Exhaust Woes!

[grumpytvr]

Took the S2 across to the Gower this weekend only to find on the way there the exhaust got louder and louder followed by rattling metallic noises and lots of vibration.

To cut a long story short, on inspection the weld has broken on the stainless exhaust system where the down pipe connects to it. To fix it shouldn't be too much of a problem if it can be removed and herein the problem lies....

The driver side manifold is looking very rusty and I think will probably break if disturbed too "violently" meaning it will require replacement. Looking back through the car's history it has had the passenger side manifold replaced and the bolts Helicoiled - I suspect because the original studs snapped off during the removal / replacement process. The passenger side manifold is in a good state of repair.

So I'm left with a few choices:

1) Cross my fingers and hope the manifold doesn't break (preferred option but unlikely)
2) Replace driver manifold with mild steel version to match passenger side and deal with the stud snapping issue on one side only
3) Replace both manifolds with stainless items and suffer double the seized bolts issue.

If I start putting penetrating oil on the manifold nuts / studs every day, maybe I might be able to attack the manifolds in 6 months!!!

Having plundered the archives I have numerous choices where I can buy new stainless items (TVR car parts / Steve Reid / David Gerald / ACT etc etc ) and I'll follow them up. In the mean time any one got any thoughts / advice / drivers side manifold in mild steel they want shot of!?!

[intrepid]

I replaced my manifolds without using penetrating fluid and paid the price with broken studs, followed by heads off, etc, etc!!! One tip I could pass on is the use of bolt extractors from Machine Mart manufactured by IRWIN - they grip the head with a reverse spiral and in my case helped remove chewed up nuts...good luck

[tvrgit]

intrepid said:

I replaced my manifolds without using penetrating fluid and paid the price with broken studs, followed by heads off, etc, etc!!! One tip I could pass on is the use of bolt extractors from Machine Mart manufactured by IRWIN - they grip the head with a reverse spiral and in my case helped remove chewed up nuts...good luck

I changed mine last September or October, plenty penetrating fluid, also used the Irwin bolt extractors on a couple of rounded one, got all 12 out without breaking - you just have to take your time and ease them out gently. I also chopped one of the manifolds off the flange with a hammer and chisel to give me better access to the bolt heads - hard work but easier than taking off the cylinder heads. Pics and details are on my web site.

[Whitty]

Sounds like you had exactly the same problem as me, what started as a simple exaust weld job has turned into a complete nightmare, O/S manifold disintegrated into my eye on removal of the bracket, so bought the stainless oes including hockey sticks from Tim at ACT (Nice Chap)6 months of penetrating fluid, (Warning makes lots of smoke when run after application)and still broke 2 out of 12, tried stud extractors the lot, ended up costing £50 at the local machine shop.

Full set of gaskets and rebuilt, now confused by static timing settings, hope to hear her roar tomorrow for the first time since October.

My advice if you like, get the exhaust welded, buy an exhaust bandage, put it all back together with the bandage on the manifold joint, enjoy the summer, start rest as a winter project, worked as a great plan for me, even passed the MOT like that!

[clarenceboddiger]

Whitty said:

My advice if you like, get the exhaust welded, buy an exhaust bandage, put it all back together with the bandage on the manifold joint, enjoy the summer, start rest as a winter project, worked as a great plan for me, even passed the MOT like that!

Sounds like a good idea to me ,I think thats what I would do.
Get it welded and add a bit of bracing for strength ie a coupe of flat strips of steel @ 90 deg to the weld line, it wont look good but if it gets you through the summer its worth it.

Edited by clarenceboddiger on Sunday 13th May 07:25

[grumpytvr]

Thanks for replies, I'm planning to avoid touching the manifolds at all cost! Having had a good look under the car on the weekend, the exhaust will have to come off to be repaired. The plan is to cut through the "hockey sticks" and remove exhaust. The exhuast will be repaired and fitted with longer pipes on front (same diameter as hockey sticks). I'll then use some exhaust clamps that allow gas tight connection of 2 plain ended spigots. - Bosal make them (I think they're used on Volkswagens). The advantage of these connectors is that the bolts can be positioned above the exhaust increasing ground clearance.

Hopefully this will tide me over a while longer until the manifolds get so bad I do have to replace them! - and with some adjustment to the exhaust / hockey sticks it shouldn't be too difficult to revert to the old set up when they are replaced.

I'll let you know how I get on and once the job's done and I can work out how, I'll post some pics.

Cheers

Tom