Hi ya all, My exhaust manifold has a pretty good crack in it now. Was wondering if anyone knows of a good place to replace it and maybe a ballpark figure on what labor might be??or is it something someone with LIMITED skills could replace? It,s on the drivers side of my 97 TJ 4.0 and from what I understand it,s fairly common..Any thoughts or idea,s are weclome..Thanks guys...Geeb..

Sorry to hear about that Geeb:( I have no advice to offer as I don't know much about this stuff, but let me know if you need an extra hand if you decide to do it yourself!

Joe, Thanks brother, yeah I,ll most likely have it done in a shop, unless it real simple..But it most likely is not..Bummer though just when you want to upgrade your rig in a fun way something that HAS to be done comes along.Other than that alls well with my jeep. Did ya get your lift, tires, wheels, ect..? lookin forward to seeing the out come on it.. Joshs Tomb Rider as well..Take care..Geeb.

Joe, Thanks brother, yeah I,ll most likely have it done in a shop, unless it real simple..But it most likely is not..Bummer though just when you want to upgrade your rig in a fun way something that HAS to be done comes along.Other than that alls well with my jeep. Did ya get your lift, tires, wheels, ect..? lookin forward to seeing the out come on it.. Joshs Tomb Rider as well..Take care..Geeb.

Working on the deal this weekend for my lift, tires, etc . . . just emailed a place this morning to see what type of deal they'll work out ... not sure how long everything will take to arrive. I know what you mean about wanting to upgrade and then something breaks...I've been trying to take it easy on her for that exact reason lately! Geez . . . I thought at first, the Jeep wouldn't be as pricy as my Harley, but I'm quickly learning otherwise . . . seems like you get more for your dollar with the Jeep parts, but then again there's a whole lot more to do. Actually threw a new battery in the bike last night and will be out once the fog burns off a bit . . . my bike has been very neglected since I got stung by the Jeep bug.

Dorman (OE solutions) part# 674-196 about $200.00 or find a used one, sometimes they can be fixed. And about 2 hrs or so to replace

i got one on eBay 75$ and it came with every thing. it took me about 3hr. was simple to install.

i got one in the for sale section. and ill throw in the gasket for ya aswell...

I figured people would chime up about having one or two in a pile of stuff somewhere

I have my second cracked one in storage still... Haven't taken it to a welder yet to see if it can be repaired for when my new one cracks.

I have replaced mine twice and it's not too hard. If you're not handy, you might want to take it to a shop. It took me about 3 hours last time, but that's because I've done it before and it's almost easy now. It involves taking off your power steering pump, intake manifold and everything because the exhaust manifold shares bolts with the intake manifold.

Here's a decent write-up on replacing it:
http://dailydriventj.com/mfr.shtml

Thanks everyone, for the heads up..I went to 4 wheel parts today and was told labor was gonna be about 400.00 and that its an all day job. Also I saw a Rugged Ridge header for 199.99 and was told by 4 wheel parts not to get that one, to go for the Banks..So thanks for all the honesty from all you guys..BTW I think mine is way to cracked for repair I could swipe my credit card thru it..LOL..Geeb..I,m all earsand eyes so keep ideas flowin..

Thanks everyone, for the heads up..I went to 4 wheel parts today and was told labor was gonna be about 400.00 and that its an all day job. Also I saw a Rugged Ridge header for 199.99 and was told by 4 wheel parts not to get that one, to go for the Banks..So thanks for all the honesty from all you guys..BTW I think mine is way to cracked for repair I could swipe my credit card thru it..LOL..Geeb..I,m all earsand eyes so keep ideas flowin..

man that's a lot for labor. just for a couple of hours of work. i need a job at that rate, i thought it was illegal to rob people.

I heard the banks worse [at cracking] then the stock ones. Id just stick with a cheap stock one. and $400! damn. Thats a lot of money to replace a header.

I heard the banks worse then the stock ones. Id just stick with a cheap stock one. and $400! damn. Thats a lot of money to replace a header.Banks is larger than the stock one and it flows better. It relieves backpressure which is really good if you have other mods, bad if you are otherwise stock and want a perfect idle. In any case, it's strong.

my buddy had a banks and it cracked after 3 months he replaced it with an OEM one and its been good ever since.. why pay $300+ for something that barely gives you any horsepower. When you can get OEM ones for $75 on ebay all day? seems dumb to me.

Banks is larger than the stock one and it flows better. It relieves backpressure which is really good if you have other mods, bad if you are otherwise stock and want a perfect idle. In any case, it's strong.

:rolleyes:

Backpressure/idle/flow??.. Forget it, you're driving a Jeep, not a finely tuned Italian machine. Listen to Allen. I too have heard a lot of cracking stories about Banks. The only good thing is the million mile warranty or whatever they have. I'd still forget about that and just get a cheap one with expansion joints.

I'd rather replace the header once every 8 years even if I have to pay for a new header every time. If you get the Banks the part may be replaced for free but you'll be replacing it every 6 months.

:rolleyes:

Backpressure/idle/flow??.. Forget it, you're driving a Jeep, not a finely tuned Italian machine. Listen to Allen. I too have heard a lot of cracking stories about Banks. The only good thing is the million mile warranty or whatever they have. I'd still forget about that and just get a cheap one with expansion joints.

I'd rather replace the header once every 8 years even if I have to pay for a new header every time. If you get the Banks the part may be replaced for free but you'll be replacing it every 6 months.

x2. its a jeep get it in the dirt and out of the shop. now.

my buddy had a banks and it cracked after 3 months he replaced it with an OEM one and its been good ever since.. why pay $300+ for something that barely gives you any horsepower. When you can get OEM ones for $75 on ebay all day? seems dumb to me.
I wonder if that has to do with the thicker steel. Damn, I had one of those on my shopping list too. What else is good that's bigger than stock?

Truthfull ive heard that pretty much all headers on a jeep crack. Theres another buddy of mine that has a crack in his Gibson header and is taking it to them on Monday to be fixed/replaced. I think one of the best companies was JBA actually dont quote me though.

Geebo, if you plan on installing yourself, I can come by and assist at some wrenching. I've never done a header before, but read up on it and see if you want to attempt it. The Monster will be cheaper than the $400 anyhow...and I know you've always got cold Monster's around!

Steveo, Thanks for the offer..MatterDaddy gave me a basic install writeup..other than that you know me oil, grease, grime, and tools are all Greek to me lol...one way or the other gota do it in the near future..Any luck with your rig??

Nah, still not smog legal. I think I'm gonna wait until mid-April when I re-gear rather than F'ing with finding smaller tires. My extension on registration ends at the end of March, so if needed, I'll use my "Get Out Of Jail Card." if I get pulled over.

Well, I purchased a header for my manifold today it will be in by 11.00 am tommorrow..The kit includes,,bolts directly to the factory maniflod has gasket,pipe flange, dounut and bolts.btw its a Rugged Ridge got a bit of a discount paid 169.99 anyway now I,ve gotta wait for help puttin it on LOL...304 stainless steel witch is aircraft quality material,so it says..sounds tuff, Well at least it,s better than the one on there thats cracked....Geeb,