So...I'm dealing with a leaking passenger side exhaust manifold on my 2001 F250 SD. (Extended cab, long bed, 5.4 XLT.)

Been slowly making progress on getting the manifold bolts off (the ones that weren't broken already at least.)

Got all the top row off and the flange free yesterday, today was on to the bottom row.

I undid the 2 bolts on the PS motor mount studs and carefully jacked up the motor to lift that side a bit. I couldn't figure out anywhere else so I put a piece of 2x4 under the oil pan and used that point to lift up with the truck's bottle jack.

Worked well enough, but when I decided to call it a night I lowered it back down. Looking at one of the studs that I could watch as I moved it, the mount came to rest about an inch and a half away from where it started. (Higher up on the slant.)

How much does this matter?
If the position is critical, how can I go about getting it back to the starting point?

I have a feeling the fact that I'm working in my uneven, unloved driveway had a lot to do with this. The passenger side is raised slightly and on a jack stand. Just enough to get the wheel on and off for access through the well.

On a positive note, I only have one more bolt to remove to free the manifold, the one right above the mount. I couldn't get anywhere with my nut extractors so I finally started grinding away at the nut with my Dremel. Should be able to get the old manifold off tomorrow and start working to get the studs out.

My Irwin Bolt Grips worked a treat combined with a MAP Pro torch on the others, but not so much on the hardest to reach one. Go figure. For starters there just isn't enough room to get a good solid hammer blow on it to seat it, and to make things way more complicated for some reason that particular location had more exposed stud length, so I couldn't get it all the way on to the nut and still get a ratchet wrench into the other end too. Jeez.

 

the motor and transmission mounts hold engine in location..


movement is common when unbolted... move it back. a wooden 2x4 should work. or a metal pipe.


as for the stud that is LONG.. cut it down some. so tool will fit.

 

Any recommendations what/where to push/pull? Are we talking a little leverage or having to whack a board against it somewhere with a big hammer?


Will it do any damage to bolt it down in a different position?

My best guess is that it would be okay, maybe with new vibrations. However, this is not a matter where I want to trust my gut without more research!

I'm thinking I'll have more luck repositioning it with the truck on level ground somewhere else.

Either way, it'll be 2 or 3 days until it matters as I still have to get the old manifold off, studs out and wait for my new parts to arrive.

And....it's raining. I've stretched a tarp off the front of the truck to some trees and put another on the ground. Hopefully I can stay mostly dry and get the rest of the stuff off today.

For those curious or possibly having to do the same job in the future, I am doing a lot of documentation with video. (I'm actually going to launch a YouTube channel eventually once I learn some editing. I have tens of hours of footage of repairs and modifications, from small toys and gadgets to bigger jobs on the truck. This one has been the biggest challenge so far BY FAR!)

 

Your motor has shifted on the mount. Now it's crocked in the engine bay. Only thing you can do is loosen the bolts on the other side of the motor and jack up the motor to make it level. You cant leave it like that as it may cause problems with other things in the drive line. You can't leave it crocked because it won't it wont fix itself. This is the reason you dont jack one side of the motor up at a time.

 

leverage is your friend. do not hammer on it..


move it or using a bottle jack.. move it. I like 2x4 if you have the room.


do not drive it, not installed correctly.

 

Used a ratchet strap.

Could tell it needed to go back toward the front, so I tensioned a strap from the top rear of the motor to a slot in the frame on the front right.

Raised and lowered it a bit a couple times under tension and POP! That was one of the bolts shifting over back into the slot and at that point it lowered back where it belonged. Whew.

After a MONTH of work, at that point I was down to putting the starter back in, reconnecting the battery, putting the right front shock back in place and remounting the wheel. What a project...