Driver side exhaust manifold v8

[pzy3339]

So I just picked up a nice 2006 limited v8 a few days ago and the temp outside dropped 20 degrees last night and when i started it i noticed it has a bad manifold gasket on the drivers side. It sounds like crud for about 45 seconds on a cold start. So, today I got the gaskets, a repair manual, and all the supplies to do the job. It doesnt look bad, the bolts are not rusted much so as long as I can figure out how to get the heat shield off and access the lower 4 bolts it looks like an easy job.

I am wondering if the manifold can be pushed far enough off the bolts to clear the gaskets without removing the manifold from the flang as I cannot find a parts store with a flang gasket in stock. Apparently there are no flang gaskets in the whole state of Ohio!! ugh...

anyways. the job looks straight forward, if anyone has any tips/advice/warnings I would appreciate it!

 

[V8Pete]

It's likely a cracked manifold and/or a broken stud; if it was a gasket, it would make noise pretty much continously. This issue's pretty common... do a search.

 

[BigNutz]

Yeah, I just had mine done, same deal, 2006 V8.....It's a manufacturing flaw. Anyway, I only had 2 studs broken, and they are a bit of a pain to get out. If you can do it, more power to ya, I wish I could.....It cost me $420, the garage actuallly quoted me $750 in case there were issues.

 

[pzy3339]

ok.

two questions then.

if there is a fracture in the header, can it be repaired? if not where can i buy a new manifold and what should i pay for it?

are there good manifold studs that will do the job better?

 

[Ornery]

For some reason, the driver side is half the price of the passenger side.
(Yeah, they use the same driver side diagram for both sides. )

I think I'll head to New England to have mine done!

 

[pzy3339]

ordered a manifold from ford for $135, new studs $10, manifold gaskets $15. Kinda sucks to have to work on this thing already but for a 7 year old vehicle a <$200 issue seems acceptable.

 

[pzy3339]

couldnt see it at first but when i went to get in there today to make the repair i found the front lower stud is broken off. I have no desire to dig into this myself so I called the dealer I got it from and they have agreed to split the labor with me 50/50 at $75/hr. Estimated 2.5 hrs for a manifold replacement, 10.5 hrs to pull the engine if needed. Kinda sucks, but I guess it is the risk of buying used!

 

[pzy3339]

wrong again, front two studs are in decent shape and stayed in, middle 4 all came out with the nut, rear two broke off and i can now see where the leak was. i am going to attempt to extract them. if all else fails i will use gasket maker and hope that will be up to the task for a little while.

not such a hard job if you have all the right tools. hour ish to have the manifold off, lets see how angry i can get trying to get the broken studs out....

 

[Ornery]

I once had a muffler shop replace the exhaust manifolds on a '66 Chevy 283ci. He grabbed a torch and cut the bolt heads off in seconds. Pulled the manifold off and heated the remaining bolt bodies cherry red, and spun them out with pliers or vise grips while they were glowing. I doubt it took him half an hour, but there was PLENTY of room in that engine bay. I've wanted a real torch ever since, but never bought one. If you can get your hands on one, you might want to give it a try.

 

[pzy3339]

i wish i had that option. the studs are broken off about 1.5 threads into the head. bought an angle drill and a set of easy outs today but ran out of daylight.

I am trying to decide if i want to use the new manifold or if i want to use the old one.

probably the old one since thats $145 i could put back in my pocket, unless using the old one is a questionable idea?

 

[Ornery]

Check the flatness of it. If it's within .03" it's still usable.

Honestly, I've never successfully used an EZout. If it ends up breaking in the stud, you've got a real problem. Another concern is drilling too deep. I believe the water jacket is on the other side of those studs.

The studs are M8-1.25. That would require a 6.8mm (.2677") or 17/64" drill. Here's a link to a left hand, stub version. If you can drill down the center (use a center drill) it may eventually spin out intact. If anything is left behind, have a tap handy.

There will be some small tool supply outlets open tomorrow near your industrial corridors that have machine shops. They'll probably only be open till noon, but they'll have the screw machine length 17/64" left hand drills on hand.

Not sure how much room you have to get at these broken studs, but I'm sure it's miserable. Good Luck!

 

[pzy3339]

the hard part is putting enough pressure on the drill to make any headway, its very hard to work in there. What I have done with the bit it measured it up against another stud and put a tape line at the maximum drilling depth. i have done this before and it works well. That said, i would agree it is possible a reverse direction bit may eventually catch enough to pull the stud out all on its own, which would be great. Also i did give it a try for about 5 minutes before the sun went down and it seemed like the bit went dull instantly, i probably need higher grade drill bits anyways. The easy-outs have worked for me in the past but i dont know if it will be able to apply the required amount of torque.


luckly my friends have a nice set of taps and they are only 3 blocks away! hoping not to need them.

time for work, ill try again in the morning!

 

[swetrid]

Good luck we used to kringe when these came in for exhaust leaks. Usually the RS manifold warps or the front studs break off.

 

[rstang50]

I just did this job a few weeks ago. If it is the 2 closest to the firewall you will have enough room to extract them. I used a Quickcenter tool to keep the bit centered and used a left hand bit. Go very slow and then use a easy out and work it slowly back and forth to avoid breaking off the bit. I also replaced the studs with 10.9 grade bolts

 

[Ornery]

I've had good luck drilling harder bolts like that, by using a smaller bit first. But, I had plenty of room for leverage. If your bit spins for even a short time without making a chip, it will dull in a hurry. Get a few short 1/8" cobalt drills (these can be choked up on) for pilot holes. Use oil and lower RPM's if you can.

Quickcenter? Never used or even seen one, but I want one now. Too bad they aren't universal or adjustable. Reasonably priced, but a couple sets of four puts you in the $75 range with shipping.

If you do stop into a local tool supply shop, see if they have an 1/8" drill bushing in stock:

Chuck it up in your drill, and spin it against a grinding wheel (it's hardened) to create a larger chamfer on the end. You can use that to center the pilot drill in lieu of the QuickCenter. It could be pressed into a makeshift handle for better control:

Ask any nearby machine shop where they buy tools locally, and they'll point you to a source for these particular tools.

 

[pzy3339]

getting the studs out has proved to be more work than i am prepared to put into this thing right now. its cold and raining and i dont have a garage so i just gobbed gasket maker on there and for now it is better. not perfect, but better.

next thing is to see if i can get the trans programmed cheap. second gear is too aggressive.