intake gasket

[murphy59901]

I +recently had my "check engine" light come on and had it diagnosed as a foulty intake gasket or seal by a local independent shop. They said there was a tsa about this and that it needed to have the new part installed, approx. $400.00. I own a 2003 1/2 ton 6 cyl. has anyone else had this come up?

[kozal01]

A TSB for that issue doesn't ring a bell but $400 for an intake gasket R and R isn't unreasonable if it's not something you can do yourself. Just curious what codes was it showing?


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[Raptor05121]

Probabyl P0171 and/or P0174. The Essex V6s are notorious for vac leaks, especially if you have the ceramic intake with the plenum bolts. The gasket is ~$80 and its an easy DIY.

[murphy59901]

I belive that those are the codes. Thanks for the info. If it is a normal diy without requiring special tools $80.00 sounds a lot better than $400.00 .

[Raptor05121]

You want to determine where the vac leak is coming from. The 90-degree elbow below the intake mani is usually the first thing to dry rot, followed by the rubber boot on the PVC valve, and then the IMRC actuator lines running along the firewall. Get in the engine bay with it running and listen for any hissing. A can of carb cleaner, WD-40, anything flammable really, squirt it all around the engine and listen for idle fluctuation. If so, you found the source of the leak. If not, its most likely going to be the plenum isolator bolts.

[kozal01]

You want to determine where the vac leak is coming from. The 90-degree elbow below the intake mani is usually the first thing to dry rot, followed by the rubber boot on the PVC valve, and then the IMRC actuator lines running along the firewall. Get in the engine bay with it running and listen for any hissing. A can of carb cleaner, WD-40, anything flammable really, squirt it all around the engine and listen for idle fluctuation. If so, you found the source of the leak. If not, its most likely going to be the plenum isolator bolts.

This guys got the right idea, vac leaks can be a pain to track down sometimes but this test really does work.