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I just purchased a 2001 civic dx with 138,000 miles it appears that the exhaust manifold is cracked. the person i bought the car from said she checked with her mechanic and it would cost about $300 to repair. well, i called my shop today and they said it would be closer to $900. i have two sons who are pretty good at minor car repairs and have done some stuff on their own vehicles. they looked it over and think they could tackle replacing the manifold as it seems pretty accessible. does anyone know how complex the job is? should i risk having them do it or bite the bullet and take it to a licensed mechanic? also, is there any risk that i may damage the engine if i continue to drive it?

 
Rep Power: 242

Yea $300 is way off on price. The exhaust manifold has the cat built into it, so it's cost a lot of money for the manifold. Not hard to replace. Don't get a cheap one, try to get OEM or a good aftermarket one. Did you take to a muffler shop to see if maybe they could weld it? I don't know if you can or not but might be worth a shot.

 
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thank you! if it could be welded, how long could i expect that to last?

 
Rep Power: 242

Not sure. Probably depends how bad it is. A muffler shop should be able to tell you.

 
Rep Power: 185

$472 plus shipping from Majestic. Probably about $500 with shipping. Link below. Well worth the money IMO if you plan on keeping the car. Less than one car payment for most people depending on what kind of car you own.

Piece #4

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...OLD+%28SOHC%29

 
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cool. thank you all!

 
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I recently tried to tackle my manifold as I have a small leak around the gasket somewhere. It is a pretty simply "nuts and bolts" job, however, the real issue is actually getting the "nuts and bolts" off.

There are 3 nuts and 2 bolts holding the manifold to the block and unfortunately the nuts usually become so corroded and fused that they need to be cut off. The are attached to a double-threaded bolt that is screwed into the block, which usually has to be drilled out if you can't simply unscrew them. I mean, this all depends on the condition of your exhaust system, but if you have a crack, it is likely that these parts are also very corroded. Another issue is getting the heat shield off. In fact, you may as well just leave it on and buy a new one with the manifold (not sure if it is included, but not likely).

Anyway, prepare to require a Dremel tool, torque wrench, the proper gaskets, including the gasket that attaches the cat to the rest of the exhaust system at the bottom. Get all the hardware from Honda beforehand as they are pretty cheap and should be replaced anyway.

Good luck!

 
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My 2001 Civic has a cracked exhaust manifold. I have 194k miles on it. I am on my 4th a/c compressor. My Mazda and Toyota each had 250k miles when I gave them to my kids. I was hoping to get 250k miles on this car, but now I am beginning to wonder. I've always maintained my car--timing belt changes, etc., but never had problems until this Civic. Is this how long they last?

 
Rep Power: 173

They're usually better behaved than that! The beauty of owning a Civic is that many components are relatively easy and cheap to replace.
Four compressors is a pretty high number... I'm still on my first with 148k miles. Are they OEM or cheapies? If they're OEM, there might be another underlying issue that's killing those parts...