Gross Coolant Leak near radiator-engine inlet hose

[Vigilante]

No, not the water pump!

Just below where the upper radiator hose meets with the inlet attached to the engine, there is a seem where that ankle component is bolted on to the block. Just underneath that however, I have a small, invisible hole that is spewing out a gross amount of water. I have tried JB Weld as well as several other products and am just not getting the bond out of it that I really need to have. I heard from someone that with the Triton motors and their insane amount of engine shake, Ford sold an additive that was supposed to be added to coolant to prevent rust and to prevent from this sort of thing from happening. But isnt the block aluminum? Maybe I'm not remembering this correctly, lol.

But anyways, it does leak, and at a rather alarming rate. I carry 5 gals of water wherever I go. I can hear the system gargling through the lines to the heater core when the level gets a little too low. I have not over heated the car before or since the leak, and the head gasket seems to be intact as I am not seeing any water in the oil just yet.

What I am unable to identify clearly is if this component is apart of the intake manifold or if it is actually apart of the block. In other words, how fked am I on this one?

 

[driverman1]

Most likely the plastic intake manifiold is cracked. This happened to me at around 180,000 mi. I took my too the dealership after I diagnosed it and decided it was a bigger job than I wanted to tackle.

 

[Vigilante]

Its not on the plastic. I can see it spitting out of the aluminum just below the elbow that takes the radiator hose. Looking at the 4.6 straight on, its on the right side. Working on pics of it.

 

[Vigilante]

Well this is it. As you can see, it is just below the lip. Above, with the tab poking out, is the gasket for where the radiator inlet tube bolts to the engine.

I would appreciate any suggestions. I do not think that this is a job that can be tackled with a little JB weld.

 

[stamp11127]

Looks like the intake.

What type of coolant was used?

I would be concerned with the amount of "cancer" that is present in that part. If it ate through there, how bad is the rest of the aluminum in the engine?

If it proves out that it is the intake, there is another repair that should be done once the manifold is off. Change the metal coolant line the goes from the water pump to the back of the motor.

 

[Vigilante]

the last 70k miles have been Prestone with a 70/30 combination with distilled water. Because of this hole, I am very worried about the amount of corrosion that could be present elsewhere in the engine.

I have her parked in the garage now for the winter, but I am seriously wondering what the next real course of action should be. A small patch to fix this mess? Or all out replacement of the motor? It has almost 170k miles on it, so its not like it isn't due for a couple of things.

What I am curious about is can I weld it? If I do, do I run the risk of blocking the passageway for the coolant to run through? And if so, possibly cause more damage because of it?

 

[Stoned06]

If there is plenty of thickness around the hole, it can be welded. Having something as a removable backer inside the hole will prevent any buildup in the passage.

 

[Vigilante]

I can't get a measuring tool in there to check the thickness right now.

What if I weld it from the inside? Haven't had the oppurtunity to take a look at it, but if it is cylindrical on the inside and wide enough, I figure a quick little tap weld might be the right fix. And then maybe another from the outside?

 

[Vigilante]

ok, so I removed the thermostat housing and have some more bad news. In the picture here, just underneath the "play" button symbol, you will see more rotten out aluminum. As far as I can tell, that particular hole doesn't seem to do any damage as it just is an opening in the wall to another line for coolant to pass through (if I'm not mistaken). So it appears that the problem is still the hole that leaks to the outside of the engine.

As you can see in the pic though, the hole narrows after the thermostat making it much harder to weld from the inside, or to get some sort of backing plate in there to prevent any crud from getting in there and blocking the coolant flow.

These pics have been helpful to me to determine the real problem, but at the same time are still not that helpful in helping me determine what to do. I am concerned about the amount of corrosion that must exist elsewhere in the engine, that for sure is not good news. But does anyone else think that a little bit of welding can plug this hole? I don't need a lifetime repair, but something that is maybe 10k miles?

 

[districk81]

intake water leak please help

I have a 2000 EB and finally got it on the road yesterday. its been sitting for 2 years. i did a air to coil spring swap. it rides great the problem is the first time i stopped after about 25 miles i noticed smoke coming from the engine and then smelled engine coolant. after further inspection i found the leak it is in the very front of the engine on the left (passenger) side there on the intake it looks like the front part of it, its metal not plastic i think its aluminum, any way its the only part of the intake that is metal and its up there in the very front. The right hand side is were the thermostat is located then it goes back behind the the alternator and the alt is actually bolted to it then it goes over to the left hand side and underneath there is were it is spitting out water. the valley is full of water and the fan is blowing water all over every thing on the left hand side. its not real bad like i could still drive it i just stopped every 7 to 10 miles and added water. it never over heated and it never took more than about half a gallon to refill the reservoir. like i said its been sitting for about two years because of the suspension so i just got it and i've never had a ford before. when i first found the leak i was like what the h#$% were is the radiator cap. needless to say i never found it. lol!!! I've talked to a couple guys at some local shops and all tell me that these triton engines with the plastic intakes are notorious for cracking and springing leaks. i thought it was a gasket they said wishful thinking its probably cracked either way its gotta come off. it looks like a h$%R of a job. has anyone else ever had this problem and could they please give me some pointers on it. Also i heard dorman has a good replacement intake and not to buy some pos off of ebay b/c they're trash. im working with a really limited budget so can't i just go get one from a pick a part.

 

[districk81]

yea it was a cracked intake, I changed it myself it took me four hours