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Cracked Exhaust Manifold - what to do?


Pete_DV

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Hi Guys,

Been lurking around here for awhile, eventually bought myself a 2000 S about eight weeks ago and have put around 2,000 miles of very happy motoring on it since.

Here's a gratuitous snap on the day I picked it up

https://imgur.com/OvosrpT

Recently it developed a tick, only when in gear and on power. 

I had the opportunity to put the car in the air yesterday and discovered the cause of my tick...

[img]https://i.imgur.com/4K6pH7m.jpg[/img]

On further inspection, the rear box is also holed and the whole system looks pretty grotty. 

I'm going to take it to a local exhaust place to see if it can be welded up as a temporary fix, until I can get the funds together to replace the system. 

I'm aware the manifold bolts will be a pig, but what I'm struggling with is what my exhaust options are?

I did want a new system at some point with a bit more character, but most importantly I want to keep the car emissions compliant and MOT friendly, and I'm not keen on an eBay drone box because the car will do a lot of long distance miles. 

I like the look / sound / quality of Dansk and they do a set of "high flow" manifolds which may be the first step, but I don't know if the pipe gauge would be compatible with the existing cats or if I'll have to do the whole thing in one go.

Would appreciate any advice on replacing the exhaust system and maintaining emissions compliance, no CEL lights etc. Ideally without having to reposition O2 sensors etc. 

TIA

Pete

Edited by Pete_DV
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I'd go for a stock exhaust and have the bypass mod done , you just missed out on one on here  done with the carenwal mod for £360, great value that was , if you get a decent used exhaust revolution in Leeds do the bypass mod ,sounds ace and no drone ,

Sam

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The exhaust box itself as long as in good condition won't affect emissions. 

If your manifolds are cracked you can swap to the eBay sports type manifold. These are significantly cheaper than the likes of Dansk, Supersprint, Cargraphic and unless you are chasing he absolute last bhp I think most are better saving their cash. These don't affect the overall loudness of the exhaust sound. I've had them across 2 of my 986 for 8+ years. 

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Keep an eye out on eBay for a set of tubular manifolds. I think they all come from the same factory, but are rebranded by resellers. Got mine for £130 a couple of years ago when my manifold cracked. They are a straight forward replacement and fit the cats fine. You just need to ensure the power steering pipe is secured away from the pipes as they protrude more than the originals. Also use OE gaskets rather than the weird spongy aluminium ones that come with them as these need retightening after use and leak.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

Promised an update, it's been awhile but the car has now been back on the road for a couple of weeks. 

Broadly I've achieved what I wanted, which is a replacement system that doesn't prompt any warning lights. MOT is due in November, so we'll wait and see on the emissions front. 

The eBay manifolds didn't quite fit on the near side, despite assurances they would, so had to be modified at the specialist. 

Before it went in for the manifolds, I fitted a used (albeit brand new looking) Dansk back box on the driveway, which was a much easier job than I had feared. 

So it's now all stainless bar the cats, which are original and have mated fine with the manifolds/back box. It's also had a fresh service and I've been piling the miles on - over 1,500 in three weeks. 

I know noise is very subjective but I must admit to being a bit underwhelmed with how muted the set up is. I wasn't really looking for a loud system, but had expected more. The car now has noticeably more bass from tick-over to 2,600 RPM, beyond that it pretty much sounds stock. Thankfully there is no drone or vibration. If I had paid retail for the Dansk, I think I'd be more disappointed with it's aural performance. 

Whilst in at the specialist, it also had a low temp thermostat fitted. The upshot of all that is the car runs noticeably cooler, it would often have the cooling fan click on in traffic, but it stayed bang on 80 degrees for an 8 hr crawl down the A303 to Devon, and long run/motorway MPG has increased from c.26 to 30ish . Not hugely important, but a nice benefit for it's forthcoming trip up to the Scottish Highlands. 

Cheers,

PDV

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  • 2 weeks later...

I’ll try and grab some this weekend.

I was due to be up in Scotland this week on the NC500 but a last minute work trip means I’m abroad until December so I’m putting the car away in winter storage. 

I had to get it MOT’d because it expires while I’m away. Pleased to report it flew through the emissions testing 👌

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On 10/7/2021 at 8:43 PM, hpi_matrix said:

Any pics of the ebay manifolds installed?

Sorry dude, didn't get a chance to get the car in the air and I couldn't get a clear picture lying underneath it. 

There's a link above to the manifolds that were fitted though. 

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