how hard would it be to install a exhaust manifold donut myself...?

Question

i dont have a lot of experience with cars and i have been told its not that hard to do.

Answer 1

Part of the difficult depends on how old the car is, and the type of material the exhaust manifold/exhaust pipe is made of.

Most newer cars have these parts made of stainless steel. If that's the case, then typically the bolt and nuts separate relatively easily because there is less rust formation, if the exhaust is made from the older cast iron, then you'll have more rust formation and typically they are a pain to remove.

The process of replacing it is not overly difficult if you can get the 2 bolts loose. Typically once loosened, the exhaust pipe can be pried away, and there is enough clearance to remove the burnt out donut and place a new donut between the exhaust pipe and manifold.

Answer 2

Every time you go under the hood of a car, even to do something simple like change the oil, add brake fluid etc... it builds knowledge of the engine and selfconfidence of ones ability

So although this project may seem common for one, it could be daunting for another... but lets say you screw something up... well.. lets see what is the worst case scenereo is? Oh my, buy another exhaust manifold donut and try it again! Some times that is how we learn.. by breaking one thing while doing another.. but the more you know about how things work.. the smarter you become about the whole workings of your car....

So, yea... go for it.... In the future if your diving into what seems a very challenging project try not to do something stupid and if your at a point you just don't know and don't want to make a costly mistake... STOP... get on the internet too here or car site and ask the question to help you out.... Learning when to stop before a bad decision is made by asking neighbor, the site, local mechanic might make you look stupid but can get you the proper course of action, stopping is a diffecult thing to learn when it is simpler to dive in and keep going but it's amazing how much damage can be done by just not stopping and asking a simple questing or looking it up in a book....

so good for you, give it a try, look it over etc..

You may need to buy safety glasses, spray some rust/bolt spray on the nuts to help loosen bolts (panther piss or what ever brand) check at auto-store and ask for the stuff too spray on rusty bolts to help get them off... they will know.

The bolts may snap if reall rusty... just spray them down, loosen, tighten, loosen a bit more and tighten etc.. till they are off... yea can be a pain.

If this is an older car the doughnut could be asbestos so spray down with some water that has some dishsoap in it (dish soad helps water penetrate gasket) and it will keep asbestos from flying everywhere.

If this is a newer car the new gaskets are expensive, $26. or so and are nothing like the old doughnut style.. although I have never replaced the newer ones.. I can assume those are more of a Graph-oil seal vrs an asbestos seal..

good luck..

Answer 3

Nothing is that hard. I think most people are simply afraid to try. Before you attempt to do something, just ask yourself what's the worst that can happen if you screw it up? If you have to go to a mechanic -- you'd have to do that if you did nothing -- so the cost would be a factor. Get it?

Now, go to the library and get a Chilton's or a Weekend mechanic's repair book for the year and make of your car. Read through it at the library before you take the book out so you can be sure it has the information you need. Then take pictures of what you are taking apart on your car -- before, during and after taking it apart. This helps you to remember where things go -- and the advent of digital cameras makes learning and doing so much easier -- so you don't have any leftover screws or so you don't put things back wrong. Then when you are done, you can print those pictures out on notebook paper and put them in a repair manual of your own making. You can write notes to yourself and before you know it, you'll be a top notch mechanic. Remember it takes twice as long to do it over as it takes to do it right the first time. If you exercise patience, you'll be amazed at what you can do. Good luck. My dad told me that if I couldn't fix the car, I couldn't drive it. He insisted that I learn the basics of car repair so I would be less likely to be stranded on the roadside. It is a matter of self-preservation and safety. Go for it and good luck. Oh, and I have a notebook that I do exactly as I said above. I added pocket sheet protectors (clear plastic pockets) and I put all my repair receipts in those pockets. Then I always know what my car costs. But I do this for all the other things I fix, too. I keep records of my gas mileage by keeping a small notebook in the map pocket of my car with a pen attached. When I get gas, I write down the mileage and the gas station and the date and the number of gallons and the cost -- It sounds like a lot but it only takes a few seconds. I can determine how many miles I went on a tank of gas and divide that by the number of gallons of gas I purchased and that gives me mpg. When I put one of those supposed gas saver things on my car, I was able to determine that it was just a scam because I knew what my gas mileage was before I put it on and what it was after. I can also tell you that the gas mileage is greater in the spring before they change over from winter to summer blend. I think it might have something to do with octane but I get better gas mileage from Mobil and BP gas than I do from any off brand names -- Marathon. Also, gas mileage is better in some states than others -- back east as opposed to midwest. So, you see by expending just a little extra effort, you can save money, have the records and justify everything you do.

Answer 4

Theoretically, it's simple - two nuts or bolts in/out. But in real life, these nuts/bolts are badly corroded, and may break. If that happens, you'll need to drill them out and cut threads which will likely require manifold removal.

Answer 5

usually any exhaust repairs are complicated by the fact that there is going to be alot of rust causing it hard to remove the fasteners without breaking them

Answer 6

its right in front makesure the car is cool to the touch.
remove two nuts from exhaust studs
let pipe fall
set dounut on pipe flange
pull pipe up
replace bolts
tighten
have beer
tell wife im the man!!
take nap

Answer 7

piece a cake dude! as easy as installing the air filter!!!