Right now my concern is that I see a bit of coolant pooling on the intake manifold, between the intakes for cylinders 2 and 3. I also see that there is a bolt with a u-shaped loop threaded into the manifold around that spot and I wonder what it’s for.
Could it be for some type of thermostat? I don’t see a sender wire from it. I am wondering if the coolant could be leaking from there. Is there a coolant passage within the intake at all?
For more clarity, here's a pic from Midwest Bayless of the oem equipment in isolation:
What is the purpose for the removable hex bolt (item #1). What can be put in there in its stead?
What is the purpose for the passage (item #2?)
Excuse my oily engine. I *know* it’s not clean, and I’ll get around to replacing gaskets and having surfaces planed at a machine shop to stop the oil leaks at some point – maybe next winter. Right now I just want to get it out, drive it around for a bit and see what really needs attention before getting deeper into the engine. I’ll perform a leak down test once I buy the gauges later this week as cylinder #1 is reading lower than the others.
In the meantime, the mechanic is going to pressure test the cooling system but I’m still wondering what’s around that might cause the coolant to pool there. I didn’t see any hoses right there that would drip onto that area, but I really don’t know the engine well enough since it’s not yet in my garage.
I looked at the oil on the dipstick and there’s no evidence of coolant in it so I think that would rule out a head gasket leak.
Thanks for any input!
