Exhaust Manifold Leak

[Schmooth]

Wife rings me yesterday: "Car ('03 SSS T) making a noise like a blown gasket." (bless her cotton socks, she actually knows something about mechanicals). And she's right.

Swing past Ford here in Canberra. "Yup, loose exhaust manifold bolts. But can't book you in, way too busy (all the dealers are, so I find out)." Anyway, mechanic is good enough to test the tension with a ring spanner, but only on the bolts on the upper side of the manifold. The forward most bolt is really loose. It improves things (bit less noise and not so much power lost) but he explains that nasty job to do the lower bolts!! And then the crunch: "Try not to drive it too much." I laugh, we do 500kms a week as it is the only car and none of the Ford dealers can fit me in the next week.

Thing is, car has 81k on it and was serviced at 75k. Should the bolts have been checked at that point?

Is this a job that can be done in the backyard by someone with limited mechanical experience? If so, any pointers before I give it a go tonight?

Tell you what, won't be buying another Ford. That new Aurion or VE Late model camira looking pretty sweet about now.

Current list of warranty items repaired/replaced include (for completely stock car):

- radiator (replaced)

- water pump (replaced)

- LHS engine mount (replaced)

- planetary gear set in auto (replaced)

- ICC (premium unit) (replaced)

- front brake rotors (machine once and replaced)

- diff (on order to replace)

- leaking power steering unit (next Wed for assessment)

- morebangs and rattles than you can shake a stick at

- and car damaged twice by dealer during service

I tell you, if it wasn't under lease with restrictive service options....

[PhantomFox6]

There is a thread on this which will tell you how to do it, what tools to use and stuff like that. search for exhaust bolts...its under ford workshop I think......good luck

P.S. this is my 100th post!!!!

[GOLDIE]

Take the heat shielding off and you gain acsess to the bolts that hold the turbo on except for the front lower bolt which can be got from under the car when on a hoist although if you have a thin 14 mm ring openened spanner you may be able to get at it.

Any good mechanic should be able to tighten all exhaust and turbo bolts in about 1/2 an hour.

Ian

[Schmooth]

Take the heat shielding off and you gain acsess to the bolts that hold the turbo on except for the front lower bolt which can be got from under the car when on a hoist although if you have a thin 14 mm ring openened spanner you may be able to get at it.

Any good mechanic should be able to tighten all exhaust and turbo bolts in about 1/2 an hour.

←

Thanks Ian and PhantomFox6. I refuse to pay for something that should have been part of the service already paid for!

Got the heat shielding mostly off.... dumb me can't shift the front half of it from behind the turbo fluid lines.... all the bolts are out but....

I've been using a 13mm socket (yeah I know, but I don't have a 13mm ring spanner! I'm a public servant, not a mechanic!) not 14mm........???

Apparently Ford charge 90 minutes labour for this particular part of the service.....

So if a good mechanic can do it in half an hour, and Ford in 90 mins, then I should be finished around midnight!

[GOLDIE]

The 14 mm is for the 4 nuts that hold the turbo onto the manifold.

Ian

[Schmooth]

Yeah, I eventually found them (turbo manifold bolts). Only one was slightly loose.

However, all the lower exhaust manifold bolts were loose to some degree. As was the upper front most (although tightened this morning by Ford mechanic) and rear most bolts - both of these latter two were quite loose.

Well, I have good news and bad news. Good news is that I tightened all bolts and got it back together. Bad news is that the leak is exactly the same as when I started. Guess I'll have to go back to the public service.

Given that this problem came on suddenly, and that tightening the bolts achieved little (slight improvement this morning with tightening 5 of the upper bolts), I'm guessing (with ALL my experience) that it is a blown exhaust gasket.

And Ford won't touch it for another 8 days!

I'm also guessing that I shouldn't be driving it in the meantime????

[deek]

Hi

Mine sounded like a diesel Transit the other week. So I took it back to Nizpro to let them have a look at it for me. Simon found one of the bolts missing from between the compressor and the turbine housings. If you get in there with a torch you should be able to spot it. We found my bolt nestled among the manifold. The intercooler piping had to come off but it was an easy job to fix.

Good luck

[Schmooth]

Nah, while I'm no mechanic, I had a good scrounge around everything with a torch (also had some portable spotlights doing duty - damn they were hot to work under in the garage) and couldn't see anything else amiss (no guarantees).

Drove the car today, and exhaust leak noise still there, but some minor boost returned, so not completely hopeless getting around town (and retightening bolts had some effect). Complained to service manager today and he bought the booking forward a day. Not much, but I'll take it. At least they made some effort.

[XR6T8080]

Sometimes when driving my T ute, the exhaust note changes completely, then after a while it returns to normal, sounds like a bad vacuum cleaner when it changes tone.

is this an exhaust / manafold leak problem? its been like that for ages, I havnt worried about it.

[igsta]

These bolts should be tightened every 10000ks. If Ford service your car you have to ask them to tighten the bolts. Otherwise do it your self its easy. It is a common problem with turbos not just Ford. Its due to the extreme temperature variations that works the bolts loose.