2001 5.4 2 Valve Intake Manifold / Valve Cover Gasket Job and Parts List

[Surfnski]

So I have this truck which has been giving me lean codes on both cylinder banks for months and I finally want to fix it. I looked all over for the obvious leaky vac hose or boot but found nothing. After doing a smoke test on the intake plenum it appeared to be puffing a little smoke from beneath where the intake manifold meets the head so I believe that may be the root of my problem (leaking intake gasket). Is it okay to reuse the plastic manifold and just replace the gaskets? I see a lot of threads on cracked plastic intakes but I don't believe mine is cracked as I didn't see any other leaks so I'd like to reuse it unless it's likely to have other issues that I'm not aware of.

While I have the intake off I want to go ahead and replace both valve cover gaskets as I noticed one was leaking I while I was doing a spark plug change a few months back. Should I expect to have problems disconnecting the lower EGR tube from the exhaust manifold on the driver side? It looks like this needs to come off to get the valve cover off. Truck has relatively low mileage for its age (136K / 2001) so I'm hopeful that penetrating spray and maybe some heat will help me get this off if required.

So in preparation to do this work I want to compile a parts list to make sure I have everything I need once I get started. Here's what I have so far, let me know if there's anything else I should be looking at while I'm in there.

Intake Manifold gaskets
Coolant crossover tube gaskets
Upper plenum to throttle assembly gasket
Thermostat and water neck gasket
Valve cover gaskets and bolt grommets
Spark plugs - Might as well replace them while I have it torn down. I have a Cal Van inset kit on hand should I come across any damaged plug threads.

 

[ExplorerTom]

The coolant crossover tube leak is not something you can repair with a new gasket- the plastic in the manifold breaks causing the leak. You can see the crack circled here:


And to be honest, if all you’re looking to do is replace the head to manifold gasket, that’s really all you need. I’ve never replaced the throttle body gasket. The intake manifold itself comes out as one big piece.

The valve covers aren’t too bad to remove. Removing the heater core hoses makes it easier to get the passenger side back on. But the fittings for those hoses can get extremely brittle. But good to find out now then a couple months from now.

 

[Surfnski]

The coolant crossover tube leak is not something you can repair with a new gasket- the plastic in the manifold breaks causing the leak. You can see the crack circled here:


And to be honest, if all you’re looking to do is replace the head to manifold gasket, that’s really all you need. I’ve never replaced the throttle body gasket. The intake manifold itself comes out as one big piece.

The valve covers aren’t too bad to remove. Removing the heater core hoses makes it easier to get the passenger side back on. But the fittings for those hoses can get extremely brittle. But good to find out now then a couple months from now.

Thanks for the reply but just to clarify- mine is leaking air in at an intake port, not leaking coolant as far as I can tell.

Is it advisable to replace the manifold anyway if it’s being removed?

 

[Surfnski]

After doing some more research I feel like it would be a good idea to go ahead and replace the intake manifold. Looks like OEM Ford is around 400 bucks ouch! Does anyone have anything to say good or bad about the aftermarket by dorman and others that I see on rock auto?

 

[ExplorerTom]

I installed a Dorman. Then 42k miles later I installed a Ford. My Dorman was crap. The gaskets that come with it don’t seem very substantial. Plus my Dorman was leaking from all over- the bolted connection for the coolant crossover tube, I guess I should have checked that those provided fasteners were tight instead of assuming they would be.

Plus the Dorman feels cheap compared to the Ford.

I got my Ford manifold on Amazon and I don’t remember it being $400.

 

[Surfnski]

I installed a Dorman. Then 42k miles later I installed a Ford. My Dorman was crap. The gaskets that come with it don’t seem very substantial. Plus my Dorman was leaking from all over- the bolted connection for the coolant crossover tube, I guess I should have checked that those provided fasteners were tight instead of assuming they would be.

Plus the Dorman feels cheap compared to the Ford.

I got my Ford manifold on Amazon and I don’t remember it being $400.

Thanks for your input. You scared me away from the aftermarket. I found a genuine Ford one on eBay for 225 shipped.

 

[1955moose]

Tom's right about the Dorman manifold. Shop around online, or have your dealer give a discount. But yeah go Ford on the intake. Have them put under a major auto repair shop. I used to do that all the time, usually about 20-30% off. Reusing the plastic manifold is such a gamble, especially since so many go bad after 175k. It's a big job, you don't want to do twice. The 99-03's are famous for oil leaking head gaskets. Don't know if your prepared to yank the heads too. My 2000, that's where the bulk of weeping is coming from. You might want to spray down area with carb clean and be sure.

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[Surfnski]

Tom's right about the Dorman manifold. Shop around online, or have your dealer give a discount. But yeah go Ford on the intake. Have them put under a major auto repair shop. I used to do that all the time, usually about 20-30% off. Reusing the plastic manifold is such a gamble, especially since so many go bad after 175k. It's a big job, you don't want to do twice. The 99-03's are famous for oil leaking head gaskets. Don't know if your prepared to yank the heads too. My 2000, that's where the bulk of weeping is coming from. You might want to spray down area with carb clean and be sure.

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Got it! Thanks for your recommendations. Genuine Ford manifold on order.

I’m definitely not prepared to pull the heads but I will give them a good cleaning while I have everything apart. I don’t have much in this vehicle and mainly just use it to tow my boat so I’m not going to sink a bunch of money into it. It runs pretty good minus the occasional rough idle on cold starts but the damn check engine light and lean codes have got to go.

 

[1955moose]

I hear you on pulling the heads. Not an easy job with motor installed. These first gens are strong motors, and with clean oil, and TLC, you could get as much as 400k on your engine. Be sure to torque the plastic manifold correct, easy to mess up if you don't. Keep us posted how it turns out.

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[Surfnski]

I hear you on pulling the heads. Not an easy job with motor installed. These first gens are strong motors, and with clean oil, and TLC, you could get as much as 400k on your engine. Be sure to torque the plastic manifold correct, easy to mess up if you don't. Keep us posted how it turns out.

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Yeah this is my second 1st gen expedition. I got close to 300k out of my first one and it was still running strong with original engine/trans when I retired it but everything was rusting out around the drivetrain. I picked this one up about a year ago. It’s pretty clean and has lower miles so hopefully I can get it right or right enough to serve me as a tow vehicle for a few more years.

I will absolutely follow proper torque specs/sequences on everything. I see a lot of unforgiving plastic and aluminum parts here, I could see there being problems with over tightening.

I will update the thread as it goes back together. I will probably shoot to tear it apart one day and reassemble the next as long as nothing goes wrong or I’m not missing any parts.

Thank you all for you guidance.