Melted air intake at throttle body

[RedExpy]

I couldn't find a thread about this so figure I would post. Anyone ever have this happen?? Admittedly, the Expy had been make a noise or two and i didn't find anything earlier.. it looks like it got VERY hot right in front of the throttle body...... ideas why???? Will post pics as soon as I figure out how...

thanks guys

 

[FordandPolaris]

Hmm that is interesting. So the intake tube melted, or the very front of the TB melted? What size motor?

 

[RedExpy]

4.6L literally right in front of the aluminum intake hole, where it attaches with a clamp... trying to post pictures...

 

[RedExpy]

pics of melted spot... interesting

lets see if they transferred...

 

[FordandPolaris]

I bet you had something with the EGR get funky. Like the EGR valve stuck open or something. It is supposed to recirculate exhaust gasses for emissions purposes. However exhaust gasses are hot, so it would make sense that if something were to stick open, it could easily melt the plastic. That is just my guess, and could totally be off. I will say I haven't seen that one pop on the site before.

It also could have been some type of electrical issue. Any CEL before the incident?

I will have to go and look at where the EGR enters the intake on my truck tomorrow. Different motor but should be a similar location. I think the EGR is the piece on the right side of the melted part in your picture. If you want to know for sure, it is the metal tube that comes off of one of the manifolds. I want to say it is the driver, but I could be wrong. It goes straight up from the manifold to the top of the motor though, so it is hard to miss.

 

[RedExpy]

i think that I found it.... it appears that the alternator overheated and began to melt something (aka EVERYTHING).. the wires at the the back of that alt (re-manufactured) are toasted... that blows our trip outta the water...

so.... the alt is an easy fix... some of the wires.. :/.....not so sure about that...

cars.... next to flies or gnats.. the bane of our existence. Nice rig btw... like the wheels/tire combo.....

 

[toms89]

That's scary!! Looks like you had the beginnings of an engine fire with everything in the photo that's burned.

Lucky there was either not enough O2 or fuel (oil, etc...) to sustain it.

That's a good argument for keeping your engine clean.

 

[BakerEdition]

Here my thoughts, Tom is on the right track with the alternator...Ford has a problem with the two wire or three wire plug on the top of the alternator...it get corrosion in the plug and on the connections and then one wire will short out and the other wire has to take all the load...the end result is a small fire if caught in time.... which looks like what happened to you....I had bought a F-150 for $500.00 that had this happen but that fire got a little hotter. I went to the junk yard and found a donor vehicle and start gettin parts. Alternator, wire harness, look at the wire to make sure no discoloration or corrosion, I have pasted a link below if you want to get a brand new 240 amp alternator for 165.00 I have bought a couple from this guy for different vehicle and just bought one for my Expy....you have a pretty easy fix if you are mechanically inclined...just check all your wires..when you go to the junk yard and you find a donor vehicle....take pictures before you take it apart and as you remove parts....this will help putting yours back together.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/13093183749...em=&sspagename=ADME:X:RTQ:MOTORS:1123&vxp=mtr

 

[Canadian Expy]

Yep your Alt did some damage, just make sure you check every wire around the area so it don't do again.

Shouldn't take long to fix though just a few hours, and a junk yard for donor parts.

Good time to do a CAI.

 

[215Expedition]

What are the pros and cons of a High amp alt?

 

[Bowesmobile]

What are the pros and cons of a High amp alt?

I dont know that there's really a downside to a higher amp alternator. Maybe a little more drag on your engine to spin the heavier amperage load? Bt it is completely offset by the gains of always having power to charge your battery, run lights and any other accessory you may have. If mine goes out again. I will replace it with one of the higher amperage units!

 

[toms89]

The amperage an alternator is putting out at any given time is based on the electrical load. If you current alternator was keeping up with the load there is no benefit to having a higher amperage unit. Can't really think of any negatives though other than maybe cost.

A higher amperage alternator obviously has more capacity and would leave you with more room to grow in the future if you do add high powered amps, lights, power inverter, etc.... But in that case you will likely have to replace the cables with larger ones to handle the additional load.

A more immediate benefit of a higher amp alternator is it will have more capacity at idle where the stock one may be much closer to its limit.

 

[BakerEdition]

Yep, What Tom said.......

 

[215Expedition]

Cool, I had

 

[215Expedition]

I had to replace mine with a reman a few years ago and now if I roll the windows up of down with the lights on at night the headlight get dim.

 

[capitlj]

My first thought from that picture was the alternator. Glad to see I was headed in the right direction lol. That's some pretty serious heat to melt like that.