Exhaust manifold bolts.. the struggle

[Joe Merchak]

What about these, my friends uses them and loves them. Bolted straight in, no issues.

https://www.bbkperformance.com/dodge-ram-5-7l-hemi-1-5-8-in-shorty-headers-ceramic-09-16.html

 

[eddie046]

After reading through so many of these exhaust manifold bolt issues I've wondered if anyone has gone out and tried to find a Grade 8 bolt of the correct size and thread count? Those things are off the charts strong, I doubt they would break but then what other weak link in the chain would be uncovered?

 

[Sherman Bird]

Bolts are only part of the equation though. You have to fix what's causing the stress. Keep in mind shorties are cheaper, and not a lot of gain. Long tubes are better but only when paired with a tuner. Both the ling tubes and the tune are more expensive than the shorties. You could be close to $2k for long tubes and a tune, where the shorties are closer to $600

It's highly possible that the problem is with the technician using impact tools instead of by hand, or improper torque/sequence.

 

[blackbetty14]

I’ve done a lot of research on this and the issue will not be fixed with grade 8 bolts or ARP. The issue is the bolts failing due to warping of the very thick cast iron manifold which puts pressure on the head of the bolt and eventually snaps the bolt head or flush with the head. Usually the threads never fail in the head. You have to fix the warping issue of the cast manifold and the fact that mopar just like Chevy uses 8mm bolts on the exhaust and they have snapped manifold bolts on the V8s all the time. They should be 10mm and I think there would be less problems. The iron manifolds warp and the best fix is to sand and level a warped manifold as they should warp less than a new manifold. The reason why shorty headers and LT headers fixing the issue is they take away the flaw that causes all the problems. Header flanges are much softer than cast iron and the bolts will pull the flange to the head and you can actually flatten a warped flange by attaching it to a head. You can’t do that with a warped cast iron manifold.

I tried to do ****** shorties on my 18 ram and they cracked and leaked like crazy, I did a whole thread on the saga. While I was in there I used the remflex gaskets bc they are the best and I use them all the time in turbo applications. I believe my stock manifolds are lasting longer bc of the remflex gaskets as they have “give” or crush to them which could save or prolong the bolt snapping issue. With that being said I only have 25k on my truck but I’m still on my original manifolds and bolts with remflex gaskets.

not only is the manifold Material an issue buT they are coupled to a aluminum head which expands and contracts at different rates which could be making the problem worse. Then you get into the manifold design which has two bolts at the ypipe connection and a lot of weight stress on that back area which is the most common failure point. Usually the front and rear bolts snap which is from warping (hottest point is the rear/exit) and there is a ton of iron there to get hot.

so for those of you thinking of different bolts I wouldn’t bother. I believe the updated mopar bolts are 12.9 spec or equivalent to grade 8. I’m I believer that the manifold design sucks but a remflex gaskets could help. The OE gasket is metal with mLS on one side and very thin graphite on the manifold side. When TQd down that is basically a metal shim or piece of metal between the head and manifold which offers no give when things start moving around and getting hot.

 

[89stang1]

Following my bbk shorties are rusted and leaking bad i was gonna go the jba shorty route not sure now? I also got a engine light for ecm pcm right when exaust lesk got real bad wondering if they are connected

 

[Retiring Don]

Has anyone replaced their exhaust manifold bolts with studs, washers and nuts? Does Stage 8 or ARP make them? I know stronger studs are the preferred method of clamping aluminum heads to cast iron blocks because they don't stretch as much so using them toe bolt cast iron exhaust manifolds to aluminum heads could be a solution.

 

[Scottyshortbus]

Has anyone replaced their exhaust manifold bolts with studs, washers and nuts? Does Stage 8 or ARP make them? I know stronger studs are the preferred method of clamping aluminum heads to cast iron blocks because they don't stretch as much so using them toe bolt cast iron exhaust manifolds to aluminum heads could be a solution.

I contacted ARP and they do not offer bolts to use with stock manifolds and heat shields. I have also read that bolts that are too strong could actually rip out the aluminum threads so you are better focusing on the real issue which is warped manifolds. I had my manifolds fixed by machinist for $20/side and reinstalled with bolts from Napa. So far so good.

 

[jester139]

To aid in your decision making, let them breathe!

 

[BigWhiteSnake]

Likely never since it’s not really a safety related issue.

Manufacturer defect?

 

[Tach_tech]

Manufacturer defect?

Manufacturer defects aren’t recall related though, unless it’s a safety concern.

 

[shadowhawk]

this has been debated a lot and for years. FCA won't issue a recall on it

 

[BigWhiteSnake]

Manufacturer defects aren’t recall related though, unless it’s a safety concern.

Gotcha

 

[RAMTRPR]

Anyone in California have long tubes and catted Y-Pipe, and still pass smog legally?


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[Sherman Bird]

After reading through so many of these exhaust manifold bolt issues I've wondered if anyone has gone out and tried to find a Grade 8 bolt of the correct size and thread count? Those things are off the charts strong, I doubt they would break but then what other weak link in the chain would be uncovered?

I cured my customer's 1998 Ram 1500 with the 5.2 engine using the 8.8 black bolts. Never had a problem since (4 years now).

 

[16Ram4x4]

My passenger side upper exhaust bolt broke a few months back at around 47k and I have not had the time to take my truck to the local dealership to have it fixed. Right now I'm at 49k and need to get it done before I hit 50k.
When I get it in to have the repair done, I hope they can get the broken bolt out without destroying my cylinder head and screwing my truck up. That's my fear after reading the stories her on the forum.
The dealership I use doesn't even offer a loaner and I will have to get a rental from enterprise down the street

 

[chris52010trx4]

My passenger side upper exhaust bolt broke a few months back at around 47k and I have not had the time to take my truck to the local dealership to have it fixed. Right now I'm at 49k and need to get it done before I hit 50k.
When I get it in to have the repair done, I hope they can get the broken bolt out without destroying my cylinder head and screwing my truck up. That's my fear after reading the stories her on the forum.
The dealership I use doesn't even offer a loaner and I will have to get a rental from enterprise down the street

Most dealers I know just weld a nut on it to get it out...pretty straight forward... I read before one guy had the dealer pull the head and send it to a machine shop....I feared issues when I did it ...bought a promaxx jig that bolts up to the manifold holes and lines up a threaded insert perfectly to drill into the stud and then extracted....took about an hour

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