Exhaust manifold...

[Derick]

So my burb has a broken stud on the drivers side exhaust manifold. It has some tapping when it starts but once it warms up, its fine. I was looking to get ahead on it, and asked carx to give me a quote pull the manifold and replace the stud. They were concerned about the manifold cracking, which supposedly is a common issue, and gave me a quote for about 600 bucks on the one side...and 1100 or so for both sides to replace both manifolds. How many folks go with the repair, or do you just live with it?

I was looking at rockauto, and each manifold with gaskets and replacement studs is about 60 bucks....SKP and ATP are the brands available....is one better than the other?

 

[Wolfbraid]

I just got this in the mail today..
DORMAN 917-107 Exhaust Manifold Clamp
Link: http://a.co/d/6Cr4S35

Make sure you order the correct one, they make one for front left(right rear), Front right(left rear) and then for middle studs as well.

Look on youtube, pretty amazing fix, for a lot less than 1100..(which is the same quote I got)

I hope to put mine on this weekend.. if my family will allow me a minute to work... still have oil changes(engine and diffs) to do... never any time.

 

[Derick]

Interesting. I looked at the quote carx gave and each manifold is 330 bucks in parts. No idea why becuase the entire kit is 70 bucks each on rockauto. That's an interesting little part. I don't generally trust Dorman crap but that's looks like a 'whats there to lose?' kind of thing. Keep us posted.....

I just got this in the mail today..
DORMAN 917-107 Exhaust Manifold Clamp
Link: http://a.co/d/6Cr4S35

Make sure you order the correct one, they make one for front left(right rear), Front right(left rear) and then for middle studs as well.

Look on youtube, pretty amazing fix, for a lot less than 1100..(which is the same quote I got)

I hope to put mine on this weekend.. if my family will allow me a minute to work... still have oil changes(engine and diffs) to do... never any time.

 

[Wolfbraid]

Interesting. I looked at the quote carx gave and each manifold is 330 bucks in parts. No idea why becuase the entire kit is 70 bucks each on rockauto. That's an interesting little part. I don't generally trust Dorman crap but that's looks like a 'whats there to lose?' kind of thing. Keep us posted.....

So I had grand plans of a how-to video.. but honestly it's pretty simple, the only complicated part of my install seems to be the grounding lug that was installed in one of the holes.(I think it's normally on the back of the block)

My two front right studs were broken off so I installed this dorman piece, like you said what's to lose, $30 vs $800-1100, not including labor to extract broken studs.


So basically the block has existing threaded holes.

Step 1, clean the holes if needed
Step 1a, Optional if you have a grounding lug here, remove it
Step 2, put bracket in place make sure third bolt is backed out enough to clear header/manifold(replace ground wires if needed) I used ~9 inch extension to reach past the water pump.
Step 3, tighten manifold bolt down until tight, I could see my manifold get closer to block as I tightened.
Step 4, start engine, listen for leak
Step 5 repeat 3 if you still have a leak.(or look for other sources, it's common for gasket to go bad if you've had a leak long enough)

you spin in the new shiny bolts, and then using the third bolt you screw that one down onto the header/manifold and it presses it back against the block. It's a pretty straight forward repair(it gets a little more involved if you are doing this on the back of the engine, tighter space etc)

Total labor involved <30min , not including my inability to find the right size sockets and extensions.. my tool box is not close.

Now I have discovered my driver side rear has a broken stud as well.. not leaking yet, but I'll tackle it soon.

General consensus,
Is it the "right" way to fix it? No
Does it work? Yes
Would I recommend it? Yes
As for the quality of this Dorman Piece, its a solid piece of steel, and some grade 10.2 bolts, kinda hard to mess that up.

Part used:
DORMAN 917-107 Exhaust Manifold Clamp (Fits RIGHT Front, LEFT rear)
(remember there are different parts for the other corners of the engine)

 

[Rocket Man]

I used those also and they work great.

 

[KATfishing]

Likewise, I used brackets on both rear bolts that broke off. That was two years ago. It sealed it tight and I haven't had a problem since. I actually hired my shop to install them because the access in the back is so limited. It was worth every penny but way cheaper than going the whole nine yards the traditional way. If any break off other than the rear two bolts, getting the brackets on is MUCH easier and I would just handle it myself. I know some people consider this to NOT be the correct fix, but what difference does it make if it achieves the same outcome. Plus, as long as the gasket is ok, it's considered a permanent repair. Good luck!

 

[sfc_jones]

I took the exhaust manifold off. Welded a nut to the broken stud and unscrewed it...sucks too because had I known about the Dorman product I would have went that route.

 

[Wolfbraid]

Likewise, I used brackets on both rear bolts that broke off. That was two years ago. It sealed it tight and I haven't had a problem since. I actually hired my shop to install them because the access in the back is so limited. It was worth every penny but way cheaper than going the whole nine yards the traditional way. If any break off other than the rear two bolts, getting the brackets on is MUCH easier and I would just handle it myself. I know some people consider this to NOT be the correct fix, but what difference does it make if it achieves the same outcome. Plus, as long as the gasket is ok, it's considered a permanent repair. Good luck!

I agree, it might not be "right" but it works, and it's not really a "jerry rig"
now the real question I have, why did GM put all these wonderful threaded holes on the block...

 

[KATfishing]

I agree, it might not be "right" but it works, and it's not really a "jerry rig"
now the real question I have, why did GM put all these wonderful threaded holes on the block...

That's a great question about those threaded holes. It's like they're meant to be for this purpose. Kral Auto Parts is the originator of the brackets and has several videos on YouTube for installation. They also have a website. This problem is so prevalent with GM trucks that it became a business for one man to come up with this work-around. They now have a bracket for every stud.

 

[RST Dana]

I don’t know for sure about this generation, but earlier models had interchangeable heads, so threaded holes you have on the rear would be used if the head was to be installed on the opposite side.