GT 3 Exhaust manifold blown HELP

[Mick Bull]

Hi al

I think I have a problem as I have 3 exhaust manifold studs broken and missing, and to top it of I have a hole in the manifold, can anyone tell me the best place to go for the parts, and what parts I will need to change the manifold as a good friend of mine has agreed to do the job for me and I feel as i should give him as much information as possible about the project, any help would be appreciated,

thanks

Mick.

[98GT3]

Hi Mick,

A bit of info from me here http://www.lotusespritforum.com/forums/ind...ic=4901&hl=

If you speak to South West Lotus they will be able to tell you the bits you need, PM me if you want any more info

Phil

98GT3

[fflyingdog]

I feel your pain Mick ,mine started blowing a couple months ago ,stud had sheared and the manifold had deteriorated to such a state that it could not be faced so ended up nearly a grand out of pocket,gaskets new manifold etc ,on the bright side it had lasted 62000 miles.

Nick S4s

[Paula&Marcus]

Hi Mick,

Maybe you will like a tubular manifold ?

We will have these marvellous manifolds available very soon.

Price will be 750,- Euros for the manifold.

The manifold has been tested now more than 5000 km and its still fine )

Cheers

Marcus

[DBredS4]

Interesting. Are these the ones from America? They said while they produce more heat they cool quickly and are of course corrosion resistant.

What is the prics of the Lotus manifold out of interest? I suspect around the same. I might be interested when mine inevitably goes Pete Tong.

[Jonathan]

What material is that Marcus ?

I would have thought it would be lighter too ?

[Tony94S4]

if the same one that All offered couple months ago

they r not much lighter, they r build strong with lots of meet

to last,

these will be great with coating they wont produce much heat,

if it was me I'll take it over oem lotus anytime

[Mick Bull]

Thanks for all your help, the new manifold looks great but canot wait a few months as the esprit sounds more like an old traction engine, looks like a call to SWL in the morning, checking the studs and finding that there are 3 broken I canot see anyway of doing the job without removing the engine or am I wrong? Can anyone advise? looks like this job is going to streach the budget before Xmas, maybe the wife will buy me a manifold!!!!

mick

[98GT3]

Depends on where the studs have broken, the studs are stainless and so do not sieze in the head. If they have anything sticking out then small vice grips should be enough to uscrew them. If they have sheared flush then easy outs could be an option, but there will be little room to drill the pilot hole Once the manifold is off you will be able to see the offending items much more easily.

Good luck!

Phil

98GT3

[Mick Bull]

Thanks for the help Phil will let you know what happens,

Mick

[98GT3]

The manifold has been tested now more than 5000 km and its still fine )

Cheers

Marcus

I don't wish to sound like a killjoy here, but 5000Km's is not really a great deal of miles to qualify it's integrity. It looks like it is made of stainless steel and because it's a close copy of the Lotus design, the four branches are short and rigidly held together. I wouldn't be surprised if because of the expansion and contraction under the extreme temps it sees that it starts developing cracks close to the welds. I hope I'm wrong because it looks like a nice piece of kit, but I have seen many tubular systems fail in this way, especially in stainless.

Phil

98GT3

[Gasman GT3]

This is a job I am going to have to takle soon, as on last years C sevice Mattys said I had a small crack, but as yet it has not developed into a big one. Mattys quote 10 - 12 hours labour to do the job and say they dont remove the engine, just unbolt the mountings and jjjj jiggle it about.

I am very interested in the stainless manifold , but would like to see a far longer test than 5000k and also it needs a shield to stop it getting wet from the road as I feels this is what makes the cast ones crack, very hot manifold sprayed with cold water cannot be the best thing for longevity.

[Mick Bull]

I think I am staying with the standard manifold as this has stood the test of time as the car is now 10 years old, I think after looking at the broken studs it will have to be an engine removal job, ( having just dislocated my fingers and wrist just finding which studs are broken) good excuse to clean the engine and bay and check the clutch !!!

mick

[98GT3]

Mick,

The SWL manifolds are made from a different grade of cast iron than Lotus used and are supposed to be alot better. I am pretty sure they haven't had a single failure in all the time they have been produced (which is a long time!)............and no I don't work for them or will I gain anything from this!!!

Phil

98GT3

[Mick Bull]

Thanks Phil, will give them a call tomorrow as I canot stand the noise any longer, good to get so much good advise from people in the know!!

even the cost of new manifold and fitting etc etc etc and more I still think the esprit is a great british sports car!!

mick

[mr.oogieboogie]

hello mick, my s4 has a southwest lotus manifold on, it gets driven hard in all weather even through winter no problems with it so far the price was

[Jonathan]

Think that's generally to do with cast iron, it's pretty brittle in comparison to steel - bloody strong but if you quenched it then it will fracture a lot easier than other metals.

Hopefully ine can hang out a few more miles until the testing on that tubular one is done - looks great.

[Paula&Marcus]

Ok Phil,

Lets wait another 2-3 years till the test car has done 15000-20000 km ? Or maybe even more ?????

We also had done a tubular header years ago and it failed after 2 weeks, cracked and kept cracking. But this one seems to be different. I'm very positive

Marcus

I don't wish to sound like a killjoy here, but 5000Km's is not really a great deal of miles to qualify it's integrity. It looks like it is made of stainless steel and because it's a close copy of the Lotus design, the four branches are short and rigidly held together. I wouldn't be surprised if because of the expansion and contraction under the extreme temps it sees that it starts developing cracks close to the welds. I hope I'm wrong because it looks like a nice piece of kit, but I have seen many tubular systems fail in this way, especially in stainless.

Phil

98GT3

[Guest Bosal]

Hello all,

This discussion is also ongoing in "Giugiaro Technical Room"

http://www.lotusespritforum.com/forums/ind...amp;hl=manifold

We're in a good position to make a suitable manifold for your application.We have experienced engineers and workers available and all material and equipment to bend, shape and weld the pipes.

We're ready to start engineering, but for just one piece it would be a lot of work, so it would be best to collect your needs, and let's start working on it.

We have a patent especially focussing on a support bracket for hot end-applications. We can support the weight and isolate vibrations at the same time.www.bosal.com.

[Tony94S4]

Bosal,

what material do u use for the flanges on the high heat turbo manifolds?

is it all stainless steel?

[Guest Bosal]

In this case it should not be necessary to use stainless steel for the flanges. Stainless steel pipes can be combined with carbon steel like ASTM A 663 (45-80) or A 675 (45-90) or equivalent.

Of course pipes will be heat resistant stainless steel.

[abrussich]

The header in the photo supplied by Marcus now has over 5000 miles, whatever that translates into Km, and is performing perfectly. It has been subjected to everything but snow, something we don't see down here. The car has been on several 300+ mile interstate runs, a couple of track days, and is used as an every day commuter for work. No signs of metal or weld failure. The exhaust note has mellowed a bit fromit's original narly burble and at highway speeds is actually quite pleasing to the ear. I prefer it over the dribble that comes out of the radio now days.

I'm sure for a car equipped with cat and a standard Lotus exhaust the exhaust note will be very nice indeed.

Al B.

(the guy who had the manifold made)

[Mick Bull]

What a lot of diferent views from so many people!!! good to see so much intrest in an exhaust manifold, I have contacted SWL today, they have one in stock at

[98GT3]

What a lot of diferent views from so many people!!! good to see so much intrest in an exhaust manifold, I have contacted SWL today, they have one in stock at