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HUGE EFI issue - coolant leak

HoosierDaddy

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May 29, 2006
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Went to add coolant to the EFI conversion , getting ready to fire her up ya know , and coolant starts running from the intake/head/block area up front both sides I believe.

Can't describe how I feel after all this work this weekend .....disappointed to say the least.

Any ideas here? 96 explorer intake and 69 block and heads. I used the 96 explorer intake gaskets , just checked the box , fel-pros. Thanks.
 
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Itsa67

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Jan 26, 2006
Messages
446
It wasn't coming out of the thermostat housing and migrating left/right was it? Could you see it coming out at the sides of the intake? Was this a running engine that you just added the EFI stuff to or was it a complete overhaul? Tell us a little bit more and we will try to help as much as possible.
 

Itsa67

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Jan 26, 2006
Messages
446
Yea, alot of people don't like the end gaskets and bypass them altogether in favor of rtv. I have always had good luck with the felpro gaskets but I put black rtv around all the water ports and I put a thin coating on the end gaskets (the cork ones) with a more liberal amount at the end joints. Just work at it methodically at put the rtv where you intuitively know water/oil will try to sneak through. You must also be careful to set the intake straight down onto the engine without moving the gaskets around to much or you once again risk a leak. Hope this helps at least a little bit.
 
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HoosierDaddy

HoosierDaddy

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I normally do not use the end seals either , RTV instead , but i saw these new silicon ones and thought they may work better , now I see that they do not compress enough for some of us and the water passages will not seal.
You should have seen the coolant come out of there .... might as well as been niagra falls. You'd think you could see a gap there , but there isn't one.
I guess it is not as big a job as it felt like when I first saw that water running. Just seems like climbing Everest since I thought I was about an hour from starting the EFI up for the first time.
You can bet I'll be doing some serious clearance checking this time around.
 

Itsa67

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Jan 26, 2006
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Don't feel bad. Upon first startup of the new motor in my Mustang it blew off the oil filter o-ring and proceeded to push an oil galley plug out of the front of the block. I think the oil bypass valve got stuck or something...boy was I disappointed to find a galley plug in my oil pan...I still haven't brought myself to pull the engine and go back through it...and the damn machine shop that built it has long since moved away so no warranty work for me. Oh well, live and learn they say. Good luck with the Bronco, I'm sure things will turn out better this time around.
 

Ryans71

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Jun 24, 2001
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It may have to do with using intake gaskets from the EFI heads vs. using intake gaskets for a non efi heads. I think the water port sizes are different and can cause leaks. I think ford changed the water port size somewhere in the 80's. May be worth checking out.

After reading your 1st post, the problem is intake gaskets. Try a set of intake gaskets for your '69 motor, that should work.

Ryan.
 

la77

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Aug 5, 2004
Messages
487
Loc.
Alexandria LA
had the same problem instaliing efi on tigernutz bronco. early heads and efi water ports were different. had to use early style manifold gaskets to get it to seal.
 

bronko69er

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Renton, WA
It may have to do with using intake gaskets from the EFI heads vs. using intake gaskets for a non efi heads. I think the water port sizes are different and can cause leaks. I think ford changed the water port size somewhere in the 80's. May be worth checking out.

After reading your 1st post, the problem is intake gaskets. Try a set of intake gaskets for your '69 motor, that should work.

Ryan.

X2, I had the same problem, '69 gaskets seal fine.

Be sure to drain any water from the oil (luck for me I hadn't changed my oil yet) and pull the spark plugs for the first few cranks. I had at least a quart of water in my oil pan and some in cylinders 1,4,5,8.
 

wpaeb

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Clarion ,PA
When I converted my brothers '77 302 to EFI I had a leak at the rear intake/head area. To fix I put old style (matched engine) intake gaskets on with a very light wipe of rtv on the water passages. Has held up for 3 years. Also have overheaded it several times and blown the radiator cap. Still no leaks there.
Change intake gaskets and you'll be running soon.
 

iwlbcnu

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Nov 1, 2001
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3,341
End seal gaskets are for oil only, intake gaskets for cooling. As stated above, 2 differnet passages, early and late.
 
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HoosierDaddy

HoosierDaddy

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End seal gaskets are for oil only, intake gaskets for cooling. As stated above, 2 differnet passages, early and late.

Correct , but if the end seals do not crush enough , it will hold the intake up and the head/intake mating surfaces will not meet because they are on different planes than the ends. Simular situation to having the heads shaved , it throws all the geometry off by a few thousanths here and there.

Thanks for all the input everyone and thanks for letting me vent.
So the felpro 1250 should be what I need ?
 

bronko69er

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Correct , but if the end seals do not crush enough , it will hold the intake up and the head/intake mating surfaces will not meet because they are on different planes than the ends. Simular situation to having the heads shaved , it throws all the geometry off by a few thousanths here and there.

Thanks for all the input everyone and thanks for letting me vent.
So the felpro 1250 should be what I need ?

Not sure on that number....
This is what I used.
http://www.partsamerica.com/Product...L&MfrPartNumber=MS901031&PartType=102&PTSet=A
Except I substitute the cork stips for a bead of RTV.
 

YellowBronc

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Jan 6, 2002
Messages
1,830
Another problem could be what I run into. It's with the late model gasket set compared to the early model gaskets. I ran into this problem twice, once with putting the edelbrock intake on and when I upgraded to EFI. I did the same thing and had problems. The heads are cast different from late model heads at the water passages. If you use the gaskets with the large passage, you'll probably leak between the head and intake. I took pictures of the two different gaskets so you might be able to see what I'm jabbering about.
 

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YellowBronc

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To add to my last post.............

To better let you know where mine leaked, look at picture 4. At the water passage there is not enough gasket to create a good seal in the upper left corner. The casting of the head prevented it. When I used the other gasket (Picture 3) it sealed better for me.
 
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HoosierDaddy

HoosierDaddy

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Yellowbronc , yep , thats exactly what I found this evening when I stripped it down. The water port on the 96 gaskets is so big that it actually runs off the head because of a minor change in the castings from early to late. In other words , there is a small hole to the outside from the water passage.
On the old style gaskets , the bead on the gasket runs into the water port , so you are relying on the rest of the gasket plus any rtv to fill in the difference.

Bronco69er , That is the only gasket that was available to me tonight locally , I couldn't find the 1250's in stock anywhere. I used some of the "greatstuff" or whatever it's called that is highly praised around here to help out. We'll see how it works here in a couple of days when I can get back to it. For now , it is reassembled up to the lower once again. Letting it set up really well before adding coolant , hope it helps.
 

YellowBronc

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What made me mad is when I found mine it would only leak AFTER I started the engine. It wouldn't leak when I would first fill it. Go figure!

Glad ya go it figured out
 
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HoosierDaddy

HoosierDaddy

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Boy does that "greatstuff" set up nice and tight. Won't get a chance to work on it till Thurs. night.
Gosh , how many times did you have to tear it down before it was fixed?
I'm filling it up before I go any further this time , that and draining the brand new oil and leaving the plug out till I'm satisfied.
 

fordtrucks4ever

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Correct , but if the end seals do not crush enough , it will hold the intake up and the head/intake mating surfaces will not meet because they are on different planes than the ends. Simular situation to having the heads shaved , it throws all the geometry off by a few thousanths here and there.

Thanks for all the input everyone and thanks for letting me vent.
So the felpro 1250 should be what I need ?


The end seals will split if compressed too much. They will not be the cause for any water leaks.
 
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HoosierDaddy

HoosierDaddy

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FT4E , my second post today saying I do not know this as fact , I am not a mechanic , this(above) is how it was explained to me by a mechanic friend of mine a long time ago and in a few other threads here.
Since I have the same sig as yours on my email :) , I'll not pursue this any further.
 
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