OK, my 91 GXE's exhaust manifold is leaky. I believe at least 2 or 3 of the bolts in the rear one is broken, maybe more. If I don't care about this car too much and just want ot get rid of the extra noise, can I just JB Weld the manifold to the head to seal it up? Or is the temp around the manifold beyond JB Weld's capabilities? If anything, I probably should've done this when it started before the manifold got warped, which it probably is right now. As far as I'm concerned, if this car lasts another 2 years without a major repair i'll be very happy. I just want to get rid of this noise and not have to pay $400 doing it. Has anyone ever done something this ghetto to their maxima? let me know.. thanks!

 

Won't work.

 

why not?

 

you can't glue the manifold to the side of the block with JB weld. just won't happen. that's where your leaks are. get used to it or sell it.

 

Welllll, it depends.....

The JB Weld won't "clamp" the manifold to the head like a torqued bolt does. Like Jeff and Matt say, it just won't.

But it certainly might "seal" a leak. JB Weld will certainly withstand the temperatures. Getting the surfaces cleaned of soot enough for the JB Weld to stick will be the trick.

Many years ago, I owned a boat with a Volvo/Penta inboard/outdrive. This engine used a water-cooled exhaust manifold (as do all stern drive boats) that injected sea water into the hot gas path downstream of the head. Anyway, this salt water eroded the aluminum head right at the head/manifold joint, causing an exhaust leak. I was able to build up the head using JB Weld and filed the gasket face flat, bolted up the manifold with a new gasket, and never had another problem for the 3 or 4 more years I owned the boat.

I would certainly try it. If it fails, it just "blows out" the JB Weld - no harm, no foul. The bigger-picture concern is the fact that with 2 or 3 broken bolts, and the loss of that clamping force, the situation ain't gonna get any better.

Good Luck,

Kirk