Liquid Metal (Or Similar)

[Phil205 1 1 Cars]

Hi,

 

My exhaust manifold has a hairline crack and I am just debating whether to replace with a new or secondhand manifold - new is about 240 GBP.

 

Has anyone tried Liquid Metal (or anything similar) as a temporary fix ?

 

Such as - "Unibond 360767 Repair Metal" or "Permatex 25909 Liquid Metal Filler".

Advice please.

[Tom Fenton 1,548]

Won't take the temperatures involved. Don't waste your time/money.

Either braze or weld is the only way to repair. But both need it taking off the car to do properly, so once it's off you may as well fit another that isn't cracked unless you can weld or braze it yourself for nothing.

[Phil205 1 1 Cars]

Thanks Tom,

 

I can't do the work myself, so estimated cost for labour is either 80 GBP or 400 GBP (if problems arise).

 

Would people buy the new part (about 240 GBP) or try a secondhand ?

[allye 530 3 Cars]

pick up a 2nd hand one for penuts, tubular ones come for cheap often too.

[hoodygoodwood 72 3 Cars]

Have a good search on Ebay or put up a wanted ad on here and get a S/H uncracked one for £20 to £50 , fit new gaskets , studs and nuts plus maybe the fitting kit to the exhaust downpipe and you will be sorted . I got one last month for about £30 , its like new and will be replacing my knackered manifold which has 2 cracks and is corroded away at one port .Good secondhand ones are still out there - for how much longer though I do not know .Keep the old one , in the future we will all be welding up our cracked manifolds when replacements are scarce .

It is a slightly fiddly job as you are leaning right over the engine and working behind it but as long as you don't have major problems with nuts rounding off or studs snapping you should be ok . Don't like the sound of that £400 bill , that must be a worst case scenario . I would say to wire brush the studs and get some penetrating oil on them but it would just burn off .

[dcc 855]

for what it is worth

 

I sold an uncracked item on here recently for about £30. They crop up all the time. as for the labour, they can be a complete barsteward to do

[Mattr5uk 20 5 Cars]

I tried that once on a different car a good few years ago and I definitely wouldn't advise it stank like hell!

 

Had to chisel it off pretty quickly even then it left a lingering smell.