5.0 - Exhaust leak between manifold and downpipe | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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5.0 - Exhaust leak between manifold and downpipe

masospaghetti

Explorer Addict
Joined
October 22, 2006
Messages
1,526
Reaction score
160
City, State
Huntington Beach, CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
98 XLT, OHV, 4D, 4x4, 5M
I'm having trouble getting the ball-and-socket joint to seal well and I can hear exhaust leaks while driving. I can also feel the exhaust gas coming out of the joint when the vehicle is idling.

I've tightened the joint as much as I feel comfortable with. Both manifolds are new Dorman cast-style, downpipes are original.

Reading around it looks like a lot of folks use copper RTV to help the seal but its hard to imagine RTV holding up in there. Any tricks to get it to seal better?
 






If either of the flanges is "out of round" you may not get a good seal. I had this issue once on our 98 when I fitted the headers. I could see the downpipe flange had a slight eccentric to it, so I squeezed it with a huge pair of channel lock pliers. The leak area will be the high point to squeeze from. Does this make any sense?
It only takes a little, so don't go Hercules on it.

I think if you can do this with some result, and add the ultra copper (mega copper) in the flange it may help. Good luck!
 






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