This has probably been posted before but I'm looking for some needed insight on my problem here.

5.4L motor I have an exhaust leak at the right manifold between the head and manifold. It seals up after a while which is common. I would like to know if it is a better to fix by:

1) new headers, gaskets, studs, and other hardware

or

2) new gaskets, studs, and other hardware

Pro's and con's please, examples if anyone has any.

If I were to go the second way, if that is a way to go at all, would the exhaust manifolds have to be milled to get a truly flat surface again if they are warped, or would this be taken care of with new gaskets?

I'm not looking forward to doing this job probably sometime next summer because it is cold, so when I do go to do this I want to do it one and done, the right way so the problem does not come back. What scares me is that I read that leaving this leak the way it is can cause some head damage.

Thanks in advance.

 

I think headers is a great solution. The only problem is, it is far more parts expense as well as twice the labor, unless you planned to do both sides anyway.

The fix is to remove the leaky side, resurface the manifold, replace any broken studs, new gasket and re-assemble.

You run the risk of more problems if you mess with the other side. Exhaust parts that haven't moved for ten years tend to be problematic.

The flip is that the Pacesetter headers, convertors and Y set up is very nice and would bring power and economy improvements to the truck. I don't think I would just do the shorty headers. There isn't much improvement to be had there and you are back to the labor involved to do both sides. Last time I looked, it is going to be a bugger of a job.

I would also look for a substantial (thick) header flange if that is the route you go. Cheap headers might warp at the flange and you would be back to square one.

 

Personally, if you have the money, go with a nice set of shorty headers if you don't want to modify the rest of the system. They are still an improvement over the manifolds.

This is the best set-up http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DTC-122-842230/

 

Doorman products offer replacement manifolds for about $145.00 ea
comes with gskts & studs for manifold to pipe
you still need head exhst studs available in SS from dealer

dealer price for manifold is around $400.00 if i remember corectly
ive replaced a couple with the doorman and had no problems

 

I know the right way is the long tubes. I was just looking for opinions on which way to go. I figured if I'm going to have to take studs out, nuts off, and what not that I might as well replace it with some headers while i'm at it.

 

Ok, the shorties are worth it, the long tubes would be better from a performance point, but the cost is significantly higher. A set of shorties will produce more power across the board than the stock manifolds, and it will be enough to feel. The question is, are the long tubes, which will cost at least double installed, going to show you are return for the added money. this is something only you can decide. The shorties will bolt right in and retain all your smog equipment. The Long tubes will require modifications to the other parts of the exhaust, and to give you the extra power over the shorties, a whole new exhaust system, with cats and all. If you run the Long tubes with just modified cats, there would be little functional difference versus the shorties.

 

Sorry, just about everything you just posted is incorrect. Dont have time right now, I'll be back later to dissect it

 

The question is, how much money are you wanting to sink into this job? Considering your location, you've probably got a couple of broken studs causing the problem in the first place.....

 

Not according to the very nice article in 4Wheel Drive Magazine posted a couple months ago. They tested stock versus shorties versus longtubes. The shorties produced more power across the board than the stock (expected) and were a very good bang for the buck. They bolt in like stock manifolds and had proper fitting for all EGR and air fittings. The long tubes required moving the O2 sensors and replacing the cat system, as the collectors were much farther back than stock. The longtubes produced 12 more horsepower than the stock system, while the shorties produced 8 more horsepower than stock. The shorties cost appox. $650 installed, while the long tubes were approx. $1200 installed. So double the price for an extra 4 horsepower. Now this was with a premade cat system, if a shop custom fabs it, they might be willing to do it cheaper. The headers themselves have little cost difference.

If I were going to spend that kind of money, I would skip over longtubes and install a set of Doug Thorley triple-ys instead, more horsepower and more torque than standard longtubes.

 

Claiming a substantial power increase from fitting shorty headers assumes that the stock manifolds are a point of restriction. Until you are turning over 5000 rpm, this is not the case. It is the same argument for the cold air intakes, there is nothing to be gained, because there isn't a restriction. The shorties will give a slight increase in top end power.

Long tubes on the other hand actually help scavenge exhaust gasses. They will give a substantial increase in torque and hp. There is a huge difference between the two. I would argue it is just the opposite of what was stated. The shorties will give a small improvement for a fair amount of money. The long tubes will give a substantial improvement for more money.

Last I checked, the Pacesetter long tube kit comes with new cats and tubing all the way back to the point where the stock Y is. This means there isn't a bunch of extra exhaust to run, just bolt up the supplied parts in the stock location. No need to run all new exhaust, whatever you have now starting at the Y will weld/bolt right up.

To me, the bottom line is, if you are going to shell out hundreds of dollars over the cost of the needed repair, I would want a substantial power boost. The long tubes are far and away the better power producers. I fitted a set of Banks long tubes to the 460 in my motorhome and that thing went from dog to hot rod in just a few hours work. Shorties would not have done that.

My choice would be simple, do a fairly cheap fix on the stock manifold, or spend the money to get a substantial hp and torque gain and go with the long tube set up.

 

Show me the torque numbers, neither hp increase is worth the money. Heck, 8-12 hp is withing the margin of error for a chassis dyno. It might as well have been no improvement. Torque on the other hand is what moves a 5000 lb truck.

 

Due to money purposes long tubes are out of the question, unless there is someone out there willing to give them to me.

Over the summer I had to get multiple alignments for multiple reasons so while it was in they said that I had an exhaust leak towards the rear of the passenger side manifold. I didn't see any missing studs but I will look again.

Actually after looking for shorty headers via summitracing.com, i think those too are too expensive. I was looking for ones with a thicker flange and stainless. So ultimately it looks like I would like to go new gaskets and hardware. A performance gain isn't really what I'm looking for, if I had the money it would be, so what are some good gaskets and hardware? Suggestions?

 

When I had my engine out, I replaced the old rusty studs/nuts with those from the Dorman kit (Summit part #RNB-03411). You'll need 2 packages. As for the gaskets, I used FelPro from the local parts house. I cleaned the surfaces, used some anti-seize on the studs/bolts to the head and the exhaust pipe, and I haven't had any problems with leaking. The bolts toward the back of the motor were rusted off, with only a small amount still protruding from the head, so they were a pain to get out. I soaked them twice a day every day for a week with penetrating oil before I ever attempted to grab them with a stud remover.

If you think you need new manifolds, Summit sells those too for about $70.00 each (RNB-674-560 & RNB-674-559).

 

i saw those ones from summit, the dorman kit, are they ss? i got a price from ford for ss ones they came up to around or over a 100 bucks for a all of them.

 

i dont know if doorman has the head studs
i know that the manifold comes with the studs for pipe
oh edit i didnt read thru