Cracked header: Say it ain't so!

    As I was leaving the April DEJA meeting in the parking lot, Naughty informed me that she thought the manly rumble my 98 TJ has was due to an exhaust leak from my header. Being that Naughty's a girl, I wanted a second opinion from a man!! ;D I got one alright! Certk9 even showed me the crack in the header pipe. And here all along I thought the manly rumble was due to my Flowmaster muffler. Bummer. Naughty, good call!


    Assuming that duct tape, hose clamps, Crazy Glue and witchcraft have already been tried unsuccessfully by the DEJA gang, it looks like I've got to fix this leak the old fashioned way -- actual effort. Certk9 has offered to weld the crack for me when I get the pipe off. Is anyone willing to lend me a hand (read: expertise) removing the header pipe so I can get it to him? I'd like to get this repaired before the big GWNF trip in June. Thanks.

    When engaged in conversation with a fool, be sure he is not similarly engaged.
    Chief, DEJA Grammar Police

    IMO first generation exhaust manifolds were weak by design .
    They were way too thin .
    Better off in the long run just to buy an aftermarket header .

    Quote from surfrider


    IMO first generation exhaust manifolds were weak by design .
    They were way too thin .
    Better off in the long run just to buy an aftermarket header .


    X2, but if money is tight it is a temp fix. Possibly work for a while.

    Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.<br />-Frederic Bastiat

    Quote from naughty


    Since I am a girl, I don't know if you would want my help. :innocent:


    Actually, I'm counting on you! After all, you knew where the header was and I didn't, and that makes you the Team Leader in my book. ;)

    When engaged in conversation with a fool, be sure he is not similarly engaged.
    Chief, DEJA Grammar Police

    Quote from surfrider


    IMO first generation exhaust manifolds were weak by design .
    They were way too thin .
    Better off in the long run just to buy an aftermarket header .


    from looking at the prices of aftermarket exhaust manifolds ... it just isn't worth it. borla and all them are nearly $500. pep boys will sell an oem replacement for $200, but you can buy the same exact piece off of ebay for $75 with shipping.


    Sal


    P.S. It's what I did and I haven't had any problems.

    Removing the manifold is an extreme Pain in the ass. I would wait untill you have $100 bucks and buy one of the redesigned models on ebay. Once you remove manifold, you will not want to do it again. I say deal with the leak for now and wait till you have a few bucks to spare, as it will save you alot of headache in the long run. My .02

    2000 Sahara, All custom...
    2000 Cherokee Police package, Beater....


    I may be slowest and the stupidest

    If it's not too irritating, I'd put up with it and save for a better header.


    So you have to put up with the manly rumble a little longer, no biggie! Reminds me of when I was a kid and the family car had a rusty exhaust. We'd open the hole in the muffler a little more to make it louder! :laughing:

    Member since 2000

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    I'd have to agree with the other posters...it's a PITA to replace, do it once. Never seen a welded header last very long, all the heat cycling tends to crack it again. I've done one on every 4.0 I've owned and while my TJ was the easiest you'll still want to invest in some ratcheting box ends and a crows foot to make it easier to get at some of the bolts underneath. I did a factory one on my CJ, a borla on the MJ, and my TJ has a banks. FWIW the borla fit like crap...the banks went in like a factory unit but if I hadn't gotten it cheap I'd have likely stuck with an updated OEM unit as there didn't seem to be much if any gain.


    If you're dead set on welding make sure you take a small drill bit and drill at each end of the crack to relieve the stress risers and hopefully prevent it from spreading.


    --Ian

    X the many. Headers are a pain to remove and you are not doing much except extra noise. I have a crack on my CJ that I have known about for at least 3 years. save up the money and get a good one. Just tell people it is the "cool" exhaust.

    oh yeah, as mentioned, I wouldn't change it until it starts to have an adverse effect ... I started getting 6 mpg so I decided to replace it along with the 02 sensors.


    But from what I hear they will all break, borla, banks, ebay, doesn't matter. The expensive ones give you a lifetime warranty, but I think it'd just take way too long to start making that money back with how cheap they are on ebay.

    Thanks everyone for all the excellent information. Ian, I'm not really dead set on welding; it was just one simple idea and Scott nicely volunteered to do the job. I guess I'll follow the advice some of you gave for me to just live with it for now. I really had two concerns with the leak. The first was the increased noise. The second, though, was my perception that it's decreasing my gas mileage. The consensus seems to be that that isn't the case. So, if it's just about the noise, I'll hang in there until earplugs are needed.


    Also, Ian, at the next club get-together you'll have to explain to me what a ratcheting box end and crowsfeet are. ;D

    When engaged in conversation with a fool, be sure he is not similarly engaged.
    Chief, DEJA Grammar Police

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