Sorry about making this a whole new thread, but I feel that getting ALL the chips out of the exhaust manifold is VERY important when drilling the manifold while it is still installed. I sacrificed one of those small telescopic magnets you can buy at any auto store. I put a 90 degree bend about one inch below the magnet, than slid it into the hole and spun it around a few times. Even though I greased up and cleaned off the bit several times during drilling, and also drilled very slowly as it penetrated through, I got several good sized chips, and many tiny ones stuck to the magnet. I felt very confident that I got every chip out of there.

 

HEy good idea......thanks!!!

 

Some folks also recommend drilling while the engine is idling. This creates a positive pressure insided the manifold and helps blow chips outside the manifold.

I actually removed the manifold and drilled in on a press in my garage. I then used an air compresser to blow any chips out. I then tapped it while on the bench and again blew out all the chips.

There were a lot of chips created as part of the drill/tap process - most would have fallen outside the manifold. All in all, it was worth it to me to take the extra time to do it off the truck.

 

Daryl. how long did it take you to remove the manifold and was there any special tools or tricks to it?

 

Had to be a long process

 

Wasn't too bad. The worst part was removing the two bolts that connect the manifold to the riser pipe that feeds the turbo. Those bolts were a bit hard to get to.

The manifold itself comes off really easily. There is a probe connection at the front the needs to be removed, then the eight 10 mm bolts, and then the two bolts above.

The torque on the manifold bolts is fairly low and they came right out.

Drilling and tapping off the truck was very easy. It also allowed me to check the manifold thickness and verify where I wanted to drill the hole for the probe. I confirmed that the flat spot there between the two rear cylinders was the best place for me.

The reinstallation of the manifold was easier than the removal simply because I had figured out how to deal with those two bolts that connect it to the up pipe.

The whole process was about four hours but that's because I really took my time and took a few breaks too.

Another key part is to remove the left front tire to give yourself room to work in there.

 

Daryl the flat spot on the manifold you talk about. is that the spot that is facing more uppward or the spot that faces more toward the tire which has a raised area that looks thicker. Did you reuse the manifold gasket or go for a new one when you removed the manifold.

 

It's the flat spot that faces the tire. I.e., when you drill through it the pyro probe will be inserted horizontally.

Surprisingly, there is no gasket between the manifold and the block.

 

This is pretty common, works great until you take them off hot