Exhaust manifold

[crowncrazy87]

I know the 5.4s have had issues with the manifolds leaking and I am thinking this may be my problem.

My Expedition is an '02 5.4L with the 2v PI heads. I am hearing kind of a clicking type sound from the driver side fender well and from underneath the vehicle but if I pop the hood I don't hear it from up top... All I hear up top is the injectors and fan noise. When I rebuilt the motor I did not take the manifolds off the heads. I just cleaned up the heads and made sure the surface was flat and not warped because the motor ran great aside from rod bearing that went bad.

If it is a leaky manifold or manifold gasket how serious is that on one of these motors? Can I let it go for a while because the rebuild kind of took a lot of cash out of my wallet.

 

[bedrck46]

I have a 01 EB with the 5.4 and the passenger side exhaust manifold has been leaking for the past 8000 miles Other than the noise it hasn't affected driving.

If you not sure where its leaking take some baby powder and when the engine is running spray some around the exhaust manifold wear safety glasses and you will see where the leak is or take a cigarette and holding it with a pair of needle nose pliers place it around the exhaust and again you will se where its leaking

 

[bedrck46]

also kindly read the post about signature

 

[Canadian Expy]

Make sure it's not cracked, I had that problem on mine, drivers side cracked in half.

I drove like that for months, with no issues. Then put on headers Big PIA!!!

Look around to see if it's cracked or if you see black marks( exhaust staining) then you'll know for sure, if that's the problem.

 

[Canadian Expy]

Posted same time ^^^^

 

[Canadian Expy]

also kindly read the post about signature

He did give the year and motor!!! LOL.....

 

[stamp11127]

Let me see if I understand correctly:
1) You rebuilt the motor
2) Master rebuild kits should come with a complete gasket set
3) You chose not to replace the exhaust gaskets

If so, NO SOUP FOR YOU.....

 

[bedrck46]

yes he did and I was polite Just suggested he look at the thread about signature..

If there is no sig. then it may be a good idea to suggest hopefully that may get the word out

 

[crowncrazy87]

I will get the Sig done lol... And I didnt buy the master rebuild kit. I ordered some stuff here and some there... saved a little money that way. But I was surprised that Ford didnt rape me on the rod that I had to replace but the did on all the bolts... I have about 3k miles now on the motor and running great other than this.

 

[crowncrazy87]

I realize that this would have been much easier done before the motor went back in, BUT is it even possible to replace the gaskets/studs without having to pull a bunch of off and out?

 

[bedrck46]

check this video on youtube

Removing the exhaust manifold from a 5.4L Ford F150 Part 1 preliminary disassembly - YouTube

 

[Canadian Expy]

I realize that this would have been much easier done before the motor went back in, BUT is it even possible to replace the gaskets/studs without having to pull a bunch of off and out?

Mine broke multiple bolts so be prepared it was a big PIA
of course mine lives in salt 6 months of the year

 

[crowncrazy87]

Thanks for the link to the vid. I think I may wait for a while till the weather here cools off a bit. The bolts on mine are pretty rusty so I'm sure its gonna be a PITA to do.

 

[bedrck46]

use the dermal tool I just got one from Lowes the Blue Hawk brand was $40.00 for the kit I picked it because it has a flex lead for it, and the reviews were good.

I would use plenty of PB Blaster or a good penetrant to aid in removing the studs and bolts

I also ordered a set of SS studs and nuts off of e-bay for replacing the original studs and nuts

 

[Canadian Expy]

use the dermal tool I just got one from Lowes the Blue Hawk brand was $40.00 for the kit I picked it because it has a flex lead for it, and the reviews were good.

I would use plenty of PB Blaster or a good penetrant to aid in removing the studs and bolts

I also ordered a set of SS studs and nuts off of e-bay for replacing the original studs and nuts

Wish I'd done that^^^^...

 

[crowncrazy87]

Thanks for the help and advice. I'll get to this soon I reckon. The sound is annoying me to death.

 

[FordandPolaris]

My dad's truck pretty much has the manifold hanging loose on one side. Sounds like a tractor but still drives fine.

We tried to do the other side on his last winter but the main problem we ran into was not having the room to weld a nut onto the studs that snapped off. Also it is very time consuming. We towed it to an exhaust shop that was able to complete the job for about 400 bucks. They want 500 for start to finish with replacing all studs.


Sent from the Pocket Computer

 

[jkrake]

My 98 EB manifold gasket is also leaking on the driver side. I think the main cause was the catalytic converters were getting plugged and creating too much back pressure. Not looking forward to replacing as it needs a full exhaust replacement from manifold gaskets on back.

 

[darmahsd]

I also completely relied on a Dremel tool with remote cable drive and plenty of cut off wheels to get manifolds off my '97 5.4. Luckily, only broke one stud. After years of heat cycles here in the Northeast,
they rust into one blob. The nuts no longer have any shape for any kind of wrench or vise grip to grab.
There's no room for a regular air tool/ grinder to reach and you've got to be careful with the torch. Only advantage is that, compared to my '05 three valve heads in 2nd Gen, there's alot more room to work. And there is more abundance in aftermarket stainless shorty headers, which is the way to go with replacements, along with stainless fasteners that the factory should have put in to begin with. I dread the day when I have to do this to my '05. And, there seems to be only one Gibson SS shorty available for this engine and it's over $700 bucks.