I've noticed an exhaust leak from the front passenger area of my truck for the last couple weeks, but could never find the cause (ok, maybe I was just too lazy). Tonight, I got around to finding the problem:



How do I go about fixing this? The picture was taken from the passenger wheel well. The broken bolt is the rearmost bolt...is this just a stud I can replace? Will I have to remove the manifold to do it?

Thanks!!!

 

I would remove the manifold and try getting the remainder of the stud out with vise-grips. The stud may go into the water jacket so maybe you should vent the cooling sysem first and expect a stream of antifreeze to pour out? Needless to say, you'll want to do all this with a cool engine.

Good luck, let us know how things turn out for you.

 

Thanks for the reply!!

I tried tonight to take the manifold off to replace the stud. As soon as I touched the stud under the previously broken one, it fell to the ground - didn't even get a chance to turn it.

After that happened, I was too scared to move any further. I took a look at my warranty book (I've got an 01 screw w/5.4l & 44k miles) and I see that the exhaust manifolds are covered for 7yrs/70000 miles. Would this include the studs? I'm going to try to get this covered by the emissions warranty - after all, the bolts are an important part of the emissions system, right?!? I'd like some opinions though before I call...should/will this be covered?

Thanks!!
Robert

 

This happened on a 2001 Supercrew? If so then it must be in pretty bad condition!

 

whaddya mean? I've had zero problems with this truck up till now...

 

I'm interested in how you made out, I have a 97 f150 5.4 with the same problem except both rear bolts are already broken on the pass side. I'm not under warranty but I'd like to know if they were able to turn the studs out or did they have to drill and tap them and if so, could they do that with the heads on. The dealer I spoke with said the head has to come off if those studs snap.

Thanks

 

I ended up buying a chip, headers, and an intake to fix the problem

If I had known how easy it'd be and how many problems I'd have with these #&^#*($^&@ headers, I would've just fixed the studs.

All I had to do is remove the inner - fender liner (4 small screws & a few body clips), remove the remaining bolts from the manifold, and use vice grips to remove the broken studs. It was actually pretty easy... new studs & nuts were about 2.50 each from the ford dealer & they had them in stock.

Good luck

 

Never underestimate the vice grips.

Glad it went well for you Rball5. Did any of the studs go into a water jacket?

So tell us how you like your new mods? Did ya get some shorty or long tube headers? What brands on mods?

 

none of the studs went into the water jacket...and you're right, vice grips rock

My mods are:

1: Magnaflow catback
2: JBA Shorty Headers
3: Superchips Chip
4: Airforce 1 Intake

(that's the order I put them on)

It's a great combination and a huge improvement over stock. My only complaint is that the JBA headers (expensive) didn't fit right. I had to grind them down to make them fit (JBA says my engine is different than most).

I noticed the most improvement from the chip, then the intake, then the headers, then the catback. I think the only other things I want (for now) are high-flow cats & electric fans.

 

Hey guys,

I have the same problem with my truck now. After putting the truck on the racks, it's plain to see where the exhaust leak is coming from. I checked the Emissions Defect Warranty, and it appears that the exhaust manifold is one of the items covered for 8 years/80,000 miles. I called my dealer this morning and made an appointment. The leak is more noticeable when the engine is cold, then mostly disappears once it heats up, due to expansion. This could end up being a very costly repair item, so I sure hope Ford covers it. The nuts must have been torqued on too tight at the factory. What else could cause it, besides defective metal?
Anyone else with the same problem?? I take excellent care (OK, I'm ****, I admit it.....) of my vehicles. This is bugging the heck out of me.
Any help is appreciated....

Mooner

 

When I talked to my dealer, they told me the bolts are not covered - manifold is covered only if it is cracked....that may've been a line of bull, who knows. (I didn't press the issue as I didn't mind having an excuse to buy headers & a chip )

The iron these are made of expands & contracts when heated/cooled. In my case, when cold it looked like the manifold was pushing on the bolt...when warm, the manifold wasn't touching the bolt at all...I never would've expected that much movement, but I think that's why mine broke.

Good luck with the dealer!!!
Joe

 

Well, I finally gave in and took my truck to my dealer. Turns out I had two more broken studs on the passenger side. I thought, lately, that the leak was getting worse. With winter coming soon, surely there must be fumes coming into the cabin. I guess I held hope that a recall would be coming from Ford, since this truly is a safety issue. No such luck!
The dealer did a nice job, and it took 4 hours to fix. $661.80 later, all was taken care of. Truth be told, this has been a really good and dependable truck for me. Last week marked the 7th anniversary of my purchase. Also, I just turned the 100,000 mark, so I figured "Clifford" deserved some special attention. My truck still looks great, and runs like new. I did have some time while at the dealership to check out the new 2007 models. Wow.....a new King Ranch, powerstroke, 4x4 would look great in my garage. Oh well, maybe after our daughter is out of college. lol

Thanks to all who submitted photos of the exhaust manifold bolts and the additional information.
Later...

 

Going to the dealer and checking out the new trucks is a real big tease, my suggestion, dont go there unless you got a couple extra $$$

 

Same problem on my 97 f150 pass side 2 yrs ago, now drv side has the same problem (155,00 mls)

 

i have a 97 4.6,bought it with 123k. the seller told me about the broken bolts on driver side, he gave me a good deal on it so... drove me crazy after 1 week.well after about 6 hours in the driveway ,lots of swearing and a can of pb blaster, all is well again