exhaust manifold removal ??

i have got to replace an exhaust manifold. can anyone offer any tips or advice as i imagine it to be a bar-steward of a job. not looking forward to it especially snow and wet conditions and lack of garage. :cry:

YEA .MY ADVICE IS GOOD LUCK :mrgreen:

Mine wasn't so bad, sprayed the bolts with penetrating oil and left it to soak for a while, they all loosened up ok. One snagg was there were 7 x 12mm bolts and 1 x 13mm but that's not standard I understand (usually 8x12mm or 6 x somethingelse). I thought one was threaded when I couldn't get the socket to hold on it. Only took me a day to work out…
If you've got a good long 6mm hex key it might make it a shed load easier to take the intake manifold off first.
You might need one of those metal clamp compressor tools to get it off the exhaust down pipe though. I left mine on as I only took it off to do the headgasket. They're not that pricy though.
Other advice is themals and fingerless gloves! Working out on the road in the freezing cold and wind builds character and means you get to know the neighbours (who will all think you're a nut job!)

with a good light it looks alot clearer from underneath

yep cheers for your advice , is it a hard job to repair four branch steel manifold as the one fitted is  cracked somewhere and would be good if i could repair it .

This is a general tip, which could prove useful. There are 2 basic types of sockets in socket sets. There are the ones with 6 sides and ones with 12 sides (like a ring spanner). If you use a 12 sided socket, its more likely to slip and strip the nut to a round shape, which will then mean you need to do some 'engineering' to get it off. So, it might be worth the ?5.99 or so for a cheap second socket set, for this job. If the studs snap when it comes off, so be it. If they don't snap on the way off, they might on the way on!

Another few tips for rusty nuts!

Wire brush the bolt threads that stick out through the nut (probably cant get to them on exhaust manifold!) and spray with WD 40.

If you find the nut starts to get really stiff to undo, tighten the but back up a couple of turns, then spray it again. Then continue to undo the nut and repeat if the wame happens again. This will help minimise the risk of the bolt/stud snapping.

Before refitting the manifold wire brush and clean the threads again.

new manifold nuts from VW are copper so they won't rust on like the originals, its worth getting them as they only cost a few pence each.

Loads of WD-40 (or more specialised penetrating fluids)

Goggles if you are working on any part of the exhaust or manifold from below - they are usually covered in flaky, dandruff-like rust which goes straight into your eyes (a hospital trip can be required if you are unlucky)

Well-fitting sockets as mentioned above.

Awww man this has got to be the worst job to do at this time of year. Its jobs like this where I think... hmmm might be worth taking it down the garage. I mean think of the worse scenario that the bolts round or shear which is pretty likely due to the heat altering the properties of the bolts. I suppose if you get it done yourself it would be pretty satisfying.

Get a thermal mug - keeps the tea drinkable for longer in arctic conditions.

 

I was planning to start on replacing the head gasket at the weekend - far too cold.

Ali

Thermals are the way forward at this time of year, I'm talking long johns!
AliCabrio, don't be a wimp get it done! It's definately the head isn't it? Have you checked your oli cooler?  ops: