Squeeken

My 01 Civic LX has a cracked exhaust manifold. I can replace it myself if there is no welding involved, which I don't believe there is. This seems to be a common problem. I would rather not buy the manifold from the dealer as it is very expesnsive.

Can anyone here recommend a quality after market exhaust manifold? I see many online but I don't know what's quality and what's crap, so I need some recommendations from some of you that may have been through this already. I don't want to buy crappy parts and then have to go through this again in a couple years. Also, it must pass California smog test.

Thanks.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

its very common problem but easy to replace (just bolts to remove and you need new gaskets). unfortunately, all the aftermarket pieces do not have the cat built-in like the stock one so they would never pass smog. the best aftermarket is kamikaze, but like i said, theres no way it will pass smog. you need to either find a cheap used oem part on ebay or junkyard, or just pay to have the old one fixed. im sure the cheapest way would be to have a welder just seal the crack if its a small area. large or long crack prolly isnt fixable.

Squeeken

Thanks for the reply gearbox. I have not pulled the exhaust manifold off the car yet so I don't know for sure how bad the crack is, but I can see an inch long crack on the upper front portion of the manifold.

I found this manifold
http://www.1aauto.com/1A/CatalyticCo...EM00612/322365
on line for $320. It seems like a good deal; free shipping and 2 year warranty.
But I have no idea if it's decent quality or not.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

wow nice find. it looks pretty solid, but i cant tell without looking up close. i guess anything is worth trying over an oem one that will just crack again right? may be worth it.

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

It should be ok except in California where you are forced to use OEM on any OBDII car...

02_d17a1_dx

iTrader: (1)

i had this happen to me also and because it wasn't welded right the first time i had to trash the entire thing and i ended up converting to an ex exhaust. IF, you decide to fix the crack, make sure the welding shop you go to (not chain muffler shop) does it right, by drilling out the ends of the crack to prevent it from cracking further, and they fill it with good quality welds and finish it flush. that way you have the best chance of keeping it form cracking again, cause if it cracks again you will probably have to trash it. hope this helps...

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

I thought as long as it is C.A.R.B. approved you were good.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i doubt they would be able to tell oem from aftermarket to be honest. you can just say thats how you bought the car and everythings stock.

Squeeken

That figures! I'm in San Diego. I have a friend that lives in Yuma, AZ. I was considering having it shipped to his house then I would make the 3 hour drive to pick it up since they will not ship to California.

Do you really think a smog tech would be able to tell that it's not stock? It looks stock to me. Has anyone else here purchased this particular manifold for their California Civic? I'm really leaning towards buying this thing. It seems like a great price for a complete manifold/cat.

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

Trust me the smog guys will know. It looks nothing like the OEM unit. Sadly you will get an automatic failure as soon as they do the visual inspection. Even if the emissions are very clean... Lame *** CA

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

jeez i cant believe that place and all the craziness. most of it makes no sense, like failing you for having an intake thats not carb approved even tho it does the exact same thing. im just glad i dont live there, my car would be epic fail

Cleft_Asunder

iTrader: (1)

I'm in the same boat you are. I have a large crack, about 2 inches. I recommend you study the end of the Trez's exhaust FAQ in the DIY section then go to the last page where I have been posting to figure out what you want to do. Because personally --unless I can find one cheap-- I don't want another manifold/cat in there.

Don't rush to get it done. Think about what's best in the long run.

Cleft_Asunder

iTrader: (1)

Looks like a good one because it's all stainless steel. It wouldn't be a bad investment. The ebay stuff goes for around 160 but the header is cast iron, which means another replacement in the future.

Squeeken

Okay this one

https://www.dormanproducts.com/cgi-b...gory_list=:0:0

looks exactly like my stock manifold/cat but it also is not for sale in California. I don't know if it's not approved for California sales only because it lacks the C.A.R.B. number, or if the emissions output is higher than allowed by California and I can't get a straight answer to that question from Dorman. Their site says it replaces Honda part number 18160-PLM-A50, which is the same part number the dealer gave me with an asking price of about $700 after gaskets and tax is added. I can get this one from RockAuto.com for $390.

Any thoughts?

dopes6070

iTrader: (25)

That one looks good (just like OEM). As long as it passes the sniffer and looks really stock you should be ok...

madAd

Yeah, Dorman makes good replacement parts. I just hope it'll pass.

You might want to look into other things that could be wrong with your engine that would've caused this also. My '02 LX had a big crack in the same spot. An exhaust guy I know said it's usually caused by something wrong with the fuel or ignition system, usually because the engines burning lean, sometimes because it's rich. Look at intake manifold, throttle body, coils, fuel injectors, fuel filter, and fuel pump. But this is also pretty common on our cars, so it might just be from a design flaw. Mine, I believe, was caused by a leaking intake manifold gasket, which let oil into the combustion chambers and onto my fuel injectors.

LiKEaFeRiO

iTrader: (29)

I had cracks in my exhaust manifold and it creating annoying whistling noises.
I think I'm on my 3rd exhaust manifold on my 2001 LX.
I bought used ones from local SoCal owners each time.

CA has rules regarding catalytic converters...I think it's illegal to remove or modify a cat unless under certain instances.
It's probably why you might not be able to purchase it online or find a junkyard/dismantler who is going to sell you a used one.

Once you fix/replace your manifold, I suggest buying an aftermarket header for daily use.
Keep the stock manifold in storage and bust it out every two years for smog.

Squeeken

I pulled the exhaust manifold off the car today. It turns out that it's actually cracked in three places. The longest one being about an inch long. I'm going to take it to a local muffler shop tomorrow and see if they think it can be welded well enough to last at least a couple years. He told me on the phone that they weld manifolds all the time and that they usually last at least a year or two before they crack again. He said to bring it by and he'd take look at it and let me know if it's worth a try. It will cost me about $85 plus new gaskets.

Has anyone here tried to weld there original manifold? If so, how long did it last?

africanoboomer

i think i also have the same problem on mine. Would a cracked exhaust manifold cause engine light to turn on?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah it would, cause the oxygen sensor would not be getting the right readings since outside air is coming in. what does the code say for engine light? check that first. if its "cat" or o2 sensor related, theres the problem. also might make some noises while driving if theres a leak in the pipe.

africanoboomer

i dont have an analyser yet to give me the code, i would have to get one and is there a certain type of analyser good for honda?

madAd

Just go to the auto parts store and they'll scan it for free. Not a comprehensive scan, but should tell you what your code is.
BTW, my manifold was cracked, I just replaced it with a header, but I drove it like that for months and the engine light never came on.

Squeeken

Yeah, my check engine light was on with a Catalytic Converter code. I had to disconnect the negative ground cable from the battery in accordance with the manifold/cat change out procedure, so that cleared the code out of the computer.

I had the manifold welded this morning. As far as I can tell, the guys at Warner Muffler in Oceanside, CA did a good job. They seems to think it will last quite awhile. We'll see. It's back on the car. It runs and sounds great again. The check engine light is out and seems to be staying that way.

If it cracks again or if the check engine light comes back on, I will post it here so others with this problem can learn from my experience.

By the way, the weld job only cost me $45 and the two gaskets from the Honda dealer were $16.43 and $8.70 plus tax. So the whole thing cost me less than $75 instead of $700 for a new manifold/cat.

Now let's hope it lasts. Thanks for all the input from the guys here at civicforums. I appreciate it.

Squeeken

Well, the check engine light came back on today with the same code, P0420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1). So now I'm thinking that the Cat is bad, and the cracks had nothing to do with the light comming on. I pulled the manifold off the car again just to make sure that the welds were in tact, which they were.

Since I had three cracks in the manifold, it must have been cracked for awhile. The engine was slowly getting louder over the past year or so. My California smog check isn't due until January 2011, so I'm just going to live with the light until next fall and then change out the manifold/cat unit with a new Honda unit. I'm thinking that will resolve the issue. I'm in no hurry to spend the $700.

madAd

You can get the manifold/cat for $580 from here http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/, just as a heads up.

Squeeken

Hey, thanks for that MadAd. My local dealer wants $614 plus tax and gaskets, so this helps a little.

madAd

Yeah, I wish I would have just replaced that instead of spending $800+ on putting a race header and new EX exhaust on.

SIMONETTE

new ones dont cost much do they?

02_d17a1_dx

iTrader: (1)

The cheapest i found new was $385 from eastern catalytic, they're about $800 new from the dealer.

geenadeena

Good luck and best of luck to you.


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