I haven't been actively posting on this forum, but it doesn't mean that I am Gone, I just got lazy haha

So I've noticed for a very long time that my engine bay has smelled like exhaust fumes. I was pretty sure that after I installed my turbo that everything was tightened properly and nothing was loose, thus I shouldn't be leaking exhaust. And for a long time I just lived with it, and probably still will live with it, but one day I decided to take a look around the turbo after I did an oil change.

What I had discovered while under my car looking up was that my exhaust manifold for my HKS turbo kit had cracked, and I was determined to see how bad it was. I Decided to have a look see at the top, and it was cracked too. A week or so later I decided, WTH lets take this off and have a look.

Hhere's some pictures of what I found.

Before taking it off, here is a picture of the top side.


After everything was taken off, A Picture of my Homemade Sheet Metal Heat Shield that is probably saving my coils from death by heat . =)


A look on the inside, showing one side


A look on the inside, showing the other side


And look Ma, We Got Light


It seems that the side where the turbo mounts on has split in half, the engine mounting side is perfectly fine, so that's good.

I can't Weld, But If I could I'd Give it a shot, anyways everything is back on since I drive my car daily. Hopefully soon I'll have time to take it to a shop, or I should just have one fabbed up for me, Or learn to weld and make my own haha. But while I wait on that, everything is running well, not CEL lights or anything, maybe a lil slow to boost, and maybe not as high, but I still got the the extra oomph when I need it.

 

welding cast iron is gonna be a waste of time. the heat cycling that the manifold is put through is too much for a welding to work...well. it will weld and work for a while..but will eventually crack. if it was me, i woudlnt waste my time or money doing it...only to do it again when the weld cracks.

id suggest taking the manifold to a shop and asking them to fabricate one out of stainless. shoudl be rather simple to make a log manifold liek that,especially when they have the HKS one as a template. might cost a little more...but itll save alot of headaches in the long run.

 

Yeah I figured it would be a waste of time to even try and weld it, and I wasn't crazy on learning the weld and peen, which is supposed to work pretty well on welding cast iron, but I'm not sure how well that would work with all the thermocycling anyways. But If I do take it to a shop and have them fab me up one, then at least I sort of have a backup, which I shouldn't ever need, but then I can try to weld it for the hell of it.

 

You want the new one to be made from Sch40 tube

 

If sum1 was to peice together a kit. Where can u get a manifold? I can only fit kits

 

Hey TunaDaMan,
Did you ever get a replacement for the exhaust manifold? I have a similar crack just not as bad. I'm having a difficult finding a replacement. I'm hoping you had sucess with finding one.

Thanks

 

sadly, I haven't had the time get a new one, have one fabbed up yet, or try and have it welded (last option really) since it is my daily driver, but now that I just got a bike off my friend, and some more time off of work. I should be able to take the manifold off and have a shop maybe welder it or better option, weld me a new one using mine as a template.

 

I had Project Import in Orange check it out and they talked to a couple people to confirm that it would probably just crack next to the weld if we went the welding route. For them to fab one up would be close to $1,000.00 so I don't like that option either. I'll keep looking on my end to see if there are any other people that could fab something up for cheaper or another brand that may fit our HKS kits. Come to think of it I will call Project Import and see if it would be any cheaper if both of us committ to having them fab one up for us. Maybe even there are more FitFreak members that are interested in the same thing? Feel free to PM me if you are interested in going to Project Import to see what they can do.

 

$1000 for a turbo manifold? I see those prices for ones that act like a full race header that use a turbo for a collector!


Should be no more then a few hundred. Especially since they have a parfect example to base it off of.

 

Could try this guy he may have a manifold:

honda fit turbo hks

 

^hahah just sent that guy a txt for price....

 

Thanks cjecpa, I actually took a look at that kit in the beginning of the year but passed on it. I ended up finding a different one. I was thinking of seeing if he would part it out but I doubt it.

TPColgett, I met you at the FitFreak bbq meet in 2012. Anyways let me know if you would like to know about the kit for sale on Craigslist. I met the guy and seen the kit in person.

 

I've talked myself out of it... price is GREAT but it puts me in a class I just can't compete in

 

you could send it up to me. I could use yours as a template and make a new one out of mild steel or stainless depending on which you would pay for.

turn around would probably be a few weeks.

 

Unfortunately i cant do without a car for a few weeks so It would have to be up to TunaDaMan. I would be interested in having you build one for me as well if he could get his manifold up to you.

 

Cast Iron CAN be welded effectively. Find a welding shop that specializes in it and as long as they follow the rules on the correct rod, drilling before and after the cracks and pinning, preheating, and after welding cooling in sand it will be as stong as new and should not crack again UNLESS the weight of the turbo is over-stressing the casting.

Should be much cheaper than a new manifold.

 

yes iron can be welded, but people doing it are few and far between.

 

There are more out there than you think you just have to know how to find them.

Do a google search on "welding cast iron (or welding exhaust manifold) + http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/" there are a bunch of threads on doing it correctly and places all around the USA that do it.

 

The problem with welding cast iron exhaust manifolds is the constant heating and cooling brings all the carbon to the surface so it creates deposits that makes weak spots which is where it will crack over and over

 

I have a 1930's car with a cracked cast iron head... It's been welded over, and over, and over.... At this point, the crack is small enough we just add more water and oil when we use the car