Intake Manifold ‘Hot Spots’

[Anonymous]

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>Hi All! 

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>I have two Hot Spots on the intake manifold of my ’54 Monterey’s V8, one on each side of the manifold, on the centre ports, right by the carb.  

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>I wonder if this is the way it should be,  either to warm-up the choke spring or the  mixture in cold weather, but here in Greece the green engine paint on the manifold has been completelly burned-off.

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>I took some pics but have not figured out yet how to post them in our new forum.

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>Any ideas?

 

[Archie & Julie Ann Dunham]

Aris, I have a 1956 Ford Fairlane Victoria with a 312 V8 that has the same exact thing happening, It used to have the old tea pot carb and intake and I never had the problem BUT as soon as I upgraded to a 1957 Ford Intake and a Newer Model Holley Carb, I got the Hot Spots in the exact same place! I also would like to know why it happened??? Do you have an Upgraded Intake and Carb on your 54 Monterey or are yours Stock original???

[Anonymous]

Hi Archie,

This is what i have: 

The carb is the HOLLEY 2140,  EBY-9510-J-LIST -863-6 (or  G) and  I ‘m pretty sure it is the original ‘teapot’  for my ’54 Mercury’s V8.

On the Intake Manifold it’s more confusing. Mine is stamped  EBY-9425-D   3AJ. What about yours? If you kept the original manifold, what is the P/N on it? 

I also looked in my ’54-’55  Parts Catalogue and  on the Intake Manifold, there is only one listing: ”B5A-9425-D, Manifold (Intake) +ECB-9425-B”, BUT it is listed ONLY for the MC-1955 Mercury ! I could not find an Intake Manifold listing for my MB-1954 model.

I also looked up the  Intake Manifold to Cylinder Head Gaskets, where I  found two different P/N’s  for the ’54 and ’55 models:

EBY-9439-A, RH for the  MB-’54 model  and  B5A-9439-B, also RH for th MC-’55 model

and

EBY-9441-A, LH for the MB-’54 model and B5A-9441-B also LH for the MC-’55 model..

On my engine all four ports on each side that send mixture from the carb to the cylinders (marked 1 to    are fine, no discoloration. It is only the two middle ports that have the Hot Spots, and I now believe that are connected to the exhusts, to warm-up the manifold and the choke. But I am at a loss why they get so hot, especially since your original set up had no Hot Spots…..

Could it be that we both have the wrong gaskets in there, that allow too much exhaust going through?

Maybe someone more experienced can shed a light here?

 

[Anonymous]

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>OK, I did some searching and have confirmed that Ford’s Y-Block middle ports are indeed connected to the exhausts, to provide heat to the choke and carb. However I also read that besides the known  discoloration issue, this often results to cracked heads as well, especially in warmer climates! Anyone facing this problems?

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>One remedy I read about somewhere, was to improve water cooling in the area, by drilling holes on the block(?) and installing Fel-Pro’s improved head gaskets. Unfortunatelly I lost the link; has anyone heard on this? 

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>The other is to use Intake Manifold gaskets that have  those middle ports almost blocked , leaving a small opening only. I ended up finding in http://www.bestgasket.com ,  three gaskets for the 1954 Mercury, but I cant figure out the proper engine application. Anyway they have TWO gasket sets, P/N 14044 and P/N 14043, where the 14043 shows the middlle ports blocked.

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>Has anyone tried this? The question anyway is: if the discoloration issue is resolved with the blocked manifold gasket, will this bring more heat to the cylinder heads and make them crack more easily?

<p class=”MsoNormal” style=”margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;”>Here are Best Gasket’s three application links.

<p class=”MsoListParagraph” style=”text-indent: -18pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 90pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”>1.       http://www.bestgasket.com/engine_catalog_years.asp?YearsCID=1954 Merc 256, Truck 1954-55…….[572-3]

<p class=”MsoListParagraph” style=”text-indent: -18pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 90pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”>2.       http://www.bestgasket.com/engine_catalog_years.asp?YearsCID=1954E, 239 EBU…….[563]

<p class=”MsoListParagraph” style=”text-indent: -18pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 90pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;”>3.        http://www.bestgasket.com/engine_catalog_years.asp?YearsCID=1954L-55, 239 EBV…….[572-4]

[Jerry Robbin]

<div> One of our members Grumpy told me to respons with the following:</div>

<div>i have seen this on big cubic inch displacement Pontiac motor of

the mid to late ’60 and on Ford Y-blocks, also. It has to be caused, as

they are stating correctly, by the exhaust feed through the head to the

middle runners of both sides of the intake manifold to act as a heater

for the carburetor on cold mornings to prevent carburetor bore icing

up. These 2 ports could be total blocked, if someone wants to stop the

discoloration of those 2 runners of the intake manifold to keep it

looking “pretty” after a restoration, just by putting some small thin

(.020″) stainless steel plated at the area of the head to intake

manifold sealing surfaces and then put the new intake manifold gaskets

on top of them to keep them in place. OK, but keep in mind that on an

early Spring morning the carb. bore could ice up and not fuel or gas

would flow into the intake because there was no heat there anymore to

prevent that from happening and the engine could keep dying out

after initial start up plus I believe the choke tube is into one of

those two intake runners so if no heat is there, the choke would never

heat up and the result would be the choke staying on forever causing

all kinds of drive-ability complaints and high fuel consumption. </div>

<div> </div>

<div>Just send this to them or do a cut and paste of info….Understand?</div>

<div> </div>

<div>Grumpy</div>

[Joel & Dee Ferris]

In this car hobby there are times we need to decide if we want to drive the car and enjoy it or do we want it to stay in the garage as a tropy car.  That “HOT” spot on the intake manifold is the result of exaust gasses passing through the intake manifold under the base of the carb.  There is a reasion for this and nothing is wrong with your engine.  All engines are built this way.  As Jerry said, without this, the intake runners can freeze with ice.  My cousin was driving her small block Chevy one foggy Nebraska afternoon and the temp. was just right so that the intake air froze in the intake runners and blocked them completely off.  Yes, she had a stalled car.  After sitting at the side of the interstate for a while, the heat from the engine thawed the runners out so the engine could breath and she went on.  What had happened was the exaust runner in the manifold plugged up with carbon from many miles of service and there was no heat to the base of the carb.  Also, Jerry is correct in saying this will affect the automatic choke.   All the time!!!  The choke needs this hot air to function.  So, bottom line, drive it and live with the paint burning off or let the car set and trailer it every where.  The paint on our 64 390 has been burned off since I painted the engine 20 years ago and I live with it because I want to drive it!!!!  Enjoy your Mercury!!!   Joel 

[Roy & Brenda Lange]

Makes you wonder if powercoating would work better than painting…..winter is coming soon so you might have the down time for the car…

[Joel & Dee Ferris]

You know, powder coating might work!!  It would be worth a try.  I might try that myself this winter!!!   Joel

[Author]

Posts