How difficult is it to remove the manifolds?
Discussion
Nearside you can get to just taking off the airbox & water rail on that side (i.e. drain coolant first).
Drivers side needs the engine mounts taken off, and engine swung over. You can *just* do it without removing the plates on the engine, just the drivers side rubber mount (it unscrews) and brackets on chassis.
So.
-remove exhuast system inc cats (may need to remove rear ARB mounts to get exhaust out, let it swing down)
-remove plate under engine.
-remove top engine cover thingy (techinical term illudes me)
-remove both airboxes.
-drain coolant
-remove both coolant rails (undo pipework at both ends, then the M8 bolts)
-place jack under engine supported with wood. Jack up to *just* take load of engine.
-remove both engine mount brakets on each side of chassis (I found some 50mm square or so wood that I put between the engine mounting plates and chassis - this means you can drop it down onto them and the engine will stay in roughtly the same place as if mounts were installed. Works great when you send them off for welding
)
-on drives side unscrew rubber mount.
remove nearside manifold first. Undo M8 bolts on manifold. Before allowing it to move get under car, swing it down slightly, and remove lamda sensor. Now you can fully remove the manifold by dragging it upward past the engine.
pax side manifold requires you to swing the engine over to the pax side. You can JUST and I mean JUST get the manifold out if you swing it as far as it will go, and get it as high as it will go without the mounting plate putting force on the steering column, so be careful. But if you can get the engine in just the right place, the manifolds will come out with a cheeky 1/2 turn and a lean on the top of the trumpets to move the top of engine another 5mm or so.
Refit reverse of removal
I hope it's your nearside gone
Drivers side needs the engine mounts taken off, and engine swung over. You can *just* do it without removing the plates on the engine, just the drivers side rubber mount (it unscrews) and brackets on chassis.
So.
- 1 BUY A 13MM RATCHETING SPANNER from halfords or something.
-remove exhuast system inc cats (may need to remove rear ARB mounts to get exhaust out, let it swing down)
-remove plate under engine.
-remove top engine cover thingy (techinical term illudes me)
-remove both airboxes.
-drain coolant
-remove both coolant rails (undo pipework at both ends, then the M8 bolts)
-place jack under engine supported with wood. Jack up to *just* take load of engine.
-remove both engine mount brakets on each side of chassis (I found some 50mm square or so wood that I put between the engine mounting plates and chassis - this means you can drop it down onto them and the engine will stay in roughtly the same place as if mounts were installed. Works great when you send them off for welding
)-on drives side unscrew rubber mount.
remove nearside manifold first. Undo M8 bolts on manifold. Before allowing it to move get under car, swing it down slightly, and remove lamda sensor. Now you can fully remove the manifold by dragging it upward past the engine.
pax side manifold requires you to swing the engine over to the pax side. You can JUST and I mean JUST get the manifold out if you swing it as far as it will go, and get it as high as it will go without the mounting plate putting force on the steering column, so be careful. But if you can get the engine in just the right place, the manifolds will come out with a cheeky 1/2 turn and a lean on the top of the trumpets to move the top of engine another 5mm or so.
Refit reverse of removal
I hope it's your nearside gone
Edited by stuthemong on Monday 2nd November 21:48
Edited by stuthemong on Monday 2nd November 21:53
Argh! Looks like I'm in the same boat too. And it's the driver's side one (sod's law, eh?).
Do you have to take the passenger side one off to be able to move the engine enough to get the driver's side one out?
For those who'd had them TIG repaired - how has the repair held up? I'm considering replacement rather than repair, but the ACT ones are a bit pricey at >£1k once you've added the VAT. On the other hand, I don't particularly fancy having to do this job a second time...
Do you have to take the passenger side one off to be able to move the engine enough to get the driver's side one out?
For those who'd had them TIG repaired - how has the repair held up? I'm considering replacement rather than repair, but the ACT ones are a bit pricey at >£1k once you've added the VAT. On the other hand, I don't particularly fancy having to do this job a second time...
Did mine last year, cleaned up MiG welded the cracks, added stiffeners
and lagged them. Year later new crack in a new place and guess what -
drivers side. Going to try and keep going for a while yet until the brake
upgrade is fitted and the suspension rattle traced and fixed but I think
a set of manifolds from ACT is in order in the new year.
BTW a new TVR set from TVR is approx £700 so the ACT ones are in my mind
a realistic price.
group buy in the new year?
and lagged them. Year later new crack in a new place and guess what -
drivers side. Going to try and keep going for a while yet until the brake
upgrade is fitted and the suspension rattle traced and fixed but I think
a set of manifolds from ACT is in order in the new year.
BTW a new TVR set from TVR is approx £700 so the ACT ones are in my mind
a realistic price.
group buy in the new year?
Our manifolds are expensive and aware that there has been disapointment in the past when we've only offered about £50 discount for "group buy" the reality is that they should cost even more than our retail of £925 +vat, these manifolds were/ are aimed at thoughs seeking better performance.
We are also looking into reproducing cheaper original design manifolds(hopefully with improvements to avoid cracking) in the future, i understand that this is what most customers need, not sure when this will be as there is so much in development at present.
Tim ACT
We are also looking into reproducing cheaper original design manifolds(hopefully with improvements to avoid cracking) in the future, i understand that this is what most customers need, not sure when this will be as there is so much in development at present.
Tim ACT
Ireland said:
When I bumped into r8nan off here at a PH meet in NI a few months back he was talking about making up better ones for his car.
Perhaps he'll post and tell us if he did and maybe he'd give us some feedback about them and possibly be able to help people with new ones as well.
Hi IrelandPerhaps he'll post and tell us if he did and maybe he'd give us some feedback about them and possibly be able to help people with new ones as well.
I did try and get new ones made up but it proved to difficult. I then noticed that ACT had developed new ones so I ordered a set from Tim and they arrived on Thursday.
They are definitely a massive improvement over the standard and when you see the work that went into manufacturing these, they are very good value for money.
PS Thanks Tim for getting them made up and sent out, perfect timing
t of a job. I currently have the nearside (easy one) one halfway out and have now given up for the night.Kojak,
Do re-read my post above for the order of things, if you do it in that order it's not 'so' bad. Working out what to do / trying to do it with water rails still on were what make it hard. That and not having a ratchet spanner to start with.
that said, in a few days I should get some ACT stainless manifolds (thanks Tim) so I'll be trying to fit them - hopefully I'll be able to put it all back together again... we'll see
Stu
Do re-read my post above for the order of things, if you do it in that order it's not 'so' bad. Working out what to do / trying to do it with water rails still on were what make it hard. That and not having a ratchet spanner to start with.
that said, in a few days I should get some ACT stainless manifolds (thanks Tim) so I'll be trying to fit them - hopefully I'll be able to put it all back together again... we'll see
Stu
I am going to germany for a year at the end of Dec so I need to get the car sorted now.
Yep I read it back again and again, water rails are off, I had another go, i had to move the engine across slightly in the end but with some swearing the pas side one is out ( the easier one!). I am not impressed with the quality of the manifolds at all, very messy inside, that must hinder the gas flow? I am tempted to go for some ACT ones also, please feed back when you get yours fitted.
Yep I read it back again and again, water rails are off, I had another go, i had to move the engine across slightly in the end but with some swearing the pas side one is out ( the easier one!). I am not impressed with the quality of the manifolds at all, very messy inside, that must hinder the gas flow? I am tempted to go for some ACT ones also, please feed back when you get yours fitted.
...well if you want the ACT ones and completion before end of Dec you may struggle - they take a few weeks to make 
!
I have a 4.2 and apparently the stock manifolds are pretty much OK to the 350hp mark, the 4.5's gain from them more as the manifolds do become limiting (said Joo). I got lucky that some ACT ones were coming up & it was worth my waiting for them (have been for a few weeks) and doing the job properly once and for all (and getting a smidge more torque & hp). I have mine rewelded but they have warped so needed skimming and I just decided to bite the bullet (with the linked de-cat SP exhaust system it's a lot of cash I've dumped on my exhaust system - hopefully it will ROCK when done)
With your 4.5 RR, my suspicion is that my recommendation would be to get the ACTs on there.... but I think timing may preclude that option for you. Plan b) would be to get yours reweleded and port them with a dremel - it's what I did to mine before refitting them (And discovering the extent of the warping problem).
It may also be that your 4.5 manifolds were slightly bigger than mine, meaning you struggled more on your nearisde. I hope you manage to get yours out the drivers side like I did, that was VERY tight, and if your pipes are bigger on OD it may be enough to make it impossible.
I wish you the best of luck!
!I have a 4.2 and apparently the stock manifolds are pretty much OK to the 350hp mark, the 4.5's gain from them more as the manifolds do become limiting (said Joo). I got lucky that some ACT ones were coming up & it was worth my waiting for them (have been for a few weeks) and doing the job properly once and for all (and getting a smidge more torque & hp). I have mine rewelded but they have warped so needed skimming and I just decided to bite the bullet (with the linked de-cat SP exhaust system it's a lot of cash I've dumped on my exhaust system - hopefully it will ROCK when done
)With your 4.5 RR, my suspicion is that my recommendation would be to get the ACTs on there.... but I think timing may preclude that option for you. Plan b) would be to get yours reweleded and port them with a dremel - it's what I did to mine before refitting them (And discovering the extent of the warping problem
). It may also be that your 4.5 manifolds were slightly bigger than mine, meaning you struggled more on your nearisde. I hope you manage to get yours out the drivers side like I did, that was VERY tight, and if your pipes are bigger on OD it may be enough to make it impossible.
I wish you the best of luck!
stuth does yours have the temp gauge wire running along the driver side water rail? If so was it much of a problem? Mine runs along it and across the gap into the driverside wing, bang in the way of where the manifold needs to come up.
Just spent an hour looking at it, still none the wiser
Just spent an hour looking at it, still none the wiser
Mine was long enough to put ontop of the inlet trumpets and just out the way enough to get the manifold out.
I hope I havent damaged it as I hear they are quite delicate, I was as delicate as I could have been.
Otherwise you can try pulling it through a bit more where it goes into the 'bulkhead' or removing it from the other end if you can - you'll just have to freestyle that bit I think - certainly I managed to just manouvre it clear, but its going to be dependant on how much slack you have in it. I undid ALL the zip ties that route it on the chassis to give the longest free lenght possible
I hope I havent damaged it as I hear they are quite delicate, I was as delicate as I could have been.
Otherwise you can try pulling it through a bit more where it goes into the 'bulkhead' or removing it from the other end if you can - you'll just have to freestyle that bit I think - certainly I managed to just manouvre it clear, but its going to be dependant on how much slack you have in it. I undid ALL the zip ties that route it on the chassis to give the longest free lenght possible
Well I got the driver side manifold out relatively easily, both engine mounts undone and removed the near side mount plate.
A piece of wood then put down between the gearbox and box section of the chassis ( off side ), with a push it gave enough clearance to pull the manifold up.
I didn't realise the exhaust ports on the head were a different shape to the ports on the manifold, there looks to be in places quite a big step where they mate ( 4-5 mm ). Again not good for gas flow.
A piece of wood then put down between the gearbox and box section of the chassis ( off side ), with a push it gave enough clearance to pull the manifold up.
I didn't realise the exhaust ports on the head were a different shape to the ports on the manifold, there looks to be in places quite a big step where they mate ( 4-5 mm ). Again not good for gas flow.
high52kojak said:
Well I got the driver side manifold out relatively easily, both engine mounts undone and removed the near side mount plate.
A piece of wood then put down between the gearbox and box section of the chassis ( off side ), with a push it gave enough clearance to pull the manifold up.
I didn't realise the exhaust ports on the head were a different shape to the ports on the manifold, there looks to be in places quite a big step where they mate ( 4-5 mm ). Again not good for gas flow.
A piece of wood then put down between the gearbox and box section of the chassis ( off side ), with a push it gave enough clearance to pull the manifold up.
I didn't realise the exhaust ports on the head were a different shape to the ports on the manifold, there looks to be in places quite a big step where they mate ( 4-5 mm ). Again not good for gas flow.
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