Exhaust Leaks ALWAYS a problem

[DataXUnknown]

Ever since I got my car I have ALWAYS had an exhaust leak. Stock exhaust leaked around the muffler, after swapping the engine to SR and going full 3" all the way back, bolts came loose on my turbo elbow. When I finally fixed that like 3 months later when it was bad, I blew out my gasket from my manifold to turbo. Well, I thought I actually had cracked the stock manifold, but I didn't realize that until I took it out.

By that time I already had a new manifold ready to put in. The name of the brand was MEGAN racing. I've heard a lot of shit talking on megan racing, which I've seen a few bad things myself on megans part not of mine but buddies. So I needed a manifold that was cheap, so I got it.

Now, about 2-3 months after having the megan exhaust manifold, it is now cracked near the welds where the bracket is (supposedly to keep it from expanding wrong or cracking?). I wasen't bothered by it because it was small, now it's like almost all of my exhaust is coming out there, its stinkin up my car and my idle somtimes is horrible because of it.

Someone please recommend somthing GOOD unlike MEGAN which I am very disliking right now, don't try to back up megan I know a lot of people have their coilovers or elbows n such, but they are cheap. Not to bag on anyone that has them. I guess its the luck of the draw on wether they break or screw up. I want somthing decent that will last.

*edit* I guess it wasen't Tomei that was $800...I remember seeing some really crazy manifold that was $800...

[Alan_no.1]

Tomei is about $590, pm me for good price!!! also never use cheap gasket, always
use fatory metal one.

[DataXUnknown]

Tomei is about $590, pm me for good price!!! also never use cheap gasket, always
use fatory metal one.

at first I used the one megan gave me, that one blew out so I used the OEM metal one. When I replace the manifold should I get a new gasket as well, even if my old one is pretty ok? I think I payed like 20 bucks for this gasket.

[cc4usmc]

Whenever I replace or switch something, I always use a new gasket. It's not worth the head ace to assume a gasket that looks ok, is ok. And like the other guy said, Tomei isn't $800.

[fliprayzin240sx]

Put the stock back in, weld a flex pipe on your downpipe, stiffer engine mounts and new gaskets. Shit should be good after that. Whats causing your shit to break is the engine torquing sideways, stressing the manifold and whatever else is attached to it including the exhaust.

[S14DB]

Put the transmission to exhaust brace back in.

[Bigsyke]

Flex pipe,

You will spend thousands; untill you weld in a flex pipe.

[Ninjabread]

Put the transmission to exhaust brace back in.

Yes, I ran a whole summer whithout cracking a cheapo manifold, that includes bottoming out my exhaust many times at high speeds and stuff.

Flex pipe,

You will spend thousands; untill you weld in a flex pipe.

No need for a flex pipe, the car didn't come with one. To me that's a ghetto way of fixing the problem. The key is to make sure you have the transmission brace, and motor/tranny mounts that arent 20 years old and loose like your grandma.

[Bigsyke]

^^^ are you kidding me? A flex pipe in the exhaust is ghetto?

[S14DB]

^^^ are you kidding me? A flex pipe in the exhaust is ghetto?

yeah because it's a band aid that doesn't fix the problem. Still have the weight of the exhaust system on the manifold.

[Leetheslacker]

whats this brace look like?

i dont think my car came with one?

[S14DB]

The DP to Cat connection to the tranny.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v108/S14DB/240sx/Exhaust/TestPipeInstalled.jpg

[DataXUnknown]

Ok first off, I have ALL of that shit. I have a nice flex pipe on my downpipe, and I have that goober that hangs your exhaust with the tranny brace or whatever. All the rubber goobers are holding up well too. The ONLY thing I can think of now...is time for new motor mounts. I have 20 year old JDM silvia ones....so stiffer ones means nismo? Or any good recommendations for motor mounts?

Also nobody else had any comments about the manifolds as to which brand I should go with? The only two I know of are tomei and megan.

[Ninjabread]

^^^ are you kidding me? A flex pipe in the exhaust is ghetto?

Here's another way I can put it:

How many oem cars come with them?

[DataXUnknown]

ok, maybe where it cracked can deterime somthing.

It cracked along the weld on the bottom where it is welded to the square plate and mounts to the turbo. Its like cracked on one side and is moving all the way around. What a POS.

[TurboStrong]

JB WELD!!!!!!!!!haha

[yokotavia]

Here's another way I can put it:

How many oem cars come with them?

r32 GTR's came with flex pipes in the downpipe oem =/

[DataXUnknown]

JB WELD!!!!!!!!!haha


Come to think of it, you think that would work as a "temporary fix" kinda a ghetto rig and not drive hard on it until I get the new manifold?

[chibo]

Here's another way I can put it:

How many oem cars come with them?
Quite a few.

[BoroDrifter]

Historically, Megan anything is junk, though I will say the tension rods fare, decently.

Megan manifolds are the antithesis of quality tubular pieces. The steel is thin and cracks easily under stress, the welds are shallow, lack penetration and often times leave nice gaps where either the machine had to adjust for the next angle or the poor Chinese factory boy got slag on his bare fingers and twitched just lightly enough so the quartermaster wouldn't see it and punish him, leaving a nice gap in your seam to give you not only a leak, but a future stress fracture that becomes a gaping hole.

In all seriousness, get a good name brand manifold, such as Tomei and you will not be upset, nor will you continue to waste time, money and breathable air.

You could always pick up a stocker?

[Teambadrun]

Steam Pipe exhaust manifold sorted out all my problems:cool:

[fliprayzin240sx]

Yes, I ran a whole summer whithout cracking a cheapo manifold, that includes bottoming out my exhaust many times at high speeds and stuff.

No need for a flex pipe, the car didn't come with one. To me that's a ghetto way of fixing the problem. The key is to make sure you have the transmission brace, and motor/tranny mounts that arent 20 years old and loose like your grandma.

I dont see whats ghetto about adding a flex pipe. To me, its just an additional thing to do to lessen the chance of something breaking.

OEM wise, who cares how many cars have flex pipes OEM. Not like we're running OEM shit matt. Not every aftermarket parts out there are perfect, that they all would line up like the stock stuff. You change your manifold, elbow, DP and exhaust, only god knows if everythings lined up like stock.

[Nachtmensch]

Quite a few.
lots of toyotas do

[silviaz145]

Megan's stuffs are the same as SSAC
my friends worked for them

[mxsx25]

Here's another way I can put it:

How many oem cars come with them?

not to bash on you, but alot of cars come with there own version of a flexpipe... all subaru's have donut gaskets that act the same and are for the same purpose of a flexpipe, honda's as well... just my 2cents