intake manifold gasket question

[bad.shimmy]

on the top of the lower intake manifold there are the six intake port and then there are 2 wierd looking oval shaped holes. so i was wondering what these are? i was having bad mileage and rough idle hesitation and all that. so i though i put on the gasket backwards or something. as it is acting like i had a leak at the intake.

so if anyone knows what these ports are and if they would cause an issue i would appreciate it. if they wouldnt have made a issue. im not sure where to go from here. checked for codes koeo and koer no codes from either even while it barely runs. i'm wondering if something is stuck in a lifter or something maybe. as i just changed the valve cover gaskets recently and i scraped lots of nastiness out of the cover and rock arms.

welp that's my issue thanks all

 

[Willard]

i don't think it's even possible to put the gasket on backwards...i know mine would only go on one way. and could you take pics of what you are talking about? i can't seem to recall any two oval holes.

 

[bad.shimmy]

wierd

after looking at them closer it looks like they just go straight through

heres the pic
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc295/badshimmmy/untitled.jpg

 

[Maniak]

you are correct, those holes just go through.. nothing to worry about.

~Mark

 

[Jack Flash]

sounds like you have a vacuum hose that's not attached. be sure the hose on the fuel regulator (right front of intake) is on and tight. mine did a little backfire and blew that hose off...lol.

make sure all the vacuum hoses on the vacuum tree (some call it the octupus) are attached and TIGHT. if they slip on too easily, they aren't sealing ! plus they can slip off easily !

 

[bad.shimmy]

crap

i wonder what to check next. any ideas? even if i take the valve covers off what do i look for? the x shakes violently, especially when it's really cold. i figured it was a miss or something. but it's not a computer problem or a vacuum leak i checked that. im wondering if the lifter's are hydraulic and if they sucked some of the nastiness from when i scraped the 2 inch thick gunk of the valve cover.

whatcha think?

thanks again all

 

[bad.shimmy]

hmmmmm

well i had all vacuum lines hooked up perfect checked em against the pics i took of it before i changed the valve covers. and for the fpr the vacuum line was hooked up i unhooked it and it smelled like gas pretty bad. im wondering if the fpr is going or gone and just dumping fuel. as the mileage got way worse. just not sure how changing the valve covers would cause this. oh and i forgot to mention we changed the valve covers as they were leaking bad and i figured i could clean em out and the rockers and hopefully it would quiet the ticks. but it didnt

thanks all
j

 

[MrShorty]

i unhooked it and it smelled like gas pretty bad. im wondering if the fpr is going or gone and just dumping fuel.

That potentially sounds like a bad FPR. One of the FPR's failure modes is for the diaphragm that separates fuel from engine vacuum to rupture. This allows the FPR to dump unmetered fuel into the intake which essentially "floods" the engine. If you put a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail, will it hold pressure when the pump is off? With the pump running (ground the fuel pump test lead in the self-test connector) and the vacuum line unhooked, do you get fuel coming out of the FPR?

 

[bad.shimmy]

aha

sounds like we are getting somewhere. only problem is i dont have a gauge. to check it with. is there any way to check the fpr with a vacuum gauge. if i unhook the vacuum line should it be able to hold vacuum or no? i imagined it would hold but im not sure. i tried to put one pump from my vacuum pump and it wouldnt hold so i tried a few more pumps and no dice. the more i did that the more it stunk like gas
.

thanks all

 

[Maniak]

If you hook up a vacuum gauge (the kind you pump) to the FPR and it won't hold a vacuum then the PFR diaphram is toast..


If you have Harbor Freight out there, you can pick up a Fuel Injection Pump tester (FPR tester) for < $15..

Actually, its on sale now.. print this page and take it with you.. (assuming you have a HFT near you) and you can get it for < $8.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Category.taf?CategoryID=455&pricetype=

`Mark

 

[bad.shimmy]

i figured

well that is some good news finally. it wont hold any vacuum at all. so that's why it's sucking so much gas. and dumping that kind of fuel into the motor would make it lug and chug like crazy. wooohoooo

i dunno when i'll be able to buy a new regulator but ill be all over that as soon as i can. and i'll let everyone know.

thanks so much everyone.

p.s. anyone have any idea on the best place to buy a fpr. i hate to be cheap but im gonna have to go with the cheap one right now.

 

[philcons]

The FPR is $100 or so at rockauto.com

 

[bad.shimmy]

stupid question

just to be 100 percent clear on this. upon trying to pull vacuum on an installed fpr if you cant hold any kind of vacuum the diaphragm inside is fried and the fpr is definitely bad.

sorry to ask stupid questions i just wanna make sure that the consensus is as i wrote above.


thanks for being patient and all your help i love my explorer and wanna keep her on the road

j

 

[philcons]

Like MANIAK said "If you hook up a vacuum gauge (the kind you pump) to the FPR and it won't hold a vacuum then the PFR diaphram is toast.. "

 

[bad.shimmy]

geniousity

haahha


congrats buddy
j