genphreak
04-01-2005, 06:39 AM
Hey all,
Here's a challenge! You think you know your car, but how well can you picture your exhaust manifold and engine pipe? Few of us ever go down there... but here is a curve ball to ponder...
Last year I took my baby to the exhaust shop for a stainless steel exhaust and new catalytic converter, complete with engine pipe (original BMW part).
When they removed the old engine pipe from the exhaust manifold, they broke the flexible joint which was a part of the cast iron manifold. That means that the manifold is toast as one can't weld cast iron normally. They did a bodgy repair to get me out of the shop, jerry rigging a piece in between - which now sounds like its only got very little more life in it!
As such, I recently took it back to the shop and asked them to fix the mess. However in Australia a rough job is sometimes considered alright, especially if it is 'knock off time' (ie 4pm; time to head for the bar for a beer) and the shop said; 'the stainless steel was rusted' and that it just broke, 'its not our fault', (Bloody BeeEmTroubleUwes they said) etc. and wouldn't fix it.
Now when they put the new exhaust on (I remember seeing them break at the time- they were twisting and wrenching the poor thing like they wanted it to break. However I didn't think it'd be very hard to fix up later - I figured once these monkey's were done I got out of there, I'd fix that but up. It was the worst I tell you... I could barely watch... don't you just hate it when other people work on your car???
So now the joint is getting more and more noisy, and out of interest I checked cost of a new manifold.. (normally the fix would be to weld a new joint, or even a straight piece of pipe instead, but if you cannot weld cast iron what do yo do? I imagine BMW have some hell-crazy welding process to do it...
Ouch... it was beginning to feel expensive, the stealer quoted $963AU (750US)... :( could buy headers for that... still that's no option cos I don't have the cash...
So back to finding a more straight forward fix, which is where I need your help; On ebay there are some 2nd hand manifolds and perhaps I could one of get these, but looking closely I notice they have no flexible joint- so I'd still have to get my stock engine pipe modified... :(
Furthermore, looking at the manifold in the BMW parts list (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD22&mospid=47382&prod=19880900&btnr=11_1083&hg=11&fg=50) (ETK), a seemingly different exhaust manifold is listed, with the flexible joint a part of the engine pipe, down further away from the engine.
The ebay manifolds can clearly be seen with engine pipes attached (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7964466533&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1) and look just like the parts list version, except they seem to have had the flexible link described in the ETK entirely removed (btw, interestingly on our cars only one pipe has this flexible joint; with these ebay ones you can see where it was and how they have welded the new pipe in).
Has anyone else had trouble with these joints? Do we just get rid of them when they fail or break?
Perhaps one of you has seen one like mine; with the joint a part of the exhaust manifold as standard...
Maybe I am wrong and my manifold can be welded somehow... perhaps I will have to replace my manifold... hmmm.. As ever, any comments could be worthwhile.
If anyone got a spare E32/E34 M30 exhaust manifold hanging around the shed I'd love to know!
Many thanks in advance,
:) GP
Here's a challenge! You think you know your car, but how well can you picture your exhaust manifold and engine pipe? Few of us ever go down there... but here is a curve ball to ponder...
Last year I took my baby to the exhaust shop for a stainless steel exhaust and new catalytic converter, complete with engine pipe (original BMW part).
When they removed the old engine pipe from the exhaust manifold, they broke the flexible joint which was a part of the cast iron manifold. That means that the manifold is toast as one can't weld cast iron normally. They did a bodgy repair to get me out of the shop, jerry rigging a piece in between - which now sounds like its only got very little more life in it!
As such, I recently took it back to the shop and asked them to fix the mess. However in Australia a rough job is sometimes considered alright, especially if it is 'knock off time' (ie 4pm; time to head for the bar for a beer) and the shop said; 'the stainless steel was rusted' and that it just broke, 'its not our fault', (Bloody BeeEmTroubleUwes they said) etc. and wouldn't fix it.
Now when they put the new exhaust on (I remember seeing them break at the time- they were twisting and wrenching the poor thing like they wanted it to break. However I didn't think it'd be very hard to fix up later - I figured once these monkey's were done I got out of there, I'd fix that but up. It was the worst I tell you... I could barely watch... don't you just hate it when other people work on your car???
So now the joint is getting more and more noisy, and out of interest I checked cost of a new manifold.. (normally the fix would be to weld a new joint, or even a straight piece of pipe instead, but if you cannot weld cast iron what do yo do? I imagine BMW have some hell-crazy welding process to do it...
Ouch... it was beginning to feel expensive, the stealer quoted $963AU (750US)... :( could buy headers for that... still that's no option cos I don't have the cash...
So back to finding a more straight forward fix, which is where I need your help; On ebay there are some 2nd hand manifolds and perhaps I could one of get these, but looking closely I notice they have no flexible joint- so I'd still have to get my stock engine pipe modified... :(
Furthermore, looking at the manifold in the BMW parts list (http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD22&mospid=47382&prod=19880900&btnr=11_1083&hg=11&fg=50) (ETK), a seemingly different exhaust manifold is listed, with the flexible joint a part of the engine pipe, down further away from the engine.
The ebay manifolds can clearly be seen with engine pipes attached (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7964466533&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1) and look just like the parts list version, except they seem to have had the flexible link described in the ETK entirely removed (btw, interestingly on our cars only one pipe has this flexible joint; with these ebay ones you can see where it was and how they have welded the new pipe in).
Has anyone else had trouble with these joints? Do we just get rid of them when they fail or break?
Perhaps one of you has seen one like mine; with the joint a part of the exhaust manifold as standard...
Maybe I am wrong and my manifold can be welded somehow... perhaps I will have to replace my manifold... hmmm.. As ever, any comments could be worthwhile.
If anyone got a spare E32/E34 M30 exhaust manifold hanging around the shed I'd love to know!
Many thanks in advance,
:) GP