Hey,
Just curious as to what all needs to come off when removing the exhaust manifold? I'm guessing the turbo needs to be disconnected from the exhaust and the manifold? And then the rest s pretty easy? Or can you leave the turbo in place and take off teh manifold? i have been wondering because I want to take it off sometime to clean up, check it over, and paint. The one night I tried I got the 4 bolts that hold the turbo to the manifold, but then I wasn't sure which ones to take off the exhaust, or if I even need to. Oh and how long would it roughly take, and should I get new gaskets?(my bolts from the turbo to exhaust are really really rusted)

Thanks

Dinner.

 

I wouldn't mess with the stock manifold unless you have a real reason to. Mine shrunk in the middle about 3/16 of and inch and cracked and broke in half.

I replaced it with a 3 piece ATS to prevent the problem in the future. Old gaskets were pretty much ruined on changing it. Had to replace them.

 

Mine is cracked all in the middle as well. Earlier in the year I welded the top crack up and it has been holding since. I know that it is cracked on the bottom, and there are a couple of other cracks as well. So should I wait and save the money until I can purchase an aftermarket one, since it is kinda a hassle to remove everything. I might wait until I get a new one if guys recommend it

 

I welded mine multiple times while waiting for the new one to arrive. It just kept shrinking and getting worse.

I would not buy another factory one. The manifold was gone off the block I got to replace my cracked 53 block also -- many of them fail. I would go to one of the 3 piece ones only if I were going to the trouble -- Like the big Cummins blocks -- that will solve the problem once and for all.

 

what did you use to weld it with?

 

I used nickel rod and peened between passes but it was also broken around the bottom and I didn't want to pull it off. I have been welding for years and this was one of those things that was pretty well beyond repair.

It was shrunk so bad it was binding the studs - or bolts -- whatever it had. I had ordered the new one already so just trying to keep from setting everything under the hood on fire. It was a black sooty mess for a week or so.

 

How do you like the ATS manifold? Did it match up flush when mounting it?

 

i wonder what causes it to crack, ihave 185000 miles on mine and no cracks..... i watch my EGT's really close, never over 1250

 

ATS fit great - a very tight fit on the 3 pieces but adjustable with a light tap. No more problems. Seems we had to drill the threads out in the bottom Turbo holes (as part of standard installation per instructions) but there were no problems.

In the old days castings were left out in a yard for a year or two to age - relieving stresses. As with the 53 block - high production rates don't leave time for that and problems sometimes slip through the cracks. Repeated heating and cooling cycles cause changes and many castings -mostly foreign made may not be up to the job.

This is a pretty common problem on the exhaust manifold.

My temps never (or very seldom) go over 1100F.

 

My exhaust manifold has had cracks for years, never too too big, but lately i've been noticing more and more soot, so I guess I will be buying a turbo re-build kit and a exhaust manifold.

How hard and how long does it take to remove the turbo and manifold?

 

I am wondering if these may be covered under Cummins 7 year warranty, although I do not know if that applies to all truck years. It could not hurt to call and ask a few dealers.
Sems like ATS is the way to go, otherwise.

 

Seems we did the change in a few hours. A few tight spots. Take the air box off the fender. Four bolts in the center section change out to Socket head screws. Seems I had to cut an allen wrench off to get them in and tight.

Re-torque after running a bit to prevent blowing out or burning out gaskets. They will loosen at least once after running.