Coolant in the intake, Damn. | FerrariChat
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Coolant in the intake, Damn.

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by Futureman, Jun 13, 2010.

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  1. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #1 Futureman, Jun 13, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    All I wanted to do was replace the injectors. I took off the intake manifold to try and get the bushings out. I did an inspection of the valves since I had visual access. What a nice surprise. :)
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  2. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #2 Futureman, Jun 13, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  3. PV Dirk

    PV Dirk F1 Veteran

    Jul 26, 2009
    5,401
    Ahwatukee, AZ
    #3 PV Dirk, Jun 13, 2010
    I think when you weren't looking someone dribbled a bit in there as a practical joke. Just reseal the injectors and butter er up. A little bit of water in the intake will keep everything nice and clean too.
     
  4. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Nov 19, 2001
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    The Bad Guy
    #4 ernie, Jun 13, 2010
    OH MAN! That sucks.

    Well looks like your gonna have to pull the heads.
    Or put in some stop leak...........Hahahahahaha!!!!!! I kid, I kid, DO NOT use "stop leak", pull the heads.
     
  5. vincenzo

    vincenzo F1 Rookie

    Nov 2, 2003
    3,373
    #5 vincenzo, Jun 13, 2010
    if you do not suspect a cracked head - where did the coolant come from?

    i assume there are no coolant passages in the intake????
    Rgds,
    Vincenzo
     
  6. 2NA

    2NA F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 29, 2006
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    Tim Keseluk
    #6 2NA, Jun 13, 2010
    Pressure test the cooling system.
     
  7. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    29,272
    socal
    #7 fatbillybob, Jun 13, 2010
    which model car? Sometimes people change coolant hoses and drip coolant in the valley there and then when the manifold comes off coolant drips in. A little coolant is No harm no foul... I could have easily done that working on the 348's or 550 if I was a slob.
     
  8. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #8 Futureman, Jun 13, 2010
    '89 328. It's in both heads. I'm assuming head gaskets.
     
  9. Motob

    Motob Formula 3
    Professional Ferrari Technician

    Nov 11, 2003
    2,389
    Frederick, Maryland
    Full Name:
    Brian Brown
    #9 Motob, Jun 13, 2010
    How is coolant from a leaking head gasket going to end up in an intake passage? Clean the coolant out and pressure test the cooling system. I doubt that any coolant will end up in the intake passages, Leaking head gaskets either leak into the combustion chamber or down the side of the block or into the intake valley area.

    Brian Brown
    Patrick Ottis Co.
     
  10. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
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    Brian Crall
    #10 Rifledriver, Jun 14, 2010
    Like Brian said, not possible. Could be a cracked head, but both, leaking into more than one port each? Very long odds of that happening.


    Try diagnosing it first.
     
  11. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #11 Futureman, Jun 14, 2010
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2010
    Yep, I've been thinking about it all day and looking at the diagrams. Two cracked blocks seem to be long odds like you said, and I was scratching my head about the gasket thing too. There's a small coolant line on top beneath the air box that appears to have been leaking. So perhaps billybob was on to something.
     
  12. PV Dirk

    PV Dirk F1 Veteran

    Jul 26, 2009
    5,401
    Ahwatukee, AZ
    #12 PV Dirk, Jun 14, 2010
    I concur. It got dripped in there.
     
  13. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #13 Futureman, Jun 27, 2010
    So we did a pressure test of the coolant system and watched the intakes to see if any coolant leaked from the heads. Nope. The small coolant hose going from the crossover under the air box to the expansion tank had obviously been leaking and spraying some small amount of coolant under the air box. So we put everything back together, including the new injectors, and ran the car on some back roads with the engine cover off. My buddy sat in the passenger seat with a fire extinguisher in his lap watching to see if the newly installed injectors had any leaking. The car ran great. Throttle response is vastly improved. So I got it good and hot and now we are letting it cool off so that tomorrow we can pull the intake back off and check for coolant. I'm thinking it was the corroded union and hose that was spraying coolant under the air box. Obviously I've replaced both now and will replace the two short hoses coming off the water pump tomorrow.

    By the way, after replacing the injectors, the car runs so much better and I've not even attempted to mess with the mixture. Hopefully, I won't have to.
     
  14. ernie

    ernie Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #14 ernie, Jun 27, 2010
    Lucky duck!
     
  15. PV Dirk

    PV Dirk F1 Veteran

    Jul 26, 2009
    5,401
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    #15 PV Dirk, Jun 28, 2010
    Excellent news.
     
  16. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #16 Futureman, Jun 29, 2010
    Looks like I wasn't so lucky. There's still coolant in the intake. Gonna borrow a high quality pressure tester from friend at a local shop and try it again rather than the one we rigged up.
     
  17. INTMD8

    INTMD8 F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jun 10, 2007
    6,815
    Lake Villa IL
    #17 INTMD8, Jul 1, 2010
    This may sound a bit ridiculous but you're absolutely sure that it's coolant? In the pic you posted it looks like it may just be oil?
     
  18. Futureman

    Futureman Formula 3

    May 16, 2007
    2,024
    #18 Futureman, Jul 1, 2010
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2010
    It's coolant. It just doesn't show up as well in the picture.

    Interesting additional information. I put pressure on the system with a high quality pressure tester. It sat for an hour at 15 psi. No leakage observed and the gauge stayed steady at 15 psi.
     
  19. 335s

    335s Formula Junior

    Jan 17, 2007
    870
    SF Bay Area
    Full Name:
    T. Monma
    #19 335s, Jul 5, 2010
    As I recall...if you remove the intake manifolds and the gaskets(ugh, this is a nasty chore!), re-glue with a THIN coat of 3Bond RTV, and it ought to do it...

    It has bee YEARS since I did one of these..but if my senility is not so bad today, memory suffest that a small serpentine coolant passage exists at this parting line and is sealed by a gaske-it fills up with decayed aluminum and looks to be like "sand", which it isn't, clean all of this "gyrotisness" out and make sure you use an OEM gasket(or, you WILL do this again...which is WHY I am remebering this little peculiarity in the first place!)
     

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