michael b
Active Member
I was told that I need a new intake--My 01 has the intake manifold that is prone to crack. They are wanting almost 800 to replace the upper & lower. Could I do this myself?
how hard is it to replace the intake(s)
- Thread starter michael b
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Just a lot of pluming is involved, It is not that hard, Just need to understand the basics of doing one...
Todd Z
Todd Z
Kevin Palmer
Well-Known Member
Are you changing it because it is "Prone" to crack or is it cracked. Almost sounds to me like they are not sure what your issue is and they are sort of guessing to eliminate the unknown issue...
Yardsale
Well-Known Member
I second that!
I've not heard of a cracked intake. Anyone else?
Kevin Palmer
Well-Known Member
Some of the early Tracs did have an issue. But rare. My point is, they did not "SAY" you have a cracked intake. They are simply suggesting it is prone to do so.
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- What engine do you have?
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- 2n Gen Owner
I think the shop told him it is cracked, But they are assuming this i believe...
There was 2 members IF i can remember that had cracked intakes, or the gasket between the 2 was bad..
Todd Z
There was 2 members IF i can remember that had cracked intakes, or the gasket between the 2 was bad..
Todd Z
Kevin Palmer
Well-Known Member
I have seen the gaskets fail fairly often myself. I would suggest letting another shop do a vacuum test on your Trac..
Josh Langel
Well-Known Member
I had my whole intake tube and box sitting my shed from my 2001... it was in excellent condition. If I find it, you can have it...
EddieS'04
In Memoriam 1950-2022
Mud Flap, I think he is talking about the upper plenum and lower intake, between the heads....
Josh Langel
Well-Known Member
Oh, gotcha!
Tonka Trac,
It's difficult for anyone to say how hard or easy it is for YOU to do anything?? For someone with a lot of engine experience, it may only be a two hour job, while a person with little or no engine experience may take several days and still have problems.
$800 may sound like a lot, but how much are they charging you for the parts and how much of that is labor? Remember, that if you do it, you will still need to buy the parts, so you have to judge whether you are willing to take on this job rather than pay?
I would be curious as to how they determined that your intake was cracked ?? The intakes are plastic and may have a different expansion/contraction rate when the engine heats and cools. That usually effects the gaskets before it will necessarily crack the intake.
The problem I have with many of these dealerships is that if you agree to pay for them to replace the intake is that the intake may not be cracked and may not even need to be replaced, maybe just the gaskets, but they will blindly replace the intake and charge you for it.
I would want more proof that it is actually cracked and they would have to have to show me where the old one was cracked. Even then, they might just wack it with a hammer before they bring it out to show you.
I would feel more confortable if they said that it "Might be" a cracked intake manifold or perhaps a leaking gasket. That would indicate that they will examine the manifold when it is removed and perhapes pressure test it for leaks and replace it only if they confirm it is leaking and not just a bad gasket.
It may only be a cracked vacuum hose which will give you the same symptoms as a cracked or leaking intake. Either way, there is a test with a small propane torch that will locate where the vacuum leak is fairly accurately. (within an inch or two). If you ST was still under warranty, I can assure you that Ford would not pay them to replace the intake manifold unless tests were done to rule out any other source of a vacuum leak.
Remember that the Dealers operate differently than most other repair shops. The Dealers charge a very high labor rate to discourage you from wanting to pay them for a lot of troubleshooting and diagnosing of problems. They would rather you pay to have the part replaced and they make the profit from the labor and the markup on the parts.
Most other shops charge less than half the labor rate that a Dealer charges and is more likely to diagnose the problem and fix it without replacing unneeded parts. But that is just a generality and does not apply to all Dealer or all independent shops.
...Rich
It's difficult for anyone to say how hard or easy it is for YOU to do anything?? For someone with a lot of engine experience, it may only be a two hour job, while a person with little or no engine experience may take several days and still have problems.
$800 may sound like a lot, but how much are they charging you for the parts and how much of that is labor? Remember, that if you do it, you will still need to buy the parts, so you have to judge whether you are willing to take on this job rather than pay?
I would be curious as to how they determined that your intake was cracked ?? The intakes are plastic and may have a different expansion/contraction rate when the engine heats and cools. That usually effects the gaskets before it will necessarily crack the intake.
The problem I have with many of these dealerships is that if you agree to pay for them to replace the intake is that the intake may not be cracked and may not even need to be replaced, maybe just the gaskets, but they will blindly replace the intake and charge you for it.
I would want more proof that it is actually cracked and they would have to have to show me where the old one was cracked. Even then, they might just wack it with a hammer before they bring it out to show you.
I would feel more confortable if they said that it "Might be" a cracked intake manifold or perhaps a leaking gasket. That would indicate that they will examine the manifold when it is removed and perhapes pressure test it for leaks and replace it only if they confirm it is leaking and not just a bad gasket.
It may only be a cracked vacuum hose which will give you the same symptoms as a cracked or leaking intake. Either way, there is a test with a small propane torch that will locate where the vacuum leak is fairly accurately. (within an inch or two). If you ST was still under warranty, I can assure you that Ford would not pay them to replace the intake manifold unless tests were done to rule out any other source of a vacuum leak.
Remember that the Dealers operate differently than most other repair shops. The Dealers charge a very high labor rate to discourage you from wanting to pay them for a lot of troubleshooting and diagnosing of problems. They would rather you pay to have the part replaced and they make the profit from the labor and the markup on the parts.
Most other shops charge less than half the labor rate that a Dealer charges and is more likely to diagnose the problem and fix it without replacing unneeded parts. But that is just a generality and does not apply to all Dealer or all independent shops.
...Rich
Dallas Starr
Well-Known Member
tonka... I have a whole air box and hose in my garage. 40.00 plus shipping and i can send you pics if you like... but you would have to wait until the weekend. or maybe its time to switch or a volant, Mac or KN Intake
Dallas
Dallas
Michael Cacioppo
Well-Known Member
If it really is cracked, try JB weld as a repair. May save you tons of time and money and is a very low cost repair if it works.
