Geez, I need to set this forum to email me when people post. Here I am thinking there was no more input and haven't looked at it in a month now. But, in the mean time I have been replacing the exhaust manifold and I'll attach some pics of how the old one looked, the OEM replacement (pic in the first post) and finally the ceramic coated one that got installed.
So far, after some minor issues with installation, I am very pleased with the results!
Here's what I have noticed since installation:
1) Very little gassy exhaust smell in the cabin. (Although there is still some..gonna have to track that down at some point.)
2) With no exhaust leak the engine is quieter and I can respond to how it sounds and feels better.
3) Definitely better acceleration and less bogging down.
4) The exhaust note is a ton better. The muffler sounds great.
5) The idle seems to waver less.
6) It looks so damn good!
With installation, the biggest problem I had, had nothing to do with parts or fit, but instead "user error". Believe it or not, I have never used a torque wrench before, managed to set it incorrectly and sheared two of the three studs off the bottom connection to the exhaust pipe. After a quick call to Aaron (that guy is great!) I figured out how the wrench was supposed to work and got everything torqued down to specifications after salvaging two studs from the old part.
The only other thing I had a problem doing was keeping the ceramic coat from getting scratched when I installed the manifold from underneath. I was on a dolly with the manifold on my chest and the bottom of the engine about two inches above that. Luckily I had a friend grab it from up top and hold it while I seated the nuts to the studs to hold it in place. No scratches!
If you look at the pics, the coated manifold has been blasted and coated inside and out. I used Performance Coatings in Auburn, WA. They charged me about $140 including shipping which I thought was a decent price. It was gone no longer than a week from my door and back again. I picked the Satin Gray Ice type of coating which is a very nice medium gray in color. Their warranty is pretty reasonable too.
Performance Coatings
The #4 crack that prompted the replacement. It goes all the way around! The wet stuff is penetrant I used to get the bolts off.
That is some nasty carbon build-up.
Back from Performance Coatings.
24 year old manifold next to a brand new factory OEM part with ceramic coating.
Got hasty and bolted the O2 sensor on before the heat shield. D'oh!
Not much to see after the heat shield is on. I sprayed the heat shield with VHT manifold paint. Does anybody know if there is a lower (inside) heat shield for this? I have seen one on a 4AGZE.
Next up:
- replace fuel injector o-rings
- switch out OEM springs for TRD springs I picked up from Aaron.
- replace old engine mounts