning on the listing.

LMHmedchem

 

[mountaineer2004]

Dorman 4.6l intake coolant leak

I was going to add this to another post, but there were multiple. I've added a few posts below as reference where you can find this discussed and the fixes others implemented. (I'm sure there are more which I've not included.) This needs to be done on both the 615-175 and 615-775 Dorman...

www.explorerforum.com

^ this may help...thanks @Number4