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Honda Civic 2004 VP
114000 miles

Went to get my car inspected and I was told I had a cracked exhaust manifold. I looked around on the forum and have gotten a lot of mixed ideas. It seems like I should be able to take on this repair myself but I am not sure what part I need to be looking for. Havn't looked under my hood yet to see. Do I need to look for one with a built in Catalytic Converter? Or...

Will this do the trick?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...5296&viewitem=

Or do I have to go for something like this?
http://www.1aauto.com/1A/CatalyticCo...aign=Shopzilla

All help is greatly appreciated. Thanks

-Jason

 
Rep Power: 208

I would just get a header.

 
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I was thinking the same thing but according to this forum I may have an exhaust manifold that has a Catalytic Converter welded to it. I need to know if my model civic has seperate parts for the manifold and converter or if it is just one part. Anyone know?

 
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If your current manifold has the cat built in then you of course will need to replace it with the same part to pass emissions. If you don't care about passing emissions then you can get a manifold without the cat... either way the job is straight forward as can be, but dont expect it to be easy. The bolts that attach the mani to the motor are typically rusted to hell and dont like to come out without snapping. The other end that connects to the rest of the exhaust is just 2 spring bolts, cut your old ones out if they're rusted then replace with new ones.

 
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Be careful when removing the O2 sensor - they are expensive to replace.
I would suggest spraying some pent. oil on it so you don't twist it off. It goes without saying - but - do this when the engine is cold.
It may also cause a code (check engine light on the dash). To get rid of this indicator light pulling the neg cable off the battery sometimes resolves this.
Good luck! Brian.

 
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I picked up this part off ebay. Tons of good reviews from ppl that bought Honda exhaust manifolds/Cat and are very happy with what they recieved.
http://compare.ebay.com/like/1404735...=263602_304662

I'll Kroil/WD-40 the bolts the night prior and wake up and do the same. Then I will go for the replace.

1. This will be my first time messing with O2 sensors. Do these just pull out? Again, first time dealing with O2 sensors and I hear they are expensive for such a little piece. Any and all advice is needed on this one.

2. The bolts/manifold look very rusty as expected. So the bolts have a good chance of stripping/breaking as everyone has said they might. How can I have bolts on hand before taking this repiar on?

 
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I would get yourself a bolt extractor kit before you even try this job, if you don't own one already. Looks like a socket set with teeth on the inside... they work awesome for situations like yours. Sears - 30 bucks.

Also use PB blaster or liquid wrench not WD40.

 
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I am going after this repair this upcoming weekend. I bought all new bolts and gaskets to do the repair. I have been putting Kroil/WD-40 on the bolts once a day for probably 4 days now in hopes that this will eliminate me breaking a bolt off(I have a bolt extractor just incase). I have few more questions before I get my hands dirty.

1. I work at a paper mill for the maintenance group as an Electrical supervisor. This does not make me more familiar with mechanical maintenance but it does put me in position to aquire just about any tool I could possibly need. They have a nice Dewalt battery powered impact drill and I brought it up to my car to test a few things. It seems I would have access to a all bolts but one with this Impact Drill. Should I try using this first? Or is this a big no no?

2. Does anyone know where I could get the torque specs for all the bolts I plan to be putting in? I've read a few horror stories of people making them too tight, the engine gets hot, and the bolts just snap off. I do not want this.

3. The exhaust manifold I recieved does not have any place for me to hook my heat shield back up. I've read a number of places that the heat shield is not required and that I should be fine without it. Anybody?

Sorry for all the questions! I usually try and read up on this stuff and then come to this site for the final say. The help on this site has yet to steer me in the wrong direction.

Thanks in advance.

-Jason

 
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You got an extractor, awesome. I always use an impact gun anytime I can over a wrench. The reason is if the bolt is rusted to a nut or the engine block in your case, the gun hits the bolt repeatedly loosing the rust bond, if you take it off with a wrench you're just using pure torque on the bolt/nut and it will snap if the rust doesn't break free. This is why a lot of people snap wheel studs because they arn't using air tools. So I say use the gun on the lowest setting and put the new bolts in with a regular wrench. I dont know the answer to number 2 but put them in there how you feel they should be and you'll be fine - thats all I did. Just don't kill them in. Number 3 you dont need a heat shield mine has been off for many years now and I have zero overheating issues or any issues at all.

Good luck, Im doing new ball joints and new axles project myself this weekend.

 
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This past week I took on the repairs. I replaced the manifold and adjusted my valve clearances. After all was said and done the car passed its inspection and is running 98% better than b4. The reason I say 98% is because of the almost unnoticeable noise it still makes. Here is the troubleshooting I went through to try and diagnose the problem. Please let me know what you think.

1. While idling, if I press on the gas and get the engine going it sounds perfect. No ticking noise at all.
2. If I put the car in gear and accelerate slowly the engine still sounds great.
3. It is not until I give it a lot of gas while driving does the ticking begin.

I don't think its valve clearance or the exhuast manifold b/c I do not see how either of these depend on the car being in gear. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance

-Jason

 
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Check out the other exhaust joints with the motor running, look at the joint after the cat about mid car, the crush seal in between the joints could be loose. Feel for exhaust coming out.

Check the heat shields that surround the cat in between the cat and the floor boards of the car. Unless your manifold has the cat built in.

You can also "drive" the car while it sits on jackstands and listen for sounds, or have someone else "drive" it for you. Just be careful.