Phillip Batson <pbatson68@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Just want to get your opinions on working on the exhaust system.
> I've replaced the muffler to the end in the past, and that was
> fairly easy. But this time, I have a leak up near the engine. Looks
> like the driver side, where the exhaust connects to the header. It
> is really rusted up where they are bolted together, and thats about
> where I'm hearing it. I'm not sure how it connects underneath as I
> haven't dropped the skid plate on it yet. I'm a little worried about
> driving it like that as well, having all that hot exhaust dumping
> right into the engine compartment.
> How much of a p.i.t.a. would it be to work on? Am I going to have to
> do both sides at once? Is it worth it to take it to somewhere like
> meineke?
I'm not 100% sure how the exhaust system is put together on the
4.7, so take this with a grain of salt, but in my experience, usually
these types of problems are due to the clamps and hardware itself
rusting out. The pipes themselves do rust, but they seem to be some
sort of alloy that rusts much slower - might even be a low grade of
stainless.
Anyway, if the problem is right where the pipe attaches to the
exhaust manifold, chances are good that the pipe itself is OK, but the
clamp or one of the bolts has rusted through and broken. Usually the
way this connection is made is for the end of the exhaust pipe to be
flared, sort've like a brake line fitting, except its just a single
flare, not a double flare. The end of the exhaust manifold has a
matching shape, and fits inside the end of the pipe. There will be a
flange on the exhaust pipe with a couple of holes in it, and the
exhaust manifold will have a similar flange, some cast-in ears/holes
or possibly even threaded holes which match the flange on the pipe. A
pair of bolts are used to draw these two pieces together.
Its pretty common for this flange to break or for one of the bolts
to break, and this causes the pipe to be no longer held tightly
against the exhaust manifold, hence the leak.
The flange on the exhaust pipe is slipped into place by the
manufacturer prior to flaring the end of the pipe, so if that is what
has broken, obviously you can't just replace it with the same style
flange. However, most auto parts stores carry a replacement which is
a two piece flange, that you can slip together with the pipe in place.
Check the exhaust section where they have the exhaust clamps, hangers,
etc.
The job isn't too hard, as long as you've got enough clearance.
Depending on how bad things are, you may need to cut the old bolts
off. Basically, you just put the new flange on there, and bolt it
into place. It might not be a bad idea to use some stainless steel
hardware to help prevent the problem in the future, or at least make
dissasembly easier. A few coats of high temp exhaust paint on the
replacement flange could help to extend its life.
Anyway, that's just a guess on my part, obviously you'll need to
stick your head in there and find out exactly what is wrong before
you'll know what the job entails, but based on what you described,
that's my guess as to the problem.
The exhaust leak could throw off your O2 sensor readings and
obviously is annoying to listen to, but shouldn't damage anything.
Obviously, its something you'd want to address soon, but I wouldn't
worry about driving the truck.
--
-Jon-
.- Jon Steiger -- jon@dakota-truck.net or jon@jonsteiger.com -.
| '96 Kolb Firefly, '96 Suzuki Intruder, Miscellaneous Mopars |
`-------------------------------- http://www.jonsteiger.com --'
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