Exhaust manifold gasket work

[d.richey]

The mechanic I took my 91 Warrior to is dragging his feet intentionally on doing my work. I finally told him to finish up what he can by tomorrow and I'll get the rest done elsewhere. The big part is what he is leaving-the exhaust manifold gasket work. Before I go out and solicit someone else's help I would like another overview. He told me that the manifold was not cracked and yet I thought I read on the forum that some of these bolt replacement problems can be corrected by getting a new manifold. Is there a possiblilty that it would have to be up on a lift? From all I have read about this subject on the forum it is very depressing and negative-pessimistic. I would have thought that by 1991 on a Toyota(good brand) that they would not be making something concerned with the engine that is scarcely repairable. That is the way it sounds when you talk about getting bolts in or out. There seem to be so many failure scenarios and that is with owners who are diligent and very caring of their own vehicle. Who am I going to be able to trust to be as perfect as what seems to be required in dealing with all that bolt issue. This is a v-6 by the way. I 'm afraid that someone could do a half-way job and I will not know it.This guy I had did not seem to be motivated to tackle this even though he had written me out an estimate and said he would do it. Would someone make this as clear and definite as posssible and tell me if there are any ways to avoid pitfalls in the procedure . Do I take it to some kind of specialist? What about Toyota? Someone mentioned a muffler shop I thought. If there is anyone honest near N.C. that does this speak up. Thanks -depressed-Doug P.S.(out of 5 motorhomes that I have owned only one ended up being a simple matter).

[lostinbama2x]

Doug. Hate to hear about your manifold woes. I think that any working mechanic "willing" to jump right on an exhaust manifold job for a vehicle thats pushing 20 years old is either clueless or hungry. Your mechanic may be neither.

I think there may be a few differences in your manifold job compared to the manifold replacements i've read about here.

First off, your talking about a V6. you've got 2 exhaust manifolds, left and right. Us four bangers just got one manifold.

Next is just a guess, but, if the engine bay on your 91' is near the size of my 86', i bet its a pretty tight fit reaching either manifold.The thought of slipped wrenches while in a contorted skin removing position is enough to make most mechanics think twice.

One likeness between the 2 is the fact that your manifold and the 4cly manifold both use threaded studs inserted into the head and the manifold is held on with nuts.

The aggrivation comes in during removal. After years of heating, cooling,and moisture, the nuts form a bond with the studs. When reverse torque is applied the result can be a broken stud. When that stud breaks it opens up a whole new can of worms.

That stud has to be removed and replaced in order for your manifold seal properly. This removal and installation of studs can send some mechanics, shad tree or professional, into panic attacks.

Pre soaking the nuts in some sort of "liquid wrench" is probably the best place to start. Find a mechanic that will tell you all this up front and is still willing to do the work and you may have your man.Dont be surprised if the price is a little steep though.

This problem is not just specific to Toyota its true for lots of vehicles. Hope all this helps. Bama.

[SanDiegoPaul]

Doug. Hate to hear about your manifold woes. I think that any working mechanic "willing" to jump right on an exhaust manifold job for a vehicle thats pushing 20 years old is either clueless or hungry. Your mechanic may be neither.

I think there may be a few differences in your manifold job compared to the manifold replacements i've read about here.

First off, your talking about a V6. you've got 2 exhaust manifolds, left and right. Us four bangers just got one manifold.

Next is just a guess, but, if the engine bay on your 91' is near the size of my 86', i bet its a pretty tight fit reaching either manifold.The thought of slipped wrenches while in a contorted skin removing position is enough to make most mechanics think twice.

One likeness between the 2 is the fact that your manifold and the 4cly manifold both use threaded studs inserted into the head and the manifold is held on with nuts.

The aggrivation comes in during removal. After years of heating, cooling,and moisture, the nuts form a bond with the studs. When reverse torque is applied the result can be a broken stud. When that stud breaks it opens up a whole new can of worms.

That stud has to be removed and replaced in order for your manifold seal properly. This removal and installation of studs can send some mechanics, shad tree or professional, into panic attacks.

Pre soaking the nuts in some sort of "liquid wrench" is probably the best place to start. Find a mechanic that will tell you all this up front and is still willing to do the work and you may have your man.Dont be surprised if the price is a little steep though.

This problem is not just specific to Toyota its true for lots of vehicles. Hope all this helps. Bama.

Right on target! I turned wrenches for a coupla decades, and I know exhaust manifold work very well. Out of all the things I've done, exhaust work is about the most time consuming. RE: A mechanic turning it down? On that I disagree; I was always taught that 'it's all just nuts & bolts' and I went into each job with that attitude. Some jobs take longer, especially when things break. But then you charge accordingly so you get compensated. I think that any technician that drags his heels on a job is being fed too much easy stuff and isn't really hungry. A HUNGRY tech will do exhaust manifold work all day long.