Repair question, opinions wanted...
 

My mechanic for the last few years has moved out of my area and I tried someone new for a repair. Curious about what others think about this:

I brought my truck in because the exhaust manifold ('03 F250, 5.4L) on the drivers side starting leaking. The mechanic pointed out a broken stud at the rear of the manifold. He replaced the manifold, gasket, and a new stud kit, however two broken studs are still left in there. The two broken studs left in there are the ones at the rear of the manifold. He used a better gasket and some sort of sealer. It's quiet now, but I'm just concerned that the repair may not last. I never dealt with this mechanic before and was surprised that he wouldn't have tried to get those two studs out, but I'm not the mechanic.

Is it possible for the repair to hold up or is it essential to have studs/nuts on those last two ports? Is it possible for the other 6 studs/nuts to hold and seal everything?

get a new mechanic, that is bush league repair. There should be no "sealer" just proper working studs and an exhaust gasket. You can not get proper application of pressure on the mating surfaces with missing/broken studs.

I agree totally with PSDlongbox.

I was thinking the same thing, the studs are there for a reason. I'm not very pleased, especially after spending a tad over $400 on this repair.

There were broken studs when you went in and you have broken studs leaving.
The repair is substandard.
I'm sure you could run along time as is but,
you could have run along time as was, also.

Yeah I'm still shocked as the mechanic seemed to think it would be fine. Granted the leak/ticking is gone, but yeah, for how long? I think the two studs at the rear were just too much work? He obviously didn't want to get in there. I'm just amazed that someone would go through that much work and not fix the studs. It's so hard to find a good mechanic.

at the least, your mechanic should have informed you that the two studs in the rear would need to be extracted and replaced above and beyond the original estimate. He then should have quoted you an addition labor charge to correct the situation. If you the customer, at that time, would have declined the repair than that is on you. IF he is willing to attack a problem with a "F it" attitude, it only leads me to believe he is unable to perform quality work.

Where do you live? Maybe somebody on the board can point you towards a reputable repair facility in the area?

Heck, if you live anywhere near me, I know I would be happy to help out a fellow FTE'r that doesn't mind buying a few beers and getting their hands dirty :)

There was no repair, the failure was left and a patch was implemented.

Where are you located? People might be able to point you to a good place/guy.

Both of you guys are spot on. I went there and told the mechanic to fix the problem, he saw one stud initially when I dropped the truck off. He mentioned then that sometimes they don't come out, but he would try. When I picked up the truck today he told me that both were broken, but never offered to fix them. I never mentioned that I wanted to cut corners, never asked for an estimate, I just wanted the problem fixed. I'm pissed that he did a patch job, none the less for $400.

PSDlongbox; dinner, a few beers, and an extra set of hands would be the least I could do to return the favor and thanks for the offer. Not sure where you live, but I'm in Northern NJ, Hackensack area. Any shop recommendations would be great.

A welder is your friend, thats how i got mine out. Easy easy

https://sphotos-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/h...26137977_n.jpg

spun right out, both broken off below surface of head
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n...64075462_n.jpg

good post Miles...heat always makes things easier

Sadly, I am located in Michigan so the drive would be quite difficult lol. I am sure there are plenty of people on here that live in your area though. Maybe start a new thread asking for a reputable shop in the Hackensack area. I'll bet you will find many here willing to help.

if you go to the New Jersey chapter, there is a shops in Jersey thread.
i think the closest to you would be Craig, screen name Jerzyfresh in rockaway. he is a tech at meadowlands ford, so he knows what he is doing.

here is a link to the shops thread.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...ics-in-nj.html

Yeah I saw Craig's info, he hasn't been on this forum in quite some time, but I'm going to call him.

What's a good way to handle the current situation with the inadequate repair? Obviously he didn't fix the original issue and I did spend over $400. Either way it puts me in a bind in how to deal with him. He needs to know that he has an unhappy customer, but how?

I'd go back and ask where the other 2 studs are.