Exhaust Manifold Leak

[My1stHemi]

I'm curious. Having gotten rid of the heat shields, do you find any problem with melting nearby plastic parts like wiring or hoses?

The AFE headers have some heat shield wrap in the kit that is used to protect a passenger side coolant hose. I added some more to the dip stick tube.
The manifold gaskets have some heat shield to them as well. But I haven’t had any issues.

With the jet-hot coating I will not be worried at all about under hood temps. Lots of people run bare stainless headers with no issue, but I would rather just pay the $400 extra and have it done right and keep under hood temps as low as possible, especially when towing.

Check out this video for real-world temperature comparison. About 5min in. Pretty impressive difference.
Painted vs ceramic coated headers

 

[Rick3478]

The AFE headers have some heat shield wrap in the kit that is used to protect a passenger side coolant hose. I added some more to the dip stick tube.
The manifold gaskets have some heat shield to them as well. But I haven’t had any issues.

With the jet-hot coating I will not be worried at all about under hood temps. Lots of people run bare stainless headers with no issue, but I would rather just pay the $400 extra and have it done right and keep under hood temps as low as possible, especially when towing.

Thanks, appreciate the info. I've loved/hated headers on vehicles before and melted/charred a couple spark wires and ground cables along the way. Wondered how these shake out. I'll file that knowledge away for possible future use.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

They finally got the parts in and mine goes in for Manifold #2 replacement on the 1st.

 

[ElliottR]

@My1stHemi which gasket did you end up using for the manifold to Y connection? I cut some out of Mr Gasket material that’s supposedly rated to 1200° after the copper RTV turned to dust. I started it up after installing the gaskets and didn’t feel any leaks around the connection. I still believe I have some leaks, could be pinholes in the welds like you mentioned.

 

[My1stHemi]

@My1stHemi which gasket did you end up using for the manifold to Y connection? I cut some out of Mr Gasket material that’s supposedly rated to 1200° after the copper RTV turned to dust. I started it up after installing the gaskets and didn’t feel any leaks around the connection. I still believe I have some leaks, could be pinholes in the welds like you mentioned.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...6e175ca4cc9/nickson-exhaust-gasket/nic0/31531

I should have my new headers back from Jet-Hot at the end of the month. I'll let you know how things looks in terms of these gaskets when I remove everything. As far as I can tell they seem to be working and the only exhaust leak I have is at the crack in the header.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Dropped mine off last night for repair this morning.. the Service manager looked at me like I had 3 heads when I showed him the tsb and asked if the parts they are putting on were the correct ones.. so I have zero confidence it's going to be done right.. but that seems to be the normal with the RAM service departments in this area.

This will be the 5th warranty repair to my less than 3yr old RAM with 43k on the clock. Not looking good for RAM being my next new purchase.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

It's fixed, and i dont hear any chugging / ticking anymore.. still need to check the part numbers they used, but just got home from winterizing our last 2 motorcycles out at the garage.

I believe the part ended in an "AB"

 

[Bt10]

Dropped off at the dealer to finish the other manifold from April, they’re terribly busy. A lot of tire screeching in the work area as I’m checking in as the mech is jockeying a f150 in next to the malibu. Should be 3/36, but if not I have to 60k I’m sure. Emission warranty?

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Mine is at 44k and it was covered.

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Finally checked my paperwork.

The TSB calls for 68591572-AA (RH Exhaust Manifold Kit) and they used 68591572-AB. So maybe there was another update to the manifold part number since the TSB came out?

 

[mmondich]

Just had both my 21' RAM's exhaust manifolds replaced under warranty at 44K. They were both cracked. Our dealerships here in the north GA area are good except for one, my dealership had it in and out in the same day AND gave me a loaner to drive.

 

[Bt10]

Both of mine are finally changed at 44k miles also. If they fail again, out of warranty, I’ll do shorties.(and a tune - yee haw)

As another thread encouraged, it was done in a day and my service advisor is very stable and professional and reassuring, a joy to deal with, even though she is meeting people in irritable situations.

 

[jvcnova73]

Finally took my 2020 in to get the manifolds replaced. Has just over 50,000 miles, but has been loud for at least the last 20,000. Will be covered under warranty and installed next month. They are booked that far out. Hoping the replacements are better.

 

[Rick3478]

Finally took my 2020 in to get the manifolds replaced. Has just over 50,000 miles, but has been loud for at least the last 20,000. Will be covered under warranty and installed next month. They are booked that far out. Hoping the replacements are better.

Broken bolts, or just cracks? (Not that either one is okay.)

 

[jvcnova73]

Both cracked

 

[My1stHemi]

Super impressed so far with Jet-Hot. Great customer service and pricing. Should have used them the first time. I’ll install these beauties tomorrow.

 

[My1stHemi]

Out with the old(warped much?) in with the new.


I’m still struggling with leaks at the collectors. The gaskets I used were scorched and eroding already so I did not reinstall them. Even after sanding smooth the downpipe fittings I had leaks and resorted to some high temp red permatex but was only able to let it cure for half the recommended time. I drove to the mountains today and heard a very small leak again but it could just be needing to retorque the nuts.

I am very tired of messing with headers and exhaust leaks. Third time I’ve done this job and I was over it after round one.

There are some projects turning wrenches that even when difficult are gratifying at the end. This is just a b*tch of a job.

 

[BoilerPigg]

The AFE headers have some heat shield wrap in the kit that is used to protect a passenger side coolant hose. I added some more to the dip stick tube.
The manifold gaskets have some heat shield to them as well. But I haven’t had any issues.

With the jet-hot coating I will not be worried at all about under hood temps. Lots of people run bare stainless headers with no issue, but I would rather just pay the $400 extra and have it done right and keep under hood temps as low as possible, especially when towing.

Check out this video for real-world temperature comparison. About 5min in. Pretty impressive difference.
Painted vs ceramic coated headers

Interesting video. Ive been thinking of going this way. One problem I see is the massive difference in temperature. I know for a fact that those infrared thermometers get fooled by shiny surfaces. Flat black will be accurate but any shiny surface can be 100'F off or more. Still pretty impressive...

 

[My1stHemi]

While chasing leaks and working around the jet-hot coated headers after running the engine, I can say that using the back of the hand thermometer shoes a massive change in surface temperatures. Previously, if I ran the engine for more than 30 seconds, I couldn‘t get close to them with bare hands. Now the headers are very warm while the cats are scorching. I’m sold on Jet-Hot.

I did discover today that the outlet of the headers are out of round which is causing my leaks at the collectors. AFE has some real room for improvement on QC.

 

[Rick3478]

View attachment 147438
Out with the old(warped much?) in with the new.

Were these checked when new and/or does the warp develop over time? And depending on the answer to that, is the new shape more stable than original and/or might it be better to have these machined, rather than buy new which might warp like the old ones.