Exhaust manifold - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

SyracuseP71 · 04-23-2010, 21:32

I have a ticking sound coming from the engine of my 05 CVPI that speeds up as I press the accelerator. I took it to my local shop and they've diagnosed it as a cracked driver's side exhaust manifold. The mechanic said that it would be a tough fix as in his experience most of the bolts would be broken in the removal process and would take several hours to extract and replace to the tune of more than $600. He told me that if he were me he would just drive the car with the busted manifold and not lose any sleep over it. Does that make sense to you guys? I have a hard time believing that I can just pretend nothing is wrong and the car will be fine.

**Bert** · 04-23-2010, 21:42

We've changed manifolds without any broken studs. Of course we don't live where we get rust. Check with another shop if you feel you can trust their opinion and see what they say.

SyracuseP71 · 04-24-2010, 22:15

Well my neighbor and I got underneath to have a look today and it seems the leak is not actually the manifold itself. One of the studs has broken off inside the block and is no longer holding the header against the engine in that spot, allowing the exhaust to escape there. Tomorrow we're going to attempt to tap out the hole and insert a new bolt to secure the header. It's my last ditch effort before forking over 20% of what I initially paid for the car for a shop to replace the whole shebang.