hidden coolant leak 97 gt

[bml]

I have water/coolant shooting out. It seems to be coming from behind my alternator but I just can't tell foresure. I was driving it when it just started smokng.

I just bought the car 6 hours ago & now it is sitting in my garage not driveable . I will probably have to have it towed on Monday. It is a 1997GT converftible with only 32,500 miles on it. Beautiful. Approved via CarFax. Looks like it was just driven off the show room floor. Any suggestions/recomendations from a Mustang expert on what the problem might be would be appreciated by this novice car owner.

Thanks
Ben

[Orange97GTVert]

You have a crack in your plastic intake manifold. They ALL do it sooner or later. The front runner routes water/coolant across from one head to the other. I have replaced the intake on my 97 GT and on my 98 GT. The new replacement has a metal (aluminum, I think) runner on the front for the coolant. The replacement on my 97 was still all plastic, so I will probably get to replace it again some day.

Check with Ford, I believe there has been a recall on this. I replaced both of mine myself, it is a big job, not hard, but time consuming. If there has been a recall, Ford will fix it for you.

[bml]

[SIZE=2]Thanks for the reply Harold. I apreciate it. Iam hoping that ford has a recall on the intake so it will save me the money however I checked the ford recall and it said no recall on the intake. I am new to all this so your help is appreciated. BML

[Orange97GTVert]

Check with your local Ford dealer, these things crack all the time, they had mine in stock both times. We bought the intake for about $260. We set the new intake on a table and took attachments and bolts and stuff off the old one and put it in the right place on the new one. Then when the old piece was off, we transferred them back to the old one and reassembled piece by piece. It was not a hard job, but time consuming. The nice thing is now the replacement is FIXED with metal instead of plastic, so once you replace the intake you don't have to worry about it cracking again!

[explicitone]

Originally Posted by bml

I have water/coolant shooting out. It seems to be coming from behind my alternator but I just can't tell foresure. I was driving it when it just started smokng.

I just bought the car 6 hours ago & now it is sitting in my garage not driveable . I will probably have to have it towed on Monday. It is a 1997GT converftible with only 32,500 miles on it. Beautiful. Approved via CarFax. Looks like it was just driven off the show room floor. Any suggestions/recomendations from a Mustang expert on what the problem might be would be appreciated by this novice car owner.

Thanks
Ben

There was not A recall on the intakes there was a TSB , meaning that in a recall they are to get ahold of you to bring it in to be fixed. with a TSB if it breaks and you bring it in they will fix it.

The only problem I see Is I remember the TSB only lasting so long and with the car 7 going 8 years old they might not fix it. but if they dont it is a very easy job.

it will take maybe 1.5-2 hrs for a first timer after that maybe 1 hour