couple questions on car work (Rack & Pinion, thermostat, & intake manifold)
06-13-2013, 04:23 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: north dakota
Posts: 92
couple questions on car work (Rack & Pinion, thermostat, & intake manifold)
ok guys i took my car to the dealership today to get it checked out and there were 3 problems found
1. The power steering rack is leaking, the rep told me that this cant be fixed and the rack and pinion system needs to be replaced.
Labor-490$/parts- 404$ total-952$
2. The lower intake gaskets on the intake manifold are leaking and need to be replaced.
Labor-411$/parts-124$ Total-574$
3. The thermostat gasket is leaking and needs to be replaced.
Labor-102$/parts- 36$ Total-148$
So i just had a couple questions regarding the work involved and difficulty of doing these things myself.
1. Is the rack and pinion system hard to replace myself? Do you guys have any recommendations on where to get a new one (New or used?) or maybe a cobra one? upgrades?
2. I have heard of the intake manifolds cracking, but i think mine is just the gasket, so is this a tough job to accomplish?
3. Im pretty sure i can handle the thermostat replacement but i have never done it before.
do you guys recommend any place for parts or do you have any insight on some write ups on these jobs?
anything i could be upgrading or replacing also while i am doing these things?
Edit: also would the intake manifold gasket be what is causing my white exhaust smoke?
any help is much appreciated
1. The power steering rack is leaking, the rep told me that this cant be fixed and the rack and pinion system needs to be replaced.
Labor-490$/parts- 404$ total-952$
2. The lower intake gaskets on the intake manifold are leaking and need to be replaced.
Labor-411$/parts-124$ Total-574$
3. The thermostat gasket is leaking and needs to be replaced.
Labor-102$/parts- 36$ Total-148$
So i just had a couple questions regarding the work involved and difficulty of doing these things myself.
1. Is the rack and pinion system hard to replace myself? Do you guys have any recommendations on where to get a new one (New or used?) or maybe a cobra one? upgrades?
2. I have heard of the intake manifolds cracking, but i think mine is just the gasket, so is this a tough job to accomplish?
3. Im pretty sure i can handle the thermostat replacement but i have never done it before.
do you guys recommend any place for parts or do you have any insight on some write ups on these jobs?
anything i could be upgrading or replacing also while i am doing these things?
Edit: also would the intake manifold gasket be what is causing my white exhaust smoke?
any help is much appreciated
Last edited by jjstandardz; 06-13-2013 at 05:29 PM.
06-13-2013, 06:06 PM
#2
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 574
Ok as far as the rack goes, yeah you kinda just have to swap them out.
That intake and thermostat job is ridiculous though considering #1 a thermostat gasket is $8 at autozone and #2 you have to remove the thermostat housing to remove the intake so double charging you is 100% BS.
Replacing the intake gasket is very easy to do if you have a basic knowledge of mechanics. Simply remove the air intake pipe and throttle body. Remove your COP's, bleed off the fuel rail pressure at the service fitting and disconnect the fuel line. Unplug everything and unbolt the manifold. Replace the gaskets (they even have tabs that stick into the heads so you can't put them on wrong) and replace them then put it all back together. Torque the bolts in the proper sequence and you're done. It sounds real easy and it definitely is. Be sure to inspect the manifold though to make certain that it isn't failing as well. They are notorious for leaking coolant where the aluminum crossover bolts to the plastic manifold.
Also yes a bad intake gasket will cause white smoke if it is broken near the coolant passages.
A quick edit: The gaskets both have holes for the coolant crossover that is on the front of the D/S head so when the P/S gasket goes on it will look funny. Don't worry Ford did that on purpose because people were mixing the gaskets up side to side so they updated the part and made one gasket for both sides.
That intake and thermostat job is ridiculous though considering #1 a thermostat gasket is $8 at autozone and #2 you have to remove the thermostat housing to remove the intake so double charging you is 100% BS.
Replacing the intake gasket is very easy to do if you have a basic knowledge of mechanics. Simply remove the air intake pipe and throttle body. Remove your COP's, bleed off the fuel rail pressure at the service fitting and disconnect the fuel line. Unplug everything and unbolt the manifold. Replace the gaskets (they even have tabs that stick into the heads so you can't put them on wrong) and replace them then put it all back together. Torque the bolts in the proper sequence and you're done. It sounds real easy and it definitely is. Be sure to inspect the manifold though to make certain that it isn't failing as well. They are notorious for leaking coolant where the aluminum crossover bolts to the plastic manifold.
Also yes a bad intake gasket will cause white smoke if it is broken near the coolant passages.
A quick edit: The gaskets both have holes for the coolant crossover that is on the front of the D/S head so when the P/S gasket goes on it will look funny. Don't worry Ford did that on purpose because people were mixing the gaskets up side to side so they updated the part and made one gasket for both sides.
Last edited by Stevo86; 06-13-2013 at 06:08 PM.
06-13-2013, 06:34 PM
#3
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: north dakota
Posts: 92
Ok as far as the rack goes, yeah you kinda just have to swap them out.
That intake and thermostat job is ridiculous though considering #1 a thermostat gasket is $8 at autozone and #2 you have to remove the thermostat housing to remove the intake so double charging you is 100% BS.
Replacing the intake gasket is very easy to do if you have a basic knowledge of mechanics. Simply remove the air intake pipe and throttle body. Remove your COP's, bleed off the fuel rail pressure at the service fitting and disconnect the fuel line. Unplug everything and unbolt the manifold. Replace the gaskets (they even have tabs that stick into the heads so you can't put them on wrong) and replace them then put it all back together. Torque the bolts in the proper sequence and you're done. It sounds real easy and it definitely is. Be sure to inspect the manifold though to make certain that it isn't failing as well. They are notorious for leaking coolant where the aluminum crossover bolts to the plastic manifold.
Also yes a bad intake gasket will cause white smoke if it is broken near the coolant passages.
A quick edit: The gaskets both have holes for the coolant crossover that is on the front of the D/S head so when the P/S gasket goes on it will look funny. Don't worry Ford did that on purpose because people were mixing the gaskets up side to side so they updated the part and made one gasket for both sides.
That intake and thermostat job is ridiculous though considering #1 a thermostat gasket is $8 at autozone and #2 you have to remove the thermostat housing to remove the intake so double charging you is 100% BS.
Replacing the intake gasket is very easy to do if you have a basic knowledge of mechanics. Simply remove the air intake pipe and throttle body. Remove your COP's, bleed off the fuel rail pressure at the service fitting and disconnect the fuel line. Unplug everything and unbolt the manifold. Replace the gaskets (they even have tabs that stick into the heads so you can't put them on wrong) and replace them then put it all back together. Torque the bolts in the proper sequence and you're done. It sounds real easy and it definitely is. Be sure to inspect the manifold though to make certain that it isn't failing as well. They are notorious for leaking coolant where the aluminum crossover bolts to the plastic manifold.
Also yes a bad intake gasket will cause white smoke if it is broken near the coolant passages.
A quick edit: The gaskets both have holes for the coolant crossover that is on the front of the D/S head so when the P/S gasket goes on it will look funny. Don't worry Ford did that on purpose because people were mixing the gaskets up side to side so they updated the part and made one gasket for both sides.
so your thinking the rack and pinion might be a better option to get done by a shop?
also ive heard of people upgrading to a 180 degree thermostat, should i do this while i have it out? what are the benefits of a lower temp thermostat, just having more control?
i read a little bit about replacing the intake manifold gaskets and i understand there is upper and lower gaskets? the lower ones are the ones that sit underneath the intake manifold? I also read that you can just disconnect the fuel injectors and bend the fuel rail over to the side thus avoiding disconnecting it, have you tried this?
do you guys have any recommendations on where to get parts and if i should just buy the rack and pinion new?
thanks for the great info it helps a ton!
06-13-2013, 07:29 PM
#4
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 574
The rack is also not all that hard to do really, just count the threads showing on the tie rods so you can get them close. Either way you will need to have the alignment checked. The ball joints are a PITA though.
You can just bend the fuel rail up but it can get in the way sometimes so I just usually leave it on the manifold and pull the whole thing off as one piece. Plus if you disconnect the rail instead of the injectors you only have one spot that will leak fuel instead of 8 and it really is less work. If you disconnect the fuel injectors you should still bleed off the pressure to avoid spraying fuel everywhere. Both ways have pros and cons. You will need to buy the disconnect tools but they're cheap.
The upper intake gasket on a mod motor is just the gasket between the plenum (the intake elbow) and the manifold. You don't need to remove the plenum though so don't even worry about it.
A 180* T-stat will let the engine run a little cooler than the stock one. If you live in a hot climate it can be beneficial in keeping the heads and therefore your intake air a little cooler.
You can just bend the fuel rail up but it can get in the way sometimes so I just usually leave it on the manifold and pull the whole thing off as one piece. Plus if you disconnect the rail instead of the injectors you only have one spot that will leak fuel instead of 8 and it really is less work. If you disconnect the fuel injectors you should still bleed off the pressure to avoid spraying fuel everywhere. Both ways have pros and cons. You will need to buy the disconnect tools but they're cheap.
The upper intake gasket on a mod motor is just the gasket between the plenum (the intake elbow) and the manifold. You don't need to remove the plenum though so don't even worry about it.
A 180* T-stat will let the engine run a little cooler than the stock one. If you live in a hot climate it can be beneficial in keeping the heads and therefore your intake air a little cooler.
06-13-2013, 07:37 PM
#5
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: north dakota
Posts: 92
The rack is also not all that hard to do really, just count the threads showing on the tie rods so you can get them close. Either way you will need to have the alignment checked. The ball joints are a PITA though.
You can just bend the fuel rail up but it can get in the way sometimes so I just usually leave it on the manifold and pull the whole thing off as one piece. Plus if you disconnect the rail instead of the injectors you only have one spot that will leak fuel instead of 8 and it really is less work. If you disconnect the fuel injectors you should still bleed off the pressure to avoid spraying fuel everywhere. Both ways have pros and cons. You will need to buy the disconnect tools but they're cheap.
The upper intake gasket on a mod motor is just the gasket between the plenum (the intake elbow) and the manifold. You don't need to remove the plenum though so don't even worry about it.
A 180* T-stat will let the engine run a little cooler than the stock one. If you live in a hot climate it can be beneficial in keeping the heads and therefore your intake air a little cooler.
You can just bend the fuel rail up but it can get in the way sometimes so I just usually leave it on the manifold and pull the whole thing off as one piece. Plus if you disconnect the rail instead of the injectors you only have one spot that will leak fuel instead of 8 and it really is less work. If you disconnect the fuel injectors you should still bleed off the pressure to avoid spraying fuel everywhere. Both ways have pros and cons. You will need to buy the disconnect tools but they're cheap.
The upper intake gasket on a mod motor is just the gasket between the plenum (the intake elbow) and the manifold. You don't need to remove the plenum though so don't even worry about it.
A 180* T-stat will let the engine run a little cooler than the stock one. If you live in a hot climate it can be beneficial in keeping the heads and therefore your intake air a little cooler.
should i buy oem gaskets from ford? or would a company like napa/oreillys have quality parts?
06-13-2013, 07:43 PM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 574
For those I like the OE, they're definitely more expensive but there is also more material on them which in my mind makes them better. Fel-Pro makes a set but I have honestly never used them. I know that I have personally re-used the factory gaskets on a 150k mile rebuild so for the most part they outlast the manifold.
06-14-2013, 05:02 AM
#7
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: north dakota
Posts: 92
For those I like the OE, they're definitely more expensive but there is also more material on them which in my mind makes them better. Fel-Pro makes a set but I have honestly never used them. I know that I have personally re-used the factory gaskets on a 150k mile rebuild so for the most part they outlast the manifold.
i ordered the ford gaskets
im thinking about just keeping the stock thermostat because i live in north dakota and i currentl have 1 more winter to drive my mustang before i graduate and can get a new DD
I also need to start looking for a rack and pinion
what do you guys think about this? Theres not to many junk yards around here, should these be oem to or would i be ok getting a different brand?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
92 5.0stang
5.0L (1979-1995) Mustang
4
08-13-2015 06:46 AM
Milan Dragway
Members Rides and Car Show Section
0
08-12-2015 03:43 PM
