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Vehicle: 1997 E350 6.8L 86K miles, always in southern CA.
Issue: P0171
I have watched a few videos on troubleshooting the error code. I have just cleaned the MAF with the appropriate cleaner. During this time, I also removed the doghouse engine cover to get a peek at the exhaust manifold to verify the the exhast leak that I can hear is due to the cheap bolts shearing off and look what I found... this weird slot in the manifold.
Could this be the cause of the P0171? or just the loudest exhast leak. Or could it be a secret place to insert a nickle for an extra turbo boost?
That is strange. An exhaust leak should not suck air into the manifold (I think). It needs to be plugged/fixed but I think your problem is somewhere else where these is vacuum. Curious what others have to say.
Some air will come in
It will cause that O2 sensor to run lean
Similar to getting air in a A/C system, and then needing evacuated and recharged
When the freon exits, air comes in
I have owned it for about 15 months. It was smogged prior to the sale. I noticed the sound of the exhaust leak about a year ago and the CEL came on after that, not too sure how close of which may by the sign that is is the root cause.
Can I just have a muffler shop weld the slot closed?
i would try JB weld on it first. much cheaper than paying to weld it.
manifolds are hard to weld, they need to be preheated and welded with a special rod, then slowly cooled to prevent cracking.
I would jam high temp gasket material or similar into the slot and wrap and clamp manifold I insulation tape around it. Any glue product never seems to work on old, rusty stuff.
