exhaust manifold prep??

[1994chevymanual]

okay i am going to be taking off my exhaust manifold to replace the gasket. I have some questions though. What can i do to help go as smooth as possible meaning prep work like soaking everything in pb plast, warming it up first?? any pointers in removing manifold will be extremely appreciated! its on a 350 tbi

 

[Tech-GeeK1500]

Soak everything in PB blaster a couple days of ahead of time helps the most. When it's time to remove the bolts, try not to use excessive force, if you've got a breaker bar, a light smack the a rubber mallet can sometimes break them loose, should be easy sailing from there. I was worried when I took my manifolds off the first time but they turned out to be cake. PB blaster is your friend.

 

[RichLo]

I've done a couple of these also and I find that any penetrating oil (PB blaster) every day for at least a week in advance and the day of the swap, take it for a nice long drive before breaking them loose. make sure everything is up to temp or hotter and try to break all of them loose before things cool down. Once there loose you can let it cool down so your not touching hot manifolds. Also, make sure you have all your tools layed out before taking your warm-up drive.

 

[someotherguy]

Consider having one of these handy for the re-install:

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May not be necessary, but it's $10 well-spent if you end up needing it. Sometimes the manifolds can be a real bear to get back on. If you don't need the tool this time, you may need it in the future, and it's not like it's expensive.

Richard

 

[jkeaton]

Consider having one of these handy for the re-install:

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May not be necessary, but it's $10 well-spent if you end up needing it. Sometimes the manifolds can be a real bear to get back on. If you don't need the tool this time, you may need it in the future, and it's not like it's expensive.

Richard

Enlighten me, what the hell is it? I thought I had everything....lol

I have 2 broken manifold bolts so I need to take mine off soon to make that repair. How does this help?

 

[99'Subourbon]

Looks like it allows you to press on the manifolds. Put the manifold on, thread that over the stud on top of the manifold, crank it down.

 

[someotherguy]

It's a manifold spreader. Very often cast iron manifolds "shrink" when they're not bolted onto the head. When you try to reinstall, the holes won't line up, making it a major chore to get the bolts started, sometimes ending up in crossthreading. I've had some where the bolt wouldn't even go into the hole.

You put this between the sections of the manifold and simply turn the wrench on it and it will gently, slowly spread the sections apart until you can get the bolt in. Way easier and far more successful than using big pry bars (been there, done that) ...

Richard

 

[someotherguy]

By the way it should probably be mentioned, the passenger side manifold is really, really bad about cracking in the front under the ducting for the hot air flex tube. So if yours happens to fall apart while spreading it, don't be surprised. It's hard to see the crack because the sheetmetal completely obscuring that area. Be ready to buy a replacement manifold. Boneyard hunting can be frustrating because of the work to remove it just to find out it's junk, too. Consider a new one.

Richard

 

[someotherguy]

Here's the example that sold me on the spreader. Notice middle bolts are started, not even snugged just loose - but front two bolts nowhere near able to install. I wrestled this one into place with a pair of long pry bars and it was an enormous hassle. Had I known about the spreader back then, it would have been cake. I bought one for a later project that was nearly as bad...night and day difference.

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Richard

 

[1994chevymanual]

thank guys i really appreciate it would wd-40 work Because im tired of getting pb blast everywhere and the straw would that comes with wd40 would be nice and the truck is in storage so i thought it would give me plenty of time doing it now because it has no rush lol