I just bought a 97 4.6L F150 4x4 with 133k on the clock.

Before I bought this truck I had my mechanic look it over. The major problems found were 3 broken bolts on the manifold (1 on the left and 2 on the right) and the U-joints were shot.

The dealer repaired these problems before I signed the contract.

After I picked up my truck I drove two blocks to the gas station to fill her up. Went to start her up and all I get is click, click, click. Immediately called the dealer and they came to the gas station to check it out and of course the starter was dead.

The dealer bought me a new starter and when I went to install it I noticed that one of the manifold bolts was still broken off and the engine sounded funny.

Took the truck BACK to the dealer and they said that they left that broken bolt because it was too hard to fix. I was told that the odd engine noise was because one of the two catalytic converters was bad.

So, my question is this - the mechanic at the dealership wants to take out the bad cat and then Y the two exhaust manifolds into the one good cat. Is this an acceptable practice? I live in Ohio and this truck must pass an emissions test. Will this procedure affect engine performance, will it pass emission check?

I need some advice from all you mechanically minded people. I have a basic knowledge of auto mechanics, but that's it.

BTW-I am aerostargal's husband (dawg66), but I couldn't remember my password and I need advice ASAP!

Thanks

 

Go ask the emission shop if they think it will........if they say yes, then tell the dealer that you'll only accept the vehicle if it passes. As for engine performance.....you'll get more power and more mileage without the cat.

Also, make sure that they are not making some really sharp turns in the exhaust pipe to get this "Y"......

Make them fix the bolt. Tell them to drill it out and tap the hole and put a new one in there.

If they arent willing to do all of this then tell them to Eff Off.

 

If i were in your shoes, the first thing i'd do is check your local DMV to see if they have a "lemon law".

Is this vehicle from a Ford, Dodge, Chevy, etc dealer ship?

If i were you I'd raise holy heck and make them take the truck back, IMO its not worth it if they aren't willing to do the job right, the first time.

I'm assumeing that after they supposedly repaired stuff, it was sold to you in good working order, right?

As far as the starter goes, THEY should have put it in, not you.

I would definately try to take this truck back for a refund if possible (that's why I asked about the lemon law).

 

The lemon law (if applicable in his state) only applies if they have tried to repair the SAME problem more than 3 times and cant get the vehicle to work properly.

 

I'm under the understanding that Lemon laws vary State to State, and they are not a Federal law. In South Dakota it is something to the effect that you can take the vehicle back in a certain amount of time if there is a major defect, or misleading of vehicles actual mechanical repairs, like saying something was repaired, and it never was(something to that effect).

From my understanding there are States that don't have any at all, once you sign the line, it's yours.

 

First of all, I hope you got a really great price on this truck! Starting off at 133,000 miles is pretty risky.

However, if you have decided to go with it, and it looks like you have, I would insist they fix the broken manifold bolts and also , they should replace the bad cat and leave all the stock pipe alone. The idea that you can run both manifolds thru 1 cat is wrong. That exhaust system was designed for two cats not one. One is not sufficient, and even if you get it thru emissions, you will be stuck with a "one of a kind" header Y pipe, which probably will not flow like the original, and will be hard to duplicate/replace if it ever fails.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but that's my opinion!
Good luck.

 

I appreciate all the responses!

I ran a CarFax check on the truck before I ever looked at it and it passed all the checks. Found out that the truck was a fleet vehicle and was purchased at auction by the current dealer back in August.

I paid $8800 for it AFTER the dealer agreed to fix the u-joints and manifold bolts. Discovered the cat was cracked just a few days ago.

The dealer has been quite good about even fixing anything on this truck as they had it for sale "as is".

I was leery about omitting the bad cat. I am going to insist that they replace the cat and repair the busted manifold bolt. I do have some leverage since I didn't finance through them and I have yet to sign and send in the finance agreement with my lender. I gave the dealer a "sight draft" and it is no good w/o my sig on the contract!

Thanks again, and I would welcome any other feasible options regarding the cracked cat.

dawg66
1997 F150 XLT 4X4 SC shortbox
133,000 miles

 

Since it was sold as-is you are pretty much sol when it comes down to a lemon law.


I personally would still try to ditch the truck...those kinds of problems make me a bit leary.

If you had to stick new cats on it, you may be able to find a wrecked truck like yours at a reputable salvage yard and possibly get the cats or whole exhaust from them......

just an idea

 

Talked to the dealer a while ago and they are replacing the bad cat. They say they won't do anything about the broken bolt on the manifold. The mechanic "guaranteed" it would never leak. I am getting that one in writing.

What can I do about the broken bolt myself?

 

The best way I've found to remove a broken bolt is to stick a larger nut over it and spot weld it to the bolt. You do have to avoid fire and protect wiring and certain parts. You may want to wait until it does leak or you have to pull the manifold or engine for other reasons if you can not get to it now. Sounds like a lot of trouble since there are no other problems now. I'd definitely have cat replaced. Many cats fail and aftermarket OEM replacements are available. Custom exhausts like the dealer offered are unacceptable to me. You can also drill a hole into the bolt and use an extracter or EZE OUT but sometimes the drill doesn't go straight and damage threads or worse. I've had bad experiences (especially on aluminum heads) drilling bolts out. I run heavy equipment (logging) and we frequently break bolts that have to be replaced. A good welder can reach a bolt broken off deep inside a hole that vise grips and small punches can not get a hold of.