fixing stock exhaust manifold cracks

[rover67]

ok, heres tha lowdown.

its a b!tch.


no, seriously, I knew the manifold on the right side was cracked after reading here. Took it to toyota, they said the ticking was normal. I asked them if the noise was comming from a crack, and if I took it off, would they replace it under warranty? answer, YES. Went home, took off the heat sheild, found the HUGE leak, took it to toyota, they now told me it was now not under warranty. Bummer huh?

FIRST, I ENCOURAGE ALL WITH THIS PROBLEM TO CONTACT TOYOTA AND EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN. This may get us a recall that would fix the problem for free even out of warranty.

second, has anybody welded the crack up and fixed the leak? If so, where was the crack, and did the repair last? I am a welder, and have removed the manifold already so I can weld it if I want.. If it will continue to be a problemin the future, i'll explore the option of getting headers. Problem is right now I really cant afford them.

Any thoughts?




why is there a cry face on a toyota website anyways, arent these trucks great?

marco

[userw5]

Originally posted by rover67
Went home, took off the heat sheild, found the HUGE leak, took it to toyota, they now told me it was now not under warranty. Bummer huh?
marco [/b]

Marco,

Were you able to see or detect the leak/crack before you took the heat shield off or was it completely hidden by the shield?

Jeff

[rover67]

the crack was hidden by the sheild. once I took the sheild off, you could actually feel where the exhaust was comming out of. At this point it was very obvious that there was a crack, the guys at the dealer even agreed. The crack was not physically visibal untill I removed the manifold and looked at the manifold where it bolts to the head.

[userw5]

Thanks for the info. Let us know how it turns out.
Jeff

[red's tundra]

Did they tell you why this was NOT covered under warranty?? The way I see it....it would either be considered part of the drivetrain or part of the smog system...more likely part of smog becuase of the loss of power, gas mileage as well as the fact that exhaust is coming straight out of the engine rather than going through the 3 FREAKIN CATS (for those here in Cali.)

[rover67]

my truck has 56,000 miles on it. They said at first that the manifold was under the 60000 mile drivetrain warranty. When I came back with proof it was messed up, they looked it up in the book with me there and showed me where it was under the 36,000 mile something elses warranty. Whatever. I think it is crummy that this truck has these problems and they aren't willing to make it right. I had to order parts today, so it'll be thurs befor I get a chance to fix it. On top of all this, my truck got broken into, so I had to order a new window too. poo poo.

Oh yeah, the shocks are worn out too.

I'll post a "fixed" thread and let everybody know how it turned out.

marco

[v8Toilet]

You could get JBA headers and fix the problem along with getting more power.

[v8Toilet]

I just went out and listened to my exhaust with the hood opened while I revved the engine. I can here the ticking sound on the passenger manifold but not the drivers side, seems to me I have an exhaust leak too.

[rover67]

pull the heat sheild off and put your hand down there with the engine COLD and running. See if you can locate the leak. Mine was on the flange near the block on the passenger side bank of cyls, the one nearest the front. how many miles does your truck have on it? Raise hell with the dealer. Call toyota. Maybe we can get a recall going.

marco

[MTTUNDRA]

Rover67,

Did you ever weld this? If so how did it go? I might have to try the same thing

Josh

[rover67]

I just ended up buying the headers because the dealer wasn't willing to do crap for me. they wanted me to pay for everything. I called toyota, called everywhere, no dice.

read the pm I sent.

[KLS]

What is the material of the manifold?...cast iron--forget it. Cast stainless steel?...maybe.

I think it would be a tricky welding job, but could be done. I don't know if it would be worth the cost IF you can find someone to do it right.

First, you need to drill a hole through the manifold at each end of the crack. You must have the crack going into the hole on one side and not coming past the hole on the other side of the hole. If the crack isn't drill-stopped like this, it'll continue to propagate, especially with the heat of the welding.

Next, the crack needs to be ground out, leaving a Vee groove with just enough material remaining for a good root pass weld.

Now, TIG weld the crack, and don't get so much heat into the manifold that it warps.

Good luck.


Ken

[rover67]

they are made from stainless steel tubing. Not cast. they crack in a spot that can be welded without too much difficulty.I would personally weld the backside of the big flange to the actual tubes in a few spots to try and stabilize things after you fix the crack.

once you look at the manifold you will see what I am talking about.

[MTTUNDRA]

rover67,

What do you need to do to weld this thing. Can you take off the heat shield and weld from there? Or do you have to remove the manifold from the truck? Also does anyone know what type of weld would you want on something like this?

Josh

[rover67]

if it is cracked like mine, yo uwoul need to pull the manifold off of the car.

how yo uweld it dosen't really matter that much, just as long as it is done well, and properly.

TIG would be the easiest, cleanest way to weld it.