I have had that issue in the past. The problem with salvaging any part of that plastic manifold is that it gets very brittle over time and use, and it ends up failing in multiple places. I had mine break in that area, i fixed it, and then last summer, it burst a split lengthwise, going across the top from left to right, which was not pretty. I was 100 miles from home, but only 10 miles from my brother's place, and I had a new complete assembly in the box for 2 years, waiting to get installed. Everything was ready to break on that manifold. Max sold me mine almost 3 years ago for around $210. It was well worth it with a new set of hoses and thermostat and thermostat housing. Make sure that you have a circular clamp tool to work with those hose clamps, this job is nearly impossible without that tool.