exhaust manifold

[foxtrot]

So when I was replacing my starter the other day, I noticed that I have a crack in my exhaust manifold. it is about 4-6 inches long and right in the middle on the flat part facing the fender. do I need to replace the manifold? because it is pretty on there, and I am afraid that I will snap the studs when I take it off. is there any kind of sealer I can use? I know I have seen some kind of cement sealer used before. Kind of like jb weld for exhause. any help would be awesome. :confused:

[foxtrot]

so now that I just typed that, I though of something. Could I just weld it down the seam? just grind it down to clean metal and weld it. or will it expand too much?

[latva0311]

yes you can weld it but go slow, you dont want to warp it. I have welded an old manifold before it worked fine.. depending on how long the crack is do a little bit then let it cool and then go again.

but then again picking up a new manifold would not be very much either

[Haku]

Its a cast piece, so normal welding techniques don't apply. Heat it up till its red and then weld, and then burry it in a bucket of dry sand so it cools slowly. Still no gaurantee that it will work though. I also say that having never done it and being a complete noob with welding, so it may be completely wrong.

That said, I have been putting off installing my shiny new header for a while, and afterwards I'll have a spare 22re manifold that you are welcome to.

[foxtrot]

yay, what do you recommend for taking the odl one off? days of pb blaster and soaking?

[Haku]

Mine came right off with hardly any effort. PB blaster might help if you can't get yours off with a normal ratchet. There is a possibility that the stud will come out with the nut still on, but its not a huge deal since you can get those at Ace Hardware or any decent fastener place. AAA Metric up here is a great place to go. I've yet to go in there and have them say "nah, we don't have that" and I've had some weird requests.

Have you tried taking the nuts off yet?

Josh

[foxtrot]

not yet, it just looks pretty on there, so I was scared to try lol. plus haven't had time to work on it

[Brody]

PB Blaster will be your friend if you have to remove it. the more you can soak it, the easier it will come off.

You can weld it, but you have to be pretty good. I can weld cast, but it is usually a 50/50 proposition, as I can't get a good weld all the time. Heating it up red hot, then welding it, sand or no sand, is the best way to go. There are products for fixing that kind of crack on exhaust manifolds, but I can't remember their names right now.

I would take Josh up on his manifold offer. At least you will have a manifold for whenever you want to replace the cracked one..

[Haku]

hehee.......I think you meant PB Blaster. JB Weld might not go so well.

The only other thing I can think of is this putty stuff I found last week, and I used it to fill in the pin holes on my Power Steering reservoir. Not sure how it does at high temperatures though. I found it at Advance Auto, and it its clear tube with what looks like grey silly putty. The guy said it can be used for a bunch of different stuff like radiators and such, so maybe it can hold up to exhaust use too. I know its supposed to be as hard as steel once its cured.

[Brody]

Thanks Josh...fixed it. JB Weld wouldn't be anyone's friend trying to loosen anything up....I was just talking to my neighbor about JB, so I guess I had it on my mind....

[Speedwagon]

On my Ranger I used some of the exhaust putty stuff. You put it on, heat up the manifold, and cool it. It worked reasonably well, and cost me ~$6 at the auto parts store. Came in a small jar, similar to hobby paint jars. Found it in the exhaust section IIRC, and I could do it on the vehicle.

[CR]

You could always get a header.:D

[bigk5blazer]

I would just put a header on that thing instead of screwing around with the stock manifolds make sure you put pbr blaster or something on the bolts before you take them off.

[Brody]

A header....sure, why not.

Yoda Jim (JimsGotParts) usually has some 4 banger Yota headers kicking around used for $100 or so.

[foxtrot]

thats not bad at all. What would I have to do to my exhaust to make it fit to the header? were the companies that made them nice enough to have the same ending position as the manifold? or do I need to get a custom downpipe made?

[Haku]

The ones I saw at Yota Jim's don't have any way to install the EGR system on them, so you would have to figure out how to block those off. A few companies make block off plates for them. This might effect how well your engine runs though, so beware. Some think that doing so will increase performance, but all my research indicated that a lot of the time it just makes your engine run improperly due to the ECU thinking that the air mixture is different then it actually is.

The only CARB legal one is the Trail Gear one as far as I know, so if you need to pass emissions that might be necessary. Not totally sure, but I suspect that you would want to replace the whole exhaust along with the header too. Not sure if it will line up, and you won't get the performance out of the header without stepping up to larger exhaust. I doubt you'll be able to find a Trail Gear one used though, since its pretty new to market. Not cheap though, unless they do another special on them.

Honestly, I think you could get an exhaust manifold very easily at a Junkyard. Just find an engine with lots of oil on it and the bolts should come right out. Bring a hack saw or battery operated sawzall and cut the exhaust tubing off so you don't have to futz with rusted clamps and such (or as is the case in my truck having the entire exhaust system welded together tip to tail).

[Fordguy77]

I am not sure about the 22re headers. I know when i picked up my headers for my 4.0L ranger that it came with a collector to retain the existing stock exhaust system. You might ask if the have the down pipe with a header there and be able to kill 2 birds with one stone. Otherwise you could just just re do your old down pip and make it fit with some mild fabrication work.
I have never welded cast personally. However i have heard it is easier with a high nickel content on the filler you use.
I have also heard that it is easier to braze cast back together than weld it. I know a few old timers who can braze and i could always send you there contacts and such. But for the price of a used header it seems like to much effort.

[Brody]

The 20, 22, and 22RE are full length headers from the manifold down to a by the frame rail collector that the exhaust will just bolt up to with a doughnut.. Someone may make a shorty style for these engines, but I have never seen one.