Yay exhaust leak

[OVERKILL]

So, my slight exhaust tick I've had for a while has been getting worse. Now my wife notices it, so that's not good, LOL!

Went looking for it today.... And found it.

On the right-hand manifold, rear cylinder (#4), the gasket is all black at the back (pointing toward the rear of the truck) and the stud looks loose. It is also pretty rotten (the stud) so I'm afraid to put a ratchet on it. Though it looks life if I did, the whole stud would come out of the block, as the nut looks to be "part" of the stud now.

I've been thinking about putting headers on it, but part of me just wants to take the stud out, put a new one in and see if the noise goes away.

Grrrrr............

 

[CBR.worm]

That's why I put headers on my last truck. In my case the oe manifold had split and was leaking, the studs were ok. The truck was 9 months old.

 

[OVERKILL]

Yeah, the stainless headers on Summit look very appealing. Only thing not appealing is the thought of changing them

 

[tuckman]

New headers are sweet

 

[mechtech2]

So what if the stud comes out?
Actually, great!
a new stud and nut [maybe lockwasher] should fix it.
of course, you can simply try to tighten it, first.

 

[Dualie]

I think the thought of the the stud coming partially out is what he fears. IE breaking.

 

[mechtech2]

OK.
What to do?
Try soaking the area with PB Blaster or similar loose juice.
Using a 6 point [preferably flank drive] socket, try to break it loose, after a good soak and some tapping.
If she moves, STOP! Soak it some more and actually tighten it back a bit.
Go back and forth, while using your sauce liberally. This is your best chance of getting parts apart without breaking.

 

[OVERKILL]

Going to find a new stud this week. See what happens, I'm hoping it doesn't break

Can't believe how bad these studs rust.

 

[sciphi]

I'd believe it. Some of the stuff on my Buick isn't identifiable as a nut/bolt anymore...

 

[OVERKILL]

O......K. Well, this ended up being a "need a manifold job". The stud was broken. As was the one above it.

I didn't have the time and took it to Ford.

Here's what we found:

You can clearly see the leaks on #1 and #4 cylinder.

Other side is clean (right side) with not a hint of a leak.

 

[Nick R]

Which vehicle is this? Town car or expedition? And yikes.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Nick R
Which vehicle is this? Town car or expedition? And yikes.


Expie. The 4.6L and 5.4L in the trucks are known for cracking exhaust manifolds and broken studs.

My parents had their manifold (same side) replaced 2 years ago because it cracked.

Mine didn't crack, but the studs broke.

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: Nick R
Which vehicle is this? Town car or expedition? And yikes.


Expie. The 4.6L and 5.4L in the trucks are known for cracking exhaust manifolds and broken studs.

My parents had their manifold (same side) replaced 2 years ago because it cracked.

Mine didn't crack, but the studs broke.


You get new headers out of the deal. Those are pretty nasty.

What was the end result of this New headers and manifold job

 

[Trav]

I just did both on my expedition,this is a serious PITA.
Did they use the new SS studs and nuts as described in the TSB?
PNs W703902-S403 stud and W701706-S2 nut.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Trav
I just did both on my expedition,this is a serious PITA.
Did they use the new SS studs and nuts as described in the TSB?
PNs W703902-S403 stud and W701706-S2 nut.


Yessir, they sure did.

I bought the Dorman manifold, because as a kit, including gaskets and new studs to connect to the Y-pipe, it was only $150.00.

 

[Trav]

I put inner fender well extensions on the Expedition.
I bought poly aftermarket but i understand those from an F250 fit perfectly.They cover the upper control arms and have slots,they totally close the gap and stops all the junk getting into the engine bay from the wheels.
I put some on the rears also,they make a huge difference.

+1 on the Dorman manifolds they feel about twice as heavy as the OEM especially on the pass side.

 

[Scienceman]

Glad it was cheap and fixed.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Troy_Built
Glad it was cheap and fixed.


So am I!

Picked up another 12L of M1 AFE 0w30 from StevieC tonight too

LOL!