99 explorer intake gasket replacement

[kycycles]

99 explorer intake gasket replacement, still having some hard starts

i finally decided to replace the gaskets.

i have a 99 6cyl push rod

the intake is off. the rubber portion of the gasket is pretty rough. it looks as if the rear coolant port on the driver side should be closed by the gasket(is this correct) ??

i pulled the plugs. the front and rear on the driver side and the middle and rear on the pass side were wet(not with oil but i assume coolant)

i am certain the intake gasket was causing all my starting problems and misfires, but i just want a little re-assurance from you guys.

let me know your thoughts

thanks in advance

 

[gonenuke]

Just changed my gaskets this morning but it was a SOHC. Sorry that I cant help.

 

[kycycles]

ok so i got the gasket in(the old one was def shot) its been a few days. no engine light yet, but i still am getting a start that is a little less than smooth. the gasket has definitly made a difference, but what else could be causing the rough start? fuel pressure at the rail is 65psi

 

[kycycles]

almost 1000 miles later, still no engine light. and i gained a mile or two per gallon on the gas milleage.

that is the good news. the bad news......i still have hard starts(sometimes) when it does not want to start, i have to press the gas pedal to the floor to get it to start. it will run rough for a few seconds and then its fine. This problem is not consistent so i cannot pin point one particular issue that may be causing this problem.

every time i check my fuel pressure, it is at 65 psi.

anyone have any thoughts???

 

[Dono]

Hows your coolant reservoir? Is it emptying its self?
The reason I ask is that you might still be sucking coolant in to your motor at a slow rate (Either intake gaskets, head gasket, or cracked head).

Lets start by finding out if you are still loosing coolant before jumping co conclusions.

 

[kycycles]

i cant tell if i am loosing coolant yet.

there has been a couple times that coolant has shot out of my radiator cap. i assume the cap is bad.

i do not have any signs of coolant in my oil(fyi)

 

[kycycles]

on a side note, even before i changed the gasket, my reservoir never went dry.

 

[Dono]

on a side note, even before i changed the gasket, my reservoir never went dry.

Did it never go dry because you kept adding coolant to it?

If that reservoir tank is not emptying, then you are not loosing coolant.
If your motor isn't sucking coolant, then we need to start looking elsewhere for the start up stumble. That's probably a very good thing.

 

[kycycles]

i always added coolant to the radiator, but the res never emptied. the truck was def consuming coolant before. my plugs were wet , and fouled out all the time and the gasket was shot. the truck runs great now other than the starting problem. but witout an engine light, i can only guess

i am going to start keeping my fuel pressure tester with me so i an monitor the fuel pressure randomly.

is it possible that the fuel pump is working part time

 

[Dono]

It just seems odd the issue is only on start up. If it were the fuel pump, I don't think the issue would only be startup if it was fuel pump.

It could be almost anything. Idle control valve? Who knows. Just try to find out if your motor is still consuming coolant.

 

[kycycles]

It just seems odd the issue is only on start up. If it were the fuel pump, I don't think the issue would only be startup if it was fuel pump.

It could be almost anything. Idle control valve? Who knows. Just try to find out if your motor is still consuming coolant.

if it were something like the idle control valve, wouldn't that trigger an engine light?

i checked the line to the reservoir to make sure it was not clogged. i will go buy a new radiator cap tomorrow to see if that keeps my radiator from blowing coolant out of the top.

 

[kycycles]

i parked the truck facing down hill last night and this morning i could not get it to start and the battery went dead. the truck was trying to hit, but it just wound not run.

i dont know if the hill had anything to do with it, but in the past it seemed to help when i rolled the truck down to a level surface.

anyway, i rolled the truck down to a flat area, i got the jumper cables on it and it finally started.

still no engine light, and the truck still runs great otherwise.

is it possible that a weak battery could be causing me problems?

 

[Dono]

No, battery sounds fine.
Im not sure what to say.

 

[kycycles]

if it means anything...i unplugged the idle air control valve while the truck was running...the truck idled down and died.

is there any other way to test this piece?

 

[kycycles]

urghhh i parked the truck in my shop overnight.

i came in this monring and tried top crank, it hit but did not start. i pulled the plugs and every one except the middle plug on the drive side is wet. The also kind of smelled like gas, but i assume that is from me trying to start it.

i know that my gasket is set right, but i also know that i did not torque the manifold bolts to 12 as stated in the book. i torques them to about 8

i guess ill pull it back apart and retorque the manifold bolts and hope that fixes it.

any thoughts?

 

[Dono]

I think your on the right track.

It crossed my mind that fuel leaking in to your motor might cause this also.
Wow, not an easy thing to find.

 

[kycycles]

alright//got the upper manifold off...retorqued the lower manifold bolts. dried the plugs and put them back in. ill let the truck set till tomorrow and pull the plugs again and see what we have.

 

[kycycles]

i am just baffled that i have not gotten and engine light through all of this

 

[kycycles]

i am also wondering why i was not throwing steam or some kind of smoke out of my exhaust

 

[kycycles]

if i can fix this, i may sell this truck. anyone interested? it runs really good once it starts...