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This thread has been really helpful! I decided to tackle this project and am currently right in the middle of it. Besides being the most mechanically difficult thing that I have ever done, I have run into 2 problems.
The first problem is that I broke a stud. I drilled a hole in it with a left hand drill bit but still can't get it out. Any suggestions?
The second problem is my new manifold. I have put enough sweat and hard work into this thing that I don't want to do it again. Below is a picture of my old manifold and my new dorman manifold. The dorman doesn't look like the holes match up. Do you think this is okay to put on or should I buy one from Ford?
I think the manifold will be fine, the flanges look a bit different but it's a ford casting, and you gotta figure that your stick one is warped some at this point. I ran a Dorman with no issues.
As far as the broken stud...where did it break above or below the surface of the head. If below, try a regular drill bit, mine spin further in, then I chased the threads in the beginning of the hole and it came right out with the easy out. If it's broken off above the surface you can try welding a nut to it...didn't work for me, and if you don't have a welder that's out. I had that broke off above the surface of the head and I ended up grinding it down flush, marking as close to center as I could and driled just far enough to get past the first few threads, going all the way up to 3/8 in bit, but just far enough in to get through those first few bad threads, then I drilled it like I said before...spun it in, chased it and ez out.
Thanks, 07ford. I broke the rear most bottom stud below the surface, so welding a nut to it isn't an option. I will try chasing and an ez out.
My main issue with the dorman is that none of the exhaust holes are uniform. It looks like the holes may overlap either on the head or the manifold. Maybe, I'm being too picky but with the amount of work that it is to fix this issue, I don't want to do it again.
IMO, those ports are crude and horrible looking (not a fan of dorman anything, period). They will definitely restrict exhaust flow. I would get something different, or use a die grinder to port match the manifold. General rule of thumb is that you can use the manifold gasket as a template to guide how much material to safely remove.
IMO, those ports are crude and horrible looking (not a fan of dorman anything, period). They will definitely restrict exhaust flow. I would get something different, or use a die grinder to port match the manifold. General rule of thumb is that you can use the manifold gasket as a template to guide how much material to safely remove.
Yeah, I took your advice and got a FoMoCo manifold and Felpro gaskets. Makes me feel a lot better about putting on an OEM part than some china made crap.
Had to use an ez-out for the bottom stud.
Can you guess which two are FoMoCo and which one is the Dorman?
The two on the bottom are the old gaskets. Top right to left (Dorman, Felpro, FoMoCo). I used the Felpro.
Yeah, I took your advice and got a FoMoCo manifold and Felpro gaskets. Makes me feel a lot better about putting on an OEM part than some china made crap.
Had to use an ez-out for the bottom stud.
Can you guess which two are FoMoCo and which one is the Dorman?
The two on the bottom are the old gaskets. Top right to left (Dorman, Felpro, FoMoCo). I used the Felpro.
I can clearly see why these engines are warping the manifolds! The port casting is smaller than the head casting. Specially the rear most opening where it's common to have a stud snap. The hot exhaust is restricted at the manifolds port face. Does anyone have a manifold and gasket you can photo? Place the gasket on the manifold so the bolt holes line up and take a photo of the port alignment. I wonder if you can port match the stock manifold to alleviate some of the reversion and back pressure at the manifold face. BTW: I have to do this repair soon myself. This could be an interesting discovery.
Last edited by Area51Werks; 08-01-2014 at 10:19 AM.
I would have taken a picture of the gasket and manifold but I finished the project last night (early this morning). The ports on the FoMoCo manifold appear to be the same size as the engine block ports.
I recommend the FoMoCo manifold and Felpro gaskets. The Ford gaskets probably would have been fine to use but the Felpro felt a lot better in the hands. Like EBC-150 said, use something different than dorman. The dorman manifold ports looked like they would restrict airflow and the their gaskets were the thinnest of the three that I had.
This is a doable project but it was the most difficult mechanical project that I have ever undertaken. I would change the spark plugs 100 times over doing this project again. This project literally gave me nightmares of waking up underneath the truck. With that being said, if you need any tips I'd be happy share my experience.
I just had mine done on Tuesday but it was in the Ford shop. There was a ticking only when giving throttle and seemed worse the hotter it got. I work at the dealership so only used FoMoCo parts.
I was poking around and helped as much as I could. Two of the studs broke and we had to drill them out.
The tricky part was trying to get the old manifold out once it was loose. We jacked the engine up while it was already in the air and this helped get a lot of stuff out of the way. That will make you worry about it falling on your head.
I just had this problem on my 05 lariat. Bought some headers and attempted the job one night with a few beers. Got 7 of 8 bolts off on the drivers side stripped a nut put it back together and got it to a shop. The shop quoted me 300 plus 30 per broken stud and 3 to 4 hours. Lol yeah right 7.5 hours later and 4 broken studs I was out the door. Sounds so much better and a little snooty. Would without a doubt take to a shop in the future for this job.
I went to look at a truck a few weeks ago, 2004 F350 5.4 and had the infamous exhaust manifold leak. Went over the truck and passed due to other rust issues going on. Was not worth buying. The leak wasn't too prevalent until you drove it but you can actually see the crack in the manifold and the bolts were terrible.
Fast forward a few weeks later and went to look at a 2008 F350 5.4 with 47K miles. Things in overall good condition. Started it up and WOW. Loud clacking exhaust leak noise. Quieted down a bit but still very loud even at idle and truck warmed up. It's really bad on the drivers side and the passenger side not so much. My main question is there a possibility is something else other than the manifold ? Its just SOO loud. Once it was warm it still clacked really bad just driving around the parking lot. Amazing.
How much do the Ford parts cost ? 2 manifold and studs and bolts.
07-31-2014, 10:19 AM
