R&R the right Exhaust Manifold
My legal disclaimer: I don’t not recommend anyone doing this, this is just what I did….;-)
A nut splitter won't work, you cant get it in the tight space.
OK, this job is a ***** on an older vehicle; I just did it to the passenger side (97 Expedition 120K) because of a rust hole in the manifold.
This is what I did. Remove the wheel.
Remove the plastic cover under the fender.
I removed the air shock because I was replacing it anyway.
Mine was so rusted that I fought it for hours, if you don't have extreme patients and time don’t even try it! You WILL break off a stud if you don’t use heat and PB Blaster (or something as good), this is a guarantee. When you are ready to give up and have a friend steal it for the insurance money, just walk away and come back to it the next day or after a break, you will get it.
You need a torch to get the nuts and studs RED hot. Don’t try to get the studs off while they are red hot, let them cool for a minute.
Make sure you have deep nut extractor sockets that are good quality, I used Snap-on. You might need different sizes depending on how much of the nut is left. Also a deep socket extractor for extracting studs, not that round stud remover tool they sell at the auto parts stores, it won’t fit in the tight space.
I chiseled off the bolts holding the exhaust to the manifold they were rusted so badly they just popped off.
Knock as much of the rust off of the nuts as you can. Start spraying the nuts and studs as much as possible a couple of days in advance.
Just unbolt and get anything out of the way that you can, AC lines, etc. Don’t burn anything up with the torch and be careful of heating the Aluminum head to much!
I started with the nut that was the easiest to get to so I could get a feel for how to get the ones that are a ***** to get to. I used a mirror to see some of the nuts I couldn’t see.
Get the nut red hot, and I do mean red hot.
Spray the nut with PB Blaster and watch as the fluid gets sucked into the nut and stud and starts a little fire. You do have a fire extinguisher close by!
Get the nut hot again and then tap or pry on the nut extractor and work it slowly until it bites and hopefully it will come off the first try, if not (most likely) repeat the process. If you are lucky the stud will come out with it!
Now, you are going to have a hard time getting the lower one behind the shock mount.
I used an acetylene and oxygen welding torch with the smallest flame I could get. I used Mapp gas to get a rusted filler plug out of the differential and it might work for the manifold if you have a torch that will give you a small hot flame.
The manifold is a tight fit, but it will come out pulling it to the front of the engine.
Now for the studs that are left: Get them red hot spray with PB Blaster, let them cool a little and put the stud extractor or a smaller deep socket nut extractor on it and work it out slowly, if you think it is at the breaking point, STOP and re-heat, spray again and repeat the process. Yes I broke one stud, but I was lucky and it left about a ¼ inch and it was in a spot I could get to. I mig welded a fresh nut to the stud, heated and sprayed again and it came right out. You might have to build up the stud with the welder first too.
Just know before you start, you might not get as lucky as I was and might have to take the head off to remove broken stud (s). There is plenty of info about extracting studs on the internet. You might have an easier time getting to everything if you unbolt the motor mounts and jack up the motor, I didn’t have to.
If all goes well, here is another tip that will save you time installing the new manifold that I didn’t know until I messed up and put all the studs back in the head. I couldn’t get the manifold on with all the studs in the head because of the shock mount and the studs in the manifold that attach to the exhaust. Tape the gasket in place or whatever, and line the manifold up, then run the studs in! Don’t forget the anti-seize. You are going to have to use a combination of ratchets and tools to get to the nuts, for the R&R so be ready to be creative. If you don’t know what mean, don’t even try this job. As a foot note, I have been a shade tree mechanic for over 30 years and this was hard with no lift. My buddy that is a Ford mechanic walked me through this fix and he gets $200.00 labor a side to replace these, on the side, and he has a lift and every tool you can think of. If the studs break off on him or at any shop, they will charge you to take off the head and get the studs out, (A reputable mechanic will tell you this up-front) but using this method he very rarely has to do that, but he has been doing it for a long time and used to work at a Ford stealer ship for years.
I’m sure I forgot some steps that are basic mechanics 101, but you get the idea.
I don’t know how the rest of the Expeditions are holding up for rust, but mine is rusted underneath to pieces. I bought it new and have never had it off road or near water except for rain. My differential cover even rusted through! Almost time for the scrap yard or some kid to mess with!
If you disregard my legal disclaimer and try this, I hope it helps and good luck! This site has been really helpful to me and I just wanted to give back.
I had a broken exhuast manifold.
