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The exhaust manifold: defects, symptoms and how to change it correctly

The exhaust manifold is an important part of the car. If any defect arises here, the driver will notice it immediately. In this article we will show you what function the exhaust manifold performs, what defects it can present and how they are perceived. This way you can react quickly and change the exhaust manifold yourself or at a specialist workshop of your choice.


The function of the exhaust manifold

The exhaust manifold is made up of several curved or also cast tubes, which absorb the exhaust gases emerging from the cylinders. These gases are conducted through the collector to the purification systems and the exhaust system.

Vehicles are equipped with intake and exhaust manifolds. However, defects only occur in the exhaust manifolds, as these are subjected to much higher loads due to temperature. Typical damage to the collector is mainly cracks and fractures. If necessary, the collector will leak and will no longer be able to perform its function correctly.


Is the exhaust manifold a wearing part?

In principle, the exhaust manifold cannot be described as a normal wearing part. In reality, such a component should last the entire life of a car, but as a general rule, 80,000 kilometers should be the minimum. Therefore, you can assume that you will only have to change such an exhaust manifold once in the life of a typical vehicle. In many cases it is not even necessary.


How to detect defects in the exhaust manifold?

If the exhaust manifold has a crack or any other defect, it can usually be detected very quickly because there are some signs and symptoms that clearly indicate it. These are, among others:

Loud, sporty engine noises

Noticeable loss of engine power

Higher fuel consumption

Exhaust gases under the hood and odors inside the vehicle

Change or repair? What is better?

Many hobby mechanics swear that the best way to eliminate cracks in an exhaust manifold is to weld. Although this may be a proven remedy, the damage usually reappears after a short period of time. Therefore, it is usually much more efficient to decide on a replacement part. In this way a longer duration will be achieved.


How to change the exhaust manifold step by step

Although we would like to support hobby mechanics and provide them with helpful instructions, we advise that you do not replace a faulty exhaust manifold on your own. The exhaust manifold is exposed to very demanding working conditions due to its position. For this reason, problems often arise with screws and bolts. If you proceed here in a dirty and inappropriate manner, the cylinder heads may be affected. So a very cheap repair very often turns into a total breakdown.

Furthermore, disassembling the exhaust manifold largely depends on the model and its construction. Other components, such as the EGR cooler or the turbocharger, must be removed in the same way as the front catalytic converter. Consequently, it increases both the expense and the risk of additional damage, so it is more sensible and useful to carry out the change in a specialized workshop. Especially since costs are kept within reasonable limits. If you make the change yourself you could damage, in the worst case, so many components that a repair would no longer be worth it.


You must count on these expenses

An exhaust manifold as a replacement part is not particularly expensive. The price depends on both the size of the vehicle and the market situation. As a rule, prices range between 100 and 450 euros for a new exhaust manifold and between 2 and 30 euros for new manifold gaskets.

A specialized workshop will carry out this type of work within two hours without problems. This means, an exchange would have an average price of 500 in total. If you want to save money, you can also buy a new exhaust manifold yourself and take it to the shop to have it replaced. This is often cheaper, as in many cases the workshop adds a margin on the spare parts.