Hole in my Exhaust manifold

[jteef]

So i took my truck(88 2.9L ranger supercab 4x4) into the shop the other day because it is quite loud. They said there is a large hole in my exhaust manifold. They said it woudl be expensive to fix and the part costs a few hundred bucks from ford. I would like to get this fixed so I can pass inspection in missouri, rather than leaving it registered at our apartment in kansas where there are no inspections. I will be moving soon and anywhere I move to is going to inspect it also... The part looks relatively easy to get to in my inexperienced opinion. I would probably have to remove the alternator to get a good open workspace from the top. Not sure about the bottom. Is this soemthing I can get from a junkyard cheap? I know how to take stuff apart and put it back together, and most of the fundamentals of cars, but i've never really done any work on a motor.

Is this a difficult job? What kind of problems will I face? I am imagining stuck bolts in tight spaces. I have all the time in the world and good access to tools.

What do you think?

jt

 

[notfred]

The only hard part about headers/exhaust manifolds is that some of the bolts are a pain in the ass to reach sometimes. It'd be easy to get at a junkyard assuming you can find one.

 

[Heisenberg]

A manifold from a junkyard is definitely going to be the cheapest. Probably wouldn't hurt to look up the torque specs for the manifold bolts.

 

[tm37]

If you can't fix it duct tape it

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: tm37
If you can't fix it duct tape it

That wouldn't work.... JB Weld might, but definitely not duct tape.

 

[cavdraco]

take it to a welding shop and have them fix it

Cav

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: tm37
If you can't fix it duct tape it

That wouldn't work.... JB Weld might, but definitely not duct tape.

Yea, it'd melt right off. (I'm ashamed to say this but I tried that once) Ended up using some sort of pipe cement or pipe weld stuff to fix the hole

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: cavdraco
take it to a welding shop and have them fix it

Cav

Not cost-effective. The part still has to be removed, and the welding would probably cost more than a used manifold. You might try muffler tape instead of duct tape as a temporary (and I stress temporary) fix until you locate a used manifold to install as a permanent fix.

ZV

 

[jteef]

I will try to get a better idea of just how big the hole is. I can't really see it, but it feels like there a hole that runs maybe 8" x 1" along the outer edge. This feels like some sort of a shroud though. I dont know what an exhaust manifold is going to look like.

do they make any fiber optic camera things for cheap? I think this would be pretty useful... I think my digicam is too big to get a good picture.

anyways, thanks for your help

jt

 

[LAUST]

how much are these guys talkin? I would just go to a Pull and Save junkyard and get one for $15-$20 if you don't mind doin your own work

how long do you want to keep this truck?

 

[jteef]

will this muffler tape get me past an inspection? I've never gone through the process before. In kansas the lady just walked out and verified my vin number, the end. (it was in good working order then)

jt

 

[jteef]

well, I am currently in the application process for AF OTS, so if I am selected it will be quite some time before I have enough income to make me comfortable with buying a new car. If I am not selected, it will be even longer since I can't seem to land a job, and that is only going to get worse. I would say 20-30k more miles of use (i am at ~105k miles right now) At that point I would probably like to still keep it to tow my seadoos and its always nice to have a truck around. At this point its a lot more valuable to me than the blue book indicates.

EDIT: They were talking ~5-800 bucks

jt

 

[thedarkwolf]

The only real hard part besides getting to some of the bolts is getting them out without breaking any of them off in the head. Use wd-40 or something and lots of it.

 

[jteef]

Originally posted by: jteef
will this muffler tape get me past an inspection? I've never gone through the process before. In kansas the lady just walked out and verified my vin number, the end. (it was in good working order then)

jt

can anybody answer this?

thanks

jt

 

[Scarpozzi]

Don't fix it. I like the sound of loud engines. If you do have to fix it though, I've never heard of muffler tape fixing an issue like this. I suggest going to a junk yard and getting a replacement manifold and a gasket kit. You should be in business for around $80 or less with a used manifold and new gaskets...