I need to replace my lower intake gasket

[Curt]

My lower intake is leaking, and I need to replace the gasket. Can anyone tell me if this job is difficult? It seems pretty straight forward from what I have seen in the manual. What about fuel lines? Do they need to be de-pressurized?

Also how do I know if I have a VIN E, or VIN X model? I see these definitions in my manual, but I don't know what I have.

 

[simmons1]

Have you tried tighten the intake bolts yet? This fixed the leak in my mom's X and greatly reduced the pinging. loose lower intake bolts is a common problem in early Xs.

As for the vin code, you should be able to look at the code at the base of the windshield to see if the vin # ends with an X or an E. Not sure it this codes apply to the first gen explorers. Could be wrong, though.

Scott

 

[mrboyle]

Its not that dificult of a job. I did one last week and it took me less than 4 hours. Remember that while your in there you will need to remove the valve covers, so don't forget to get a set of gaskets.

Just FYI, weither you do decide to do the job yourself or have it done, get your new intake gasket from Ford. They have redesigned it and it looks like it should work a lot better than the origional. I wouldn't recomend their valve cover gaskets though. They are over priced and don't look like they will seal well.