hohenwald48
Hohenwald, TN
Senior Member
Joined: 07/27/2002
View Profile
 Offline
|
I have read about the problem of cracked exhaust manifolds on ISB engines. I decided to go give mine a look and see if I might have the problem (I have 50K miles). Can't find any sign of a crack anywhere. However, on cylinder #1 and #4 there is black soot around the exhaust manifold gasket and I can feel a very slight amount of exhaust leakage at the manifold/head connection. I'm hesitant to give the bolts a crank for fear of then developing the crack problem.
I guess I need to at least replace the gaskets but I am getting ready to go an a 3,000 mile trip for the next 4-6 weeks and really just don't want to bother with changing it right now.
Anybody see any reason I shouldn't let it go for now and replace the gasket when I return?
2001 Monaco Knight
2004 Dutchmen Dorado
1999 Jeep Wrangler
100% Solar Powered Home
When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
|
Buffalobilly
Holiday Island, AR
Senior Member
Joined: 07/15/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Exhaust leaks as you describe will only get worse. Do not retorque the bolts. You can try to replace the gaskets and bolts but IMHO your just treading water.
I would do one of 2 things.
1. replace the exhaust manifold and all hardware. or
2. remove manifold and have it milled and replace all hardware.
For #2 - you need to see if the manifold has sunk if it has do #1.
If you can find a mult-piece after market manifold that fits you application I would recommend it, cost more but eliminates the problems with a cast one.
I replaced mine last year with 150k on it and should have done it much earlier as I had erosion of the head flanges and had to double gasket a couple of ports to get them to stop leaking.
As to driving it for another few thousand miles, its up to you but IMHO not much more harm will be done.
Bill
* This post was
edited 02/11/09 06:14am by Buffalobilly *
Buffalobilly
95 Safari Sahara
230 B Cummins
pulling a 2007 Diesel Grand Cherokee
|
Deen
Vancouver, WA
Senior Member
Joined: 12/07/2000
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
|
Buffalobilly wrote:
I replaced mine last year with 150k on it and should have done it much earlier as I had erosion of the head flanges and had to double gasket a couple of ports to get them to stop leaking. There's the problem, the leak will get worse and cost more to repair later. If the flame cutting is bad enough you'll be looking at removing the head and having it fixed as well.
Deen - Vancouver, WA
'02 Dutch Star 4090 (41+', triple slide)
435/1200 ISC Cummins/Banks PowerPak
'08 Honda Civic/dolly
'05 Honda Odyssey/dolly
NRA Benefactor and Recruiter
FMCA f47302s, Life Member: Good Sam,
Newmar DP Owners Group
52nd yr of RV'ing
|
rayhough
Cairo, NY, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 09/22/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
I had an exhaust leak on our 2000 Knight with about 3500 miles. Last fall I discovered a hole in the exhaust pipe elbow just before the mufler. Called Monaco the piece from the turbo was $640 plus shipping. So I got out the sawsall and hacked off what I figured was about what I needed (wich was wrong) and took it to a local truck parts place that had lots of exhaust parts and we made up the part I needed with three pieces. That and a new muffler and clamps was a little over $200. A few months latter after reading a post on this fotum I decide to check around the exhaust manifold and I found the same thing you did, soot around one port. Soap bubbles confirmed a leak. So a friend and I loosend the manifold ("no the manifold can't be warpped there aint that many miles on this") and replaced the gaskets with new laminated gaskets. Fixed the leak ...for a while, until a check a few thousand miles latter revealed the same port leaking. We decided that the manifold must be warpped. Not wanting to mess with the bolts of the turbo I decided to take it to Cummins. They confirmed the manifold was warpped so had them replace it. The manifold itself was only about $240. They than discovered another hole in the exhaust pipe, wich I could not have seen during my first epasode. So they called Monaco for the exhaust pipe piece, yea the $640 one plus $410 shipping. Anyway after about $2500 I got it back and hopefully everything is OK, the MH is in dry dock for the winter. The moral of the stoty is be sure to check the pipe from the turbo out.
This is the longest post I ever did on here, I'm sure someone will correct my spelling, 'cause the spell check still dosen't work. Good luck.
Life is like a roll of toilet paper
the closer you get to the end the faster it goes.
Enjoy it what's left.
Happy traveling, Ray 
|
ScottG
Bothell Wa.
Senior Member
Joined: 02/25/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
Get it fixed quick. Eventually it will burn the manifold and the head bad enough that both will have to be resurfaced and it aint cheap to have that head removed.
Scott, Grace and Wesly
2003 Dodge 3500 4x4 Cummins (lightly bombed),
2004 Forest River 25RKS many, many mods.
Honda eu2000i
|
|
|
Coach-man
Florida
Full Member
Joined: 08/02/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Seems to be a problem with the ISB the expansion and contraction of the head will crack the manifold! There are secondary market manifolds which are split, ( 3 + 3 with a slip joint) to reduce the chance of cracking! I would check into getting one of those rather than just a direct replacement. Cost should be about the same, new manifold gasket and bolts would also be on order!
|
HobbyHauler
South of Nashville, TN
Senior Member
Joined: 08/07/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
Something like this will fix the problem:
Les Stallings
South of Nashville, TN
2002 Monaco Dynasty Jack 38, ISL 400, TAG
Toad: 2003 Saturn LW300
|
sjholt
Henderson, NV
Senior Member
Joined: 04/08/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
If your manifold hasn't shrunk. what you can do is go get 2 sets of stock gaskets and put 2 on every port. It can be done on the engine by loosening all the bolts up and with a pry bar- you can replace them all and then torque them down to 40-45 ft lbs.
Yes, it can be done this way- I done it. It sealed up the leaks for me and my boost goes up to 32 psi.
HTH
* This post was
edited 02/10/09 06:19pm by sjholt *
Skip
1996 32' Monaco Windsor DP
Cummins 5.9L 230+ HP
5 Airbags in front- 4 in back
|
rayhough
Cairo, NY, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 09/22/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
HobbyHauler wrote:Something like this will fix the problem:
Hobbyhauler- That is what was in mine.
|
hohenwald48
Hohenwald, TN
Senior Member
Joined: 07/27/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Thanks for all the great info. I think I'm gonna wait until I return from my trip and then take on the fix. I'll let you know if waiting was a bad decision.
Chris
|
|
|
