460 Leaking Coolant

[sofla1966]

Runs at 150 to 180 degrees with no issues.
Nothing there after I drive it to Menards and back.
Nothing on the driveway.
Let it sit for a day or two and I get pooling of coolant on the intake manifold, only on the left side.
Added some green in my picture to show where it pools.

Replaced the bypass clamps and hose.
Removed the thermostat housing and cleaned both surfaces - replaced the O ring.

Now what do I look for.
Thanks
CK

[bruceandersson]

I am not familiar with the 460, but you might need some sealant on the manifold bolts by the leaks. The treads may extend into the heads water jacket. It also could be a bad seal on the manifold gasket itself.

[Toyz]

Could be anywhere in the cooling system. Easiest diagnosis is a coolant pressure tester. It may help find any minute leaks such as a pinhole in a hose, since it is pooling externally, it should be somewhat easy to find. If it in fact leaks only when static, it is possibly something which somewhat seals off when at operating temperature.
Paul

[William-in-St George]

There are only a few possibilities for this leak. Looking at the upper hose with over-sized clamp I'd suspect that area first. New hose and clamp might solve this. The next area would be the thermostat housing gasket, should not be any wetness there. You may want to re-torque the intake manifold. The intake to head has two water passages that can leak. Best bet here is the front passage since this is active. The one on the other end of the head is a dead end at the intake. The dead end can leak but this is less likely. Ford did this so the heads are not side specific. I could not tell from the photograph if you are running an aluminum intake. These tend to leak after the aluminum corrodes. I use a can of Bars-Leaks (the liquid) on all these old engines just for good measure. That may get you a few more years service out of the intake if the leak is still there after you replace the hose, thermostat gasket and re-torque the intake. Thermostat housings are available at NAPA as are the hoses and clamps. As mentioned earlier the first bolt at the front of the intake goes into the water jacket, a little sealant here may be the solution.