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intake manifold slightly blocking spark plug hole

6.4K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  cl0udedth0ught  
#1 ·
so guys long story short was swapping out my plugs and came to the 2nd plug on the left ( facing engine) and the p.i intake manifold it a tad bit hangin over the hole and cant fit the spark plug socket in.

kinda confused and about to do some grinding of plastic if i cant figure something out. any insight guys? id appreciate it greatly
 
#2 ·
The only thing thats there that would be causing a problem should be the throttle body. The intake shoulding hang over the spark plug hole at all
 
#4 ·
shoot its a bit dark so ill have to snap one in the morning, and im talkin where the deck of the heads is the edge of the intake manifold is barely over the hole but just enough to block my socket from going in, i really dont remember this being an issue cause i did put in new plugs when i had my p.i swap done.

at a loss and i notice a slight misfire still and im sure its from there
 
#6 ·
well i guess its an issue with the dorman p.i intake manifolds, first and major flaw ive found with these replacements everyone badmouths. well now heres a good reason guys
it blocks one of the spark plug holes.

anyone got any ideas as to how i can grind away a bit at this plastic edge so i can fit my plug socket in
 
#8 ·
yeah stal it really sucks, what a crappy design. whats this hole file you speak of????
was thinking a dremel but i cant afford one right now nor would i ever use it again.

i know everyone claims dorman intake is crap:blah but this is the real reason to not buy these.... freakin blocks spark plug hole. the flow seems just fine when i beat other newer mustangs though lol
 
#9 ·
Sounds like a bad design or improper install possibly??? In any case, grind a side of a spark plug socket or file off the manifold until fitment. I have modded plenty of the sockets for special application in the past. I would prob cut one side off of the socket.
 
#11 ·
ok its not that hard but let me go ahead and explain again..... down where the manifold bolts in the edge of the plastic is slight overhanging the spark plug hole. it is level with the top of the hole. NOT up near the tb. make sense??

anyways did some reasearch guess one or two people had this issue with the dorman intakes so i guess grinding away it is. suggestions to make this job easy?
 
#15 ·
well its aligned correctly and been there for a good 5k and its been fine, i dont imagine it could really align any other way than how its supposed to when bolted in.

and i dont know but i did read somewhere else one or two people had this same problem with the dorman intakes, so im assuming they screwed up a bit on the mold and its just a factory defect.

and thanks a bunch stal, guess ill hit my local hardware store and go for it.
 
#16 ·
Man I totally know what you are talkng about. I helped my buddy Install his intake manifold after his old one cracked. I believe he ordered the cheapest brand off rock auto so not totally sure what brand it is, but it plugs just about everyoneof his sparkplug holes too and it was installed perfectly.
 
#19 ·
There's nothing wrong with RockAuto, they're just a parts seller, no different than Autozone.

The real problem is with Dorman. It's a crap intake. I've been trying to warn people for years about this thing, since I bought one, but noone listens, and buys them anyways. I threw it away and ordered an FRPP replacement.

If you lay one beside a Ford PI intake, there's some obvious (and not good) differences, this just being one of them. If you flip it over and compare it to a real PI intake, you can see an obvious difference in the port runner size and the size of the plenum volume.

Live and learn. File it back and deal with it, or replace it with an FRPP intake.
 
#23 ·
OK, I knew I had seen these pics somewhere, so I figure I'd post them up to show the differences between the Ford PI intake and the Dorman PI intake. You can clearly see that it's crap compared to the PI.

FYI: There's been reports that Dorman ran short on PI intakes, and sourced some from the FRPP manufacturer and sold them under the same part number, those are apparently stamped with an "M" on them, but 99% of Dorman buyers recieve this POS intake:

The Ford PI next to the Dorman PI with aluminum crossovers removed:

Image


Here's the Ford from above:

Image


Here's the Dorman from above:

Image


And here's a shot from underneath on the Dorman, showing this is indeed a PI intake, not the NPI they offer:

Image
 
#24 ·
Wow I didn't realize there was such a difference. Guess my buddy should invest in a better one. And not to thread Jack but I still have the stock intake manifold on my car, do they make an aftermarket one that will free me up some horsepower or will it not make much of a difference? My mods are in my garage.
 
#26 · (Edited)
seems like the bullitt is more trouble than its worth but thats just my opinion

why dont you just put on a p.i intake like i did (i went with the whole swap heads cams and all though)

edit: i just looked at your name and seen 98... just notice your rockin the 2000 now though. why not get your intake manifold ported?
 
#30 ·
Hi sj408. I just recently had the intake replaced on my 99 mustang gt and realized that the dorman is partially blocking my 2 and 3 cylinder plug holes. What did you end up using to fix it? How long did it take? Did you have any other issues with it after that? Sorry for all the questions but I would really appreciate the help. Been searching online for weeks and can't find a confirmed fix other than replacing intake again which I can't afford. Thank you for your time!
 
#31 ·
This thread is from 2011 bro lol. I had a Dorman intake at one time, I used a dremel tool to buzz off a little of the plastic so I could access the holes and remove the plugs. It is definitely best to use the Ford Racing intake, but if youre short on cash, this will work until you can afford the real thing. Good luck