1996 Ford Windstar hard starting

I edited my original question to say that it was actually a lower intake manifold leak rather than the upper manifold. I don't think he actually found a crack. He said when he did the propane test, it really sucked it in. He also said that when he measured something, the value went so high, he couldn't believe the check engine light wasn't on. Sorry I can't be more specific; I'm not real familiar with this part of a car. Anyway, he said that since the manifold was in two halves, there was no way to fix the leak other than to replace the manifold(s). He even said there was no gasket to replace. So I'm wondering if there really is a vacuum leak in the manifold, is there a cheaper fix than the $2000+ that he conservatively estimated ($5000 to replace the whole engine)? I won't put that much into a 13-year-old van. That's my main question. My other question is if it is possible that it is just a sensor, or something else, with no check engine light. And if there is a gasket that can be replaced that might fix the problem, can you give me a ballpark figure of how much it would cost to replace. The mechanic found one vacuum hose early on that he replaced. The others look all right. I don't hear any hissing when the car is running. Other than when it starts hard, when it shakes for a few seconds before putting it in gear, it seems to run smoothly the rest of the time. Again, I don't know if her frequent engine starting is the cause of the problem or just made it noticeable, but it does seem to have something to do with something expanding the warmer the engine gets. Thanks.

It has a 3.8L engine. Are you saying that this can be fixed by just replacing the gasket? Or are you saying that the gasket needs to be replaced along with the manifold(s)? I'm still not sure from what you said if the manifold(s) themselves actually need replacing. If just one is really cracked, would you agree that both should be replaced? I'm still wondering if it could be anything other than a vacuum leak or a sensor. I'm also still wondering if my daughter's job caused this problem or only made it noticeable. There are a lot of other shops I could take it to, but I don't know who you can trust these days. But if I could get it fixed with a guarantee for a few hundred dollars, I would consider it. Can you try answering all of my questions? Thanks.

I plan to take it to another mechanic in April while my daughter is out of town. I feel it's worth getting a second opinion, both on the diagnosis and the fix. I figure from what you said that they may have told me to replace the engine in the hopes I would have them do that for $5000+, whether it needed it or not. As I said, I wouldn't sink that much into that car. I've already wasted $500+ for the new plugs, wires, and fuel filter. At least they told me it didn't need a new fuel pump, which would have been another $500+. A lot of it is trust. I don't mind paying the money for necessary, quality work. But unfortunately, the average person doesn't know if that's what they're getting. Anyway, thanks for your help, and I'll let you know what happens.

Lou