Grand marquise thoughts /help

Ok guys I know there is some P71 love on this list and thought I would ask you guys a few questions .

1997 Grand marquise 4.6 V8 about 68K miles

Mystery coolant loss , this has been going on since mid summer with out as much as a drop of coolant hitting the ground.The car has been using coolant about 1 gallon every 8-10 days ,The coolant system has been checked and pressure tested four times and nothing has been found. I have been told the intake may be leaking into the intake runner and consuming the coolant

I did some looking on the net and found a notice for this car from Ford, checked the number on the intake and they did not match will Ford replace the intake for this? (If this is the cause )

Another thing the car has a first start hard start (long crank time) I have never seen this. I have been told by the driver (Grandmother) this has been getting worse and worse over the last six weeks or so. Any thoughts? Leaking F.I or maybe a bad check valve in the fuel pump?

Today I installed an coil pack and spark plug for a very random cylinder #1 miss fire

Any thoughts ?

Thanks Paul B

yes on intake leakage.

yes on fuel pump.

Head gasket/intake gasket opening up once the engine warms up. A full gaooon every 8-10 days? The long cranking time, to me sounds like you're getting coolant pooling into a cylinder or two.

Do a compression check with the engine hot. Loosen plugs ahead of time, though, to make it easier to remove them and not damage the plug threads.

These cars are prone to the plastic intake manifold cracking due to the alternator mounting to it. There is and upgrade/replacement that adds a metal bracket and replacement manifold. It needs done as soon as you notice or the front cylinders will lockup and then you are replacing the engine.

Crack between the number one and coolant crossover. Its a easy DIY'er repair, be sure to clean your EGR port on the inside of the plenum when its all apart.

admc58 wrote: These cars are prone to the plastic intake manifold cracking due to the alternator mounting to it. There is and upgrade/replacement that adds a metal bracket and replacement manifold. It needs done as soon as you notice or the front cylinders will lockup and then you are replacing the engine.

Not on a 97, this part was for 98 and up.