Having read a lot of stories about intake problems, I now think my 97SSEi may have started to exhibit some problems. The other day I had a look at the front exhaust manifold before starting the car in the morning and it looked wet. A couple seconds after starting the car it evaporated in a puff of white steam (smoke). Does this sound familiar? What can be done to confirm it is the intake? The coolant level appears steady, and I had a garage pressure test the cooling system (a rather quick 5 minute test) and it didn't appear to drop.

Thanks, love this forum, lots of good info here!!

You're in the wait and see mode. I've only seen one of these go, the kid next door with a 93 SSE, and his got steadily worse. When you start seeing a drop in coolant, you'll know. Just take it easy til then. Keep an eye out for the milk in the oil, too. His isn't mixing, but the oil is leaking out, and coolant into the combustion chamber. You may even be able to smell it at the exhaust. Keep us posted. We have some real experts on this problem here.

Gotta clarify something here....Josh'* isn't a cracked intake, either. His is the lower intake seals.