1998 F-150
V6
193,000 km

The check engine lite comes on, I had a local Ford Dealer do a diagnostic on it. They state it is loosing vacuum from the "Port Seals" that are located on the engine, beneath the spark plugs. They want more money than I care to pay to fix it.

Has anyone ever done this procedure or have any other suggestions on a fix?

Thanks

 

Sorry Guy, I have a 2002 4.2 V6, I have never heard the term before. Just curious, what were the codes?

 

port what?...... As bill stated give us the codes and we can try to fix your port seals

 

Just a guess here, but possible they're referring to the seal between the LIM and the UIM? That would give you a vaccum leak, but I've never seen any seals underneath my spark plugs.

 

The seal they are referring to is not "under" the spark plug but beneath it in the overall configuration, as per the service tech I spoke with. I guess he could be blowing smoke up my @$$

The error code was P1537. Below is word for word what was written on the invoice.

"Code 1537 (Intake Manifold Runner Control - IMRC Stuck Open). After testing, found the IMRC rod plastic retainer clips at the back of the motor under the intake have broken off. The acutators seems to work find at the time of testing but the rods bind when it tries to move. Needs 4 plastic retainer clips but the upper intake needs to be removed for access. Recommend new IMRC retainer clips and port seals. Part # XR3Z*9H486*AA and F5RZ*9F955*AB. 3 hrs labor."

If anyone can supply a schematic of where these parts go on the engine I would appreciate. Also any recomendations/input on doing this myself is appreciated. I have no desire to spend the $800 dollars the dealer wants to do this.

Thanks

 

That's about $3.00 for the end bushings, $40.00 for the intake manifold gasked, and about 2 hours worth of work.

 

Hey Gone Postal,

Are the part #'s quoted the parts you state and have you done this or similar? Is there a location on the web where I can view where the parts go and the layers to be removed to get to them?

Thanks

 

Parts-RockAuto.com.

The IMRC bushings are a common part failure on this type of system. Ford Contour 2.5L v-6s have this as a common failure. I don't have a diagram of the engine, but it should be pretty straightforward. Just peel layers until you're looking at the LIM butterflies.

 

Not sure if this is related, but is a really good write up on the "fix" or one very similar to it. Although the code(s) are different than what you have. Hope it helps! Good luck. Pictures make me want to take mine apart just to see if it's that "dirty" and I can clean it!!! Even though I don't have any "codes" LOL

http://sites.google.com/site/fordf15...P0171P0174-Fix

 

Thanks for the update usmc...f150. That is the fix, and the details in that thread are great. The truck is now fixed and runs much better.

I am not sure how or what the protocol is for this site. I recommend the moderator place a link to the repair instructions with the pictures into the "How To" section of the site.

Thanks to all for the input!