Cheers to madmike for pointing out a problem with my exhaust manifold at the last MCA meet which explains the somewhat strange noises coming from my engine. I had feared a warped head but all looks to be in order up there, no oil/coolant mix, dead flat on the manifold side...

What shocked me though is my exhaust gasket. I only replaced it a short time ago and already it's beginning to fray on one side which may explain it... :doubt: Now i'm just trying to source up why the hell this would happen so soon, we're talking perhaps a few months here at the most.

Any ideas? Apart from exhaust headers? (Believe me those are on the cards) Would it be possible to use High Temp Silicone as well? Rated for about 750 degrees celsius according to the packaging.

Still pending the installation of 8 brand new lifters, a new water pump, CV Joints and driveshafts and a set of 4 motor mounts. Plus a little bodywork, paintwork (hopefully going deep black) and of course, at least 17" rims. Sweet. :cool:

Yeah silicone is ok just make sure its temp rated for manifolds and oxygen sensor safe!

No worries there, the silicone I used met all those requirements. Patched up for now, maybe it'll hold with a bit of luck. The silicone seems quite tough anyway, moreso than the gasket as strange as that may sound.

I pulled the manifold away from the block, slipped off the gasket and confirmed what I didn't want to see- it's blown another gasket, exactly the same place as the old one. I mean totally obliterated it, felt gone, steel gone.

Any ideas why it would be blowing these so frequently? I can't see any problems with the head itself, manifold maybe... (excuse to get headers, imho)

Guessing that the gasket is stuffing up in the middle, possibly your tensioning may be a bit off.
If not, Run a straight edge across the manifold to see if it is flat.

It's actually on the far end of the gasket, closest to the water pump.

Could be an issue with the manifold, I have to take it around to EP Performance tomorrow afternoon to have it tested. May end up sourcing up some exhaust headers.

For now it has high temp silicon where the split is, holding much better than the steel gasket. Engine sounds much better, no "pop" from escaping exhaust gases and there's a boost in power and torque. Can't wait to get this fixed properly.

try and find your self a set of extractors on ebay they usually come up there often

Thought i'd post the verdict from Exhaust Plus at Salisbury.

The manifold has cracked and warped, lifting away from cylinder 4 which is why it's blowing on that side. It'll be going in soon to get a full set of Advance Headers, along with a new water pump, 8 new lifters and new CV joints while it's in. Need to fix a price but since we can provide the parts, it'll be about $700.

The engine and transmission are in good nick, a well received verdict.

Once this is done the engine should be pretty mechanically sound and then some. (it already has plenty of acceleration across the rev range, but considering the manifold is gone, plus the improvement headers can give, i'm guessing this will be a pretty substantial improvement...)

Bodywork and looks need work still so it's hardly an AMC award winning looker. I'll have to eventually have to get it on the rollers, should be a pretty decent 4-pot Magna afterward.

does the price include fitting, if so thats a good price?

It does include fitting, if I recall correctly. Headers are about 350 or so, 150 for the fitting, and the extra 200 is just the parts cost for new CV joints and driveshafts, other parts I already have ready and waiting. Just remember $700 is a rough figure, i'll have a final price later on.

Hopefully this will be done next week.

Once this is done the engine should be pretty mechanically sound and then some. (it already has plenty of acceleration across the rev range, but considering the manifold is gone, plus the improvement headers can give, i'm guessing this will be a pretty substantial improvement...)


Not to burst you bubble but it's not the sort of engine thats going to be restricted by a "restrictive" system. E.g. housemates clubby just got headers back twin system it probably snagged a good 10kW while you're average v6 magna won't see near this.

Sure it'll improve but don't expect anything too drastic. Should help fuel economy too.

It's good you're looking after it people who let problems like this go end up paying for it in the long run. Sounds cheap by the way.

if it's making any improvements at all, then it's a benefit. Whether it be improvements from a cracked manifold to improvements by modification. Not to mention power losses from other failed components, a key one being the faulty lifters (which have been confirmed as a power loss elsewhere). I will throw in that I have heard of some improvements from extractors on Mitsubishi Astrons, one such being red_wagon_tp's car (like in this thread (http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55389)) and really that's all i'm hoping for.

Should make it sound better at least, a nice step up from the "leaking exhaust, ticking clock and vacuum cleaner" sound it has currently... lol

As for the price, it is cheap, but the work they do is nothing short of amazing. Known them for a while and every time it's been in for work, it's come back like new.

On a side note, the work that needs to be done will replace the damaged pipes at the front of the car as well. Everything from the cat forward needs to be cut to fit the Advance headers, so it should see the replacement of the 2 damaged pipes (partially flattened after coming off a kerb with a low hanging engine). Could invest in 2 new exhaust tips as well perhaps for a bit of a cosmetic enhancement... :)

wow this has got to be one of the few threads where the solution hasnt been to "sell it" and buy a third gen hey matey.... :bowrofl:

:bowrofl:

Could have quite easily gone to a VR-X or at least a TE 3.0 V6 by now, but sometimes it's worth taking on the challenge, giving it all you've got and thinking outside the box. Probably not the most practical solution but rewarding regardless for one who has a passion for automotive. By the end it'll be a pretty kickass machine.


- Extractors
- Water Pump
- Hydraulic Lifters
- CV Joints & Driveshafts
- Polyurethane Engine Mounts
- 17 or 18" rims
- Tinting all around
- Complete repaint of the body to black
- Possible Lowering
- Retrimmed interior
- Plastics Thermoformed Engine cover, Headlight covers

Top 5 are being done this week to get it roadworthy. The rest will be completed over the course of the year. I can see this being completed rather than a bunch of unfulfilled promises, i've been following this list for about a year and half now, spearheaded 56 engine problems and it's in this final batch now, i'm pretty stoked.