We have an exhaust leak. Husband thinks it is the front manifold. I have been looking online for prices and I can only find rear or passenger side. Do they not make them or am I just crazy?

And no - we don't want headers. LOL

 

This may help?

http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1612_1623.html

Click on the number pointing to the part and it should give you a price. But the price the site is giving out may not be the same as the dealer nearby. The dealers close to me are more expensive.

 

There's a good chance that it's not per say the manifold that is leaking... but instead it is the gasket for the manifold that is...

Unless you see physical damage to the manifold (the metal parts) you should suspect the gasket being the culprit...

 

I agree. It could actually be worn out studs (6 per side) that snapped and they let a gap in the flange, while the gasket doesn't make a good seal anymore because of weak clamping force.

Even though you may see the exhaust manifold flange nuts still attached, they could actually be broken and just crusted on there. If you tap it with a screw driver they may move.

Repair for exhaust manifold gap is costly if you pay a garage. If you do it yourself, it's not that costly if you have the gear, although it does mean engine removal.

Spray dishwasher soapy water with dollar store spray bottle onto flanges and check for bubbles with car running and gas on accel to make the exhaust noise.

 

Our hope is that it's just gasket and/or studs.

But just in case...

Got a bunch of stuff going on, but hubby should be able to check it tomorrow or the next day.

 

Do you have to remove the engine to change the front, rear, or both?

 

I would like to know too because I want to fix my exhaust leak too. For the VG, the front looks easy just that the compressor and the front mount might be in the way. The rear one looks like it may be a challenge. But for now I just want to change the front and see what happens.

 

The fronts can be relatively easy to get to, and if you have to re-tap new studs in you're in better shape than going for the rears.

The rears are much more difficult to work on, for re-tapping studs that is, there's not much room to get the correct angle into the block, though just replacing the rear gasket shouldn't be too back while the engine is still inside the car.... IDK for sure cuz each time I've replaced mine, the motor has been out...

 

you can swap the rears out with the engine in the car but if you have broken studs then you'll have a nice time holding an angle drill steady to drill it out on the car...or what VG30E-GXE likes to do it to weld something on the broken stud and turn it out that way.

 

TRUST ME, you dont want to hope its the studs.. PRAY you have a cracked manifold (which you most likely dont) or have bad gaskets which you probably dont either.

 

Like they say it depends I guess on if it's the studs, but I can almost bet for sure some of the studs are broken. If your going to do the front re-gasket, then do the back too because those studs will start snapping soon, and the last thing you want is to do the job again.

The problem is the access, and like Dan mentions it's near impossible to drill out the little broken bit if it's in the car. The visibility is horrible in that amount of space. Beleive me, I tried drilling out one of the front ones last yr and I nearly broke my neck as it was strained trying to peep into the holes.

If you make a mistake you could ruin the threads on the heads, which mean re-tapping so heads removal (costly) and machine shop. Plus you need to use a machinist level and 0.005" Feeler Gauge on the exhaust ports flange to check for distortion in case it needs to be decked. So I would say engine removal to do the whole job properly with least amount of risk to the heads. Removing the VG30E is not that bad at all.

More photos soon guys of my completed VG30E. I'm making progress but it's SICKLY slow.

[Unfortunately I think that exhaust manifolds defect on the 3rd Gen was an ultimate killer to alot of owners. I know a relative of mine who had one and the garage advised them to junk the car instead of paying for the repair. Alot of normal people can't stand that exhaust sound]

 

I got ALL 18 studs removed and replaced with superceeded OEM Nissan studs. Took mechanic about 6-7 hours from start to stop and it was all done with the engine still in the car. Most he had to remove was the crossmember with motor mounts and A/C compressor. However, these broken studs were not drilled out, they had a regular bolt welded onto the the broken end and unbolted with a ratchet and socket.

 

Yeah, it just depends on how the studs break.... if they are flush with the block... well you're pretty much screwed and if you want those drilled out correctly you'll want the engine dropped... those angles suck in the bay...

 

It's not that bad. once you remove the crossmember, you can rotate the engine forward or backward to make it easier to work with and line up the drill.

Use GOOD drill bits (cobalt or better- get them from a machine shop supply, not the hardware store) and a slow speed drill and those studs will drill like butter.

First time I did the job, I had like 6 broken studs on the front and rear and did the whole thing in a day.

 

interesting.. do you know the name of any national machine shop supply places i should call for a bit? I have 2 broken studs on the Maxima motor i'm going to be putting in my Z31, and i want it to go as smoothly as possible. Having the motor on a stand is a big plus for me this time.

 

KBC Tools

They have good pricing on import stuff. You can get all the high end brands too, but the import stuff under their logo is what i've been buying and it's good enough for my use.

 

searched their USA website... didn't find any left-handed drill bits...

 

Ask them for their hard copy catalog.

 

do you have one? i'm looking for whatever the appropriate size is to drill out VG studs.... what would that be anyways? i didn't even look at the size i tried to use 2 years ago cuz i just had a lame-o 6-bit kit so i just eyeballed it instead of going by size.

 

You need a 7/64 Left turn bit and a #2 Cleveland EZYOUT.

I'll get the part # from the master catalog later tonight - i'm removing the steering rack right now.

Do you know what they mean by in the FSM they are saying "Before removing lower joint from gear, set gear in neutral (wheels in straight ahead position). After removing lower joint, put matching mark on pinion shaft and pinion housing to record neutral position of gear"

How can I do this if i'm returning that old one as a core. Don't know what their talking about here.

 

make a new thread for that..... you do for everything else

 

I did a guesstimate when I swapped mine out. got it pretty darn close. as long as you tell them when you get it re-aligned, it's not a big deal.

 

make two trips to the store. buy new one. swap. return old one for core credit.


As for the drill bits, I got them from Steve's Wholesale Tool in Tulsa, OK. They're a high molybdenum somethime something something bit. Not even left hand thread- don't bother with that- probably about 7/64" in size... I forget now since I've had those same three drill bits for about 10 years now. I have them in a special place in the tool box for them.. but they've drilled probably thousands of holes by now. pilot holes for sheet metal, stainless steel (VERY hard on bits), I've even drilled tool steel with them.

Another good place to get stuff around Houston is CW Rod Tool. They're where I buy my cobalt 12.5mm drill bits and such.
http://www.cwrodtool.com/

 

Uh, no dude... my studs were all broken way deeper than the flush-with the block line. If you've got a competent mechanic, you will NOT need to pull the engine OR need a drill. I have to look for the pics I took when it got done.

And the ones that weren't broken, became broken while taking them out lol

 

Damn - I forgot to mark it, and didn't think of your core idea, and now it's out. What should I do with the new one.

Should I turn the steering wheel inside the car by turning the little pinion thing from in the engine bay, center the steering wheel to the mid position, then just try and center the rack?

[Caped I can't find the big catalog. It's there though - I remember seeing them in it]

 

So how did he get the studs out?

 

Thats all it took, he made it look real simple too.. he had a real fine point welder too

 

i have this same damn problem. when i drive the car sounds nasty cause of the leak and i can smell the exhaust which is the reason i have it parked till i fix it. 2 of my studs are broken flush and all places i take it say its $250 to fix

what should i get replaced while the mechanic does this job so i can get it all done the same day?