Exhaust Manifold Crack? Easy Repair!
#1
Registered!!
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Lindenwold, NJ
Posts: 297
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Rep Power: 0 Exhaust Manifold Crack? Easy Repair!
The exhaust manifold on an LX is not cast iron as is popular belief over here! It is steel which means it should be easy to MIG weld.
I took my manifold off to have it welded and the guy told me it's not cast iron. The manifold and converter are actually made of 2 pieces of steel welded together in 2 halves. If you look carefully you can see the weld seems along the edges. The tubes are welded very cheaply to a steel flange that bolts to the engine.
Cast iron manifolds are made by pouring liquid pig iron into a mold. The steel halves used for our cars' manifolds are most likely sheet metal pressed into a die.
My manifold cracked all along one of the welds joining the #1 tube to the mounting flange. The guy showed me how the welds were done very cheaply with a machine so they end up looking like paste smeared along the joint. A proper quality weld should look like a row of overlapping circles.
So if your manifold is welded no need to buy an expensive new piece. Just have it welded. It's steel!
I took my manifold off to have it welded and the guy told me it's not cast iron. The manifold and converter are actually made of 2 pieces of steel welded together in 2 halves. If you look carefully you can see the weld seems along the edges. The tubes are welded very cheaply to a steel flange that bolts to the engine.
Cast iron manifolds are made by pouring liquid pig iron into a mold. The steel halves used for our cars' manifolds are most likely sheet metal pressed into a die.
My manifold cracked all along one of the welds joining the #1 tube to the mounting flange. The guy showed me how the welds were done very cheaply with a machine so they end up looking like paste smeared along the joint. A proper quality weld should look like a row of overlapping circles.
So if your manifold is welded no need to buy an expensive new piece. Just have it welded. It's steel!
#3
Registered!!
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Lindenwold, NJ
Posts: 297
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Rep Power: 0 Re: Exhaust Manifold Crack? Easy Repair!
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...m-options.html [POST #4]
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/3...-question.html [Post #1]
It's crazy the amount of misinformation you can sometimes get. I almost bought a whole new OEM manifold because I was under the impression the manifold is cast iron and cannot be welded properly.
#4
Registered!!
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Posts: 710
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Rep Power: 164 Re: Exhaust Manifold Crack? Easy Repair!
from what i read, on hondatech i believe, welding a crack doesnt hold up and your better off getting another manifold or aftermerket header.
#6
Registered!!
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Lindenwold, NJ
Posts: 297
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes
on
3 Posts
Rep Power: 0 Re: Exhaust Manifold Crack? Easy Repair!
They guy did a good job of welding it. The joint itself should be stronger than the surrounding metal. Now if it cracks again at the other factory welds or some where else I wouldn't be too surprised. But the weld itself is a solid repair.
So far so good, time will tell I guess, but my point is not to automatically dismiss a cracked manifold as junk and attempt to have it repaired professionally.
Thread
Thread Starter
Honda Civic Forum
Replies
Last Post
D17A7
Mechanical Problems/Vehicle Issues and Fix-it Forum
1
07-06-2015 06:04 AM
Supramk3
Mechanical Problems/Vehicle Issues and Fix-it Forum
1
05-11-2015 07:55 PM
Civic4ever1996
Mechanical Problems/Vehicle Issues and Fix-it Forum
1
04-16-2015 08:30 PM