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help with intake manifold leak

M

mitsumotors

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Winnipeg
I have been having some problems with my xj since i bought it about a year ago. today i was doing some investigating and found that while the engine is running, if i spray wd40 on one area of the intake manifold right near the back of the engine where the gasket is, the jeep boggs down slightly. so there we have it.... I have a leak. my question is this - can any of the following problems which i have be caused by this leak?

- code 51(lean fuel mixture)
- extremely poor gas mileage(like 8-10mpg on highway)
- high idle after driving for extended amounts of time
- really low vac while driving at highway speeds(if i try to accellerate in 4th gear(aw4) the vac drops to zero)
- loss of hvac control while driving against the wind on the highway with low vac

also, i tried spraying wd40 on this spot with the engine cold and no leak but when the engine is warm it leaks.
 
someone told me that there was a special glue for patching manifolds with? it does sound kinda sketchy though but the only reason i asked is because although i could probably change the gasket myself, i've recently hurt my back pretty bad at work and would rather not do any major work on the jeep for a while. i guess i could pay someone to change it for me but i'm not sure if that would cost alot?
 
It's like $10 for the intake/exhaust gasket set. If it were me, I would take this time to replace the gasket and flush the coolant while I was at it.
 
how many hours do you think it would take a proffessional mechenic to replace the gasket? its just the intake gasket that has to be replaced? or the exhuast gasket too?
 
mitsumotors said:
how many hours do you think it would take a proffessional mechenic to replace the gasket? its just the intake gasket that has to be replaced? or the exhuast gasket too?
Click to expand...

First off, I wasn't thinking correctly when I mentioned the coolant flush. I was thinking that coolant ran through the intake (which would require draining the coolant to remove the intake).

As for the gasket, it looks like the intake & exhaust gasket is 1 peice (based on the images I saw on the parts stores websites). That would require removing both intake & exhaust to change. I've never done it, but from the looks it doesn't look hard. It looks much less hard than replacing the intake manifold on my Grand Marquis.

Lastly, depending on where you are or how much you look. You may be able to find a mechanic that will do it really cheaply. Also, depending on your local area, you may find a local jeeper who is willing to attend a wrenching party and help you out (for a small fee of usually pizza & beer).
 
It is only one combined gasket. At least one of the bolts at the back is a bitch to get to. It's hard enough that most people recommend leaving the manifolds on when removing the head (for valve job, etc.).
 
here is a pic of the area that i was spraying wd40 on.
IMG_1617.jpg

you can kinda see the gap. there is not any missing gasket material like i thought there was. so when i spray the wd40 on the manifold side of the gasket where the gap is, the engine boggs down. but it only happens once the engine is nice and warm. can anyone make any sense of this with the picture?
 
i'm assuming that it has been like this for at least a year. i will replace the gasket but what are the chances that i have done serious damage?
 
if i'm taking the manifold off to do the gasket maybe i'll stick a 99 manifold on. is there much involved? and what kind of gains can be expected from this?
 
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