do intakes crack???

sendeth

Registered User
i know this sounds easy, but i have put my thermostat housing on like 8 times and it still pours coolant out. it over heated recently. could the intake have cracked??? i plan to take it apart again and look, but i haven't seen anything. i just didn't know if they ever crack from overheating. also, a bolt broke off when i took it apart the first time. i drilled the left bolt hole, tapped it, and put heli coils in. i put silicone sround all the holes, but it still leaks. any ideas???
 
Doubtful that the manifold is cracked.

You are probably getting the wrong thermostat housing gasket. Both NAPA and Autozone kept giving me the 3.8 NA gasket (close but not correct) and I couldn't get it to seal no matter what I did.

Get the correct gasket from Ford...then use Permatex waterpump/thermostat sealer on both sides of the gasket (comes in a small gray tube). While you have it off, check the surface of the stamped metal housing and make sure it isn't bent. Sometimes the thermostat will fall out of position and when you tighten the housing it bends. Once you bend it, it's not going to seal.

David
 
Check the housing surface!

My XR7 had the same problem. Check the T/S housing side that goes against the gasket. I used the good FelPro gasket and it still leaked. After looking at the T/S housing I noticed the bolt holes were dimpled toward the gasket. What this does is cause the T/S housing to spread the gasket and bottom out on the manifold giving the impression the T/S housing is tight. Take your T/S housing and put it on a flat surface. Take a hammer and tap the housing around the bolt holes until they are flat with the rest of the T/S housing. Get a new FelPro gasket and put a little RTV gasket sealer on it. Then install the T/S houising and torque the two bolts to the proper value. That should do the trick!

Hope this helps!

Ed Springer

90 Black XR7 5-speed: 70mm TB, Fresh Air Intake, '94 Supercharger, 5% SC Pulley, Raised SC Top, I/C Fan, Under-drive Pulleys, 190 l/h Fuel Pump, 36# Injectors, Headers, Magnaflow Muffler (no cats) with stock resonators, 3:27 Gears, Ripper Shifter, 73mm CL MAF (Blue Tube), Magnacore Wires, NGK Iridium Plugs, Royal Purple Lubricants and Rear Spring Air Bags.

94 Red SC Auto: 70mm TB, Fresh Air Intake, Stock 90 SC Pulley, Raised SC Top, I/C Fan, 190 l/h Fuel Pump, 38# Injectors, Headers, Raven Muffler (no cats) with stock resonators, 3:73 Gears, 76mm CL MAF (Gold Tube), Magnacore Wires, NGK Iridium Plugs, Royal Purple Lubricants, TRANSGO Shift Kit, Pro-Torque 2500 Stall TC, Haydon Auxiliary Transmission Cooler, Tokico Struts & Shocks, American Racing 17” Sniper Wheels, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Tires and 235 RWHP with 315 LB-FT Torque.
 
bent

actually i had both problems on the first one. i bought another. i was wondering how it could have gotten bent. never occurred to me. the new piece is flat and the bolt holes are ok. i'll double check the gasket. you're probably right. the guys at the parts stores near me aren't to bright. or just really lazy.
 
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