Exhuast leak, causing possible CO poisioning.

[Dragonlich1961]

I've been here on the forum before, asking for help on my gf's 2000 ford ranger. first was a radiator(cracked) and water pump and timing belt(originals still in at 175K).
now i need help with a exhaust leak.
Exhuast is leaking at two points, exhuast manifold to downpipe joint, this is due to two broken bolts in the mainfold when replaced the down pipe due to a hole in the cat. we fabbed brackets to work to seal the joint but the bolt in them keeps backing out causing a leak. my fault, broken bolts still in manifold.
Second leak is at the rear side of cyl 4, again broken bolt, this time due to rust. None of the other 7 remaining bolts look health either, most likely resulting in breaking when trying to be removed.

what is the best way to go about taking care of these broken bolts, we have tried drilling the broken downpipe bolts, but abandend ship when we reliezed that we would be the all day. manifold to head bolts no atempt has been made due to aperent rust.

truck is a 2.5 2wd base model 5 speed longbed. with 195k miles and poorly maintained when i fianlly got my hands on the old truck at 170K.
Anything else i should be looking for while in in this, truck burns oil a bit, no major leaks. the pcv valve does not fir snug inside it's hole on the side of the block. like the gasket is worn.

Thanks Chris

 

[tomw]

I'd replace it all if I were truly concerned for CO poisoning. An alternative is the "C-clamp" type gizmos that compress the down pipe to the exhaust manifold. Instead of 'flat' ends, they have pointy ends that will poke into both pieces, and then can be tightened 'externally' to hold them together tight.
You could purchase a used manifold from a boneyard, and get all new down pipe, and even a muffler and tailpipe for less than $100. Guessing at price, but I know muffler and tailpipe are less than $50(were a few years ago). Down pipe might come with the manifold(easier), and you can cut unbolt it where it goes into the cat.
tom

 

[RonD]

I like DIY and do pretty much everything myself.

But..............exhaust bolts, studs, and nuts are a world away from regular wrenching

Find an Independent exhaust shop, not a chain shop, independent.
They deal with exhaust bolts daily, they have the tools and experience to get it done right and quickly.

You may consider your time as free, and it is up to a point, lol, but drill bits, EZ-outs and other parts and tools are not free.
Also knuckles and fingers are free to injure but still take time to heel.

So, in my opinion, find a local independent exhaust shop and spend the money on correct fix or no matter how you fix it now it will come back.

One heads up, if you do have a bad Cat then by law and fine an exhaust shop can not work on the system, unless they repair/replace the Cat.
It depends on the state but Federal fine for a shop is $25,000 per incident


You can't smell CO, it has no odor, but if you smell exhaust then there is CO present
CO is non-toxic, but it bonds to blood cells better than oxygen, so as the blood passes thru your lungs it will grab the CO first, which is why it can kill you, if your blood oxygen level drops too low you pass out and if CO levels stay high your body will suffocate from lack of oxygen.
Headache and dizziness are common indicators of high CO levels in the air you are breathing.

Most Ghost stories or hauntings can be traced back to high CO levels in a home or area, one of the other side effects is hallucinations, visual and auditory.

 

[Mark_88]

I've broken a few exhaust manifold bolts over the years and even had a shop break one that required removing things and drilling. One shop charged me $2000 to replace an exhaust system for this very reason...

After missing three days work ($300 wages) and the guy could not seal it enough for the emission test so I told him to finish up and I paid him. Took the truck home, and bought a $10 bottle of liquid metal (forget the brand name).

I spent the next four hours in the garage applying this to the seal (not a Ranger) just under the manifold where the down pipe joined. It was complicated due to the process requiring the liquid metal to be heated by the engine and then testing. This took me several tries but I was eventually able to seal the leak and get my license plate renewed.

Funny thing was they rejected my initial test because I had two small holes on the down pipe that needed to be sealed. If I had known of the liquid metal prior to that I could have repaired the leak and passed the emission test and replaced the exhaust system at my leisure instead of being forced to take time off work.

The liquid metal held for another two years before I had to worry about it so it's not like it's a temporary fix...it will seal as long as you don't hammer the area or otherwise jar the connection. Also used it on my Ranger to seal a joint between the muffler and the cat and that also held for a long time.

So...again...you can test the seal on the exhaust system by putting your hand over the tailpipe and holding it there while the engine idles. When you release your hand a properly sealed system will give you a POP sound.

However...CO is very dangerous like RonD said and not to be taken lightly. I usually drive with my window open but even that is not enough to counteract the effects if you are getting enough in the cab. Better always to properly fix something than to patch...but in a pinch a patch will get you through to the next paycheck or whatever...

 

[adsm08]

To be getting CO poisoning inside the truck while you are driving you would pretty much have to re-route the exhaust so that it dumps into the HVAC intake. A minor leak should not pose a major concern while driving. That being said, still fix it.