I hate my FE exhaust manifolds

DV65CustomCab · Post by **DV65CustomCab** » June 15, 2008, 1:08 pm

I have been battling leaks at the heat riser since I bought this thing.

I have tried the following:
Re-use original leaky heat riser welded open and pivots welded shut
LMC replacment heat riser
LMC replacment heat riser wired open
All of the above with ill-fitting gasket (oem discontinued)
With no gasket

The bleeping thing still leaks at the junction between the riser and the manifold. It has a very small surface sealing area. The original gaskets are unobtainium and I've tried the generic parts store equivelent which always works for a few weeks and then blows out a side.

I'm about ready to go with headers...and I know that's opening up another entire can of worms and leak potential. Between trying to free up the manifold bolts without snapping them off, frying starters, dealing with header gaskets that will probably leak and the cost of overpriced pieces of bent tubing I know it won't be any better than what I've got. Yet...I've got to do something. I can't live with the noise or the smell.

I'm sure JC's solution would be to put a 300 six in it.

Hopefully venting will make me feel better.

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » June 15, 2008, 1:11 pm

i threw all the FE heat risers i have ever had in the trash.
got rid of the leaks and the sticky butterflys forever.

dotcentral · Post by **dotcentral** » June 15, 2008, 1:15 pm

Mine never leaked, but that area had never been touched. Now that I've pulled the engine and just looking at the piece I can see how it would be a pita if you ever had to mess with it. I see Iceman said he pitched his and I was thinking about doing the same thing on mine.

66 POJ · Post by **66 POJ** » June 15, 2008, 5:40 pm

I went to headers and did not use gaskets. Just high temp gasket maker, no more issues....yet.

BIGTRIP · Post by **BIGTRIP** » June 15, 2008, 6:44 pm

a guy on another forum I post at has a 428 with some sweet looking tri y headers. NICE! they probably wont fit the f100 though...

DV65CustomCab · Post by **DV65CustomCab** » June 15, 2008, 6:44 pm

Ok, if you get rid of the heat riser, what goes in that big empty space you have left over?

blackagatha · Post by **blackagatha** » June 15, 2008, 8:25 pm

Nothing!

my dad's 68 LTD still has the thing, but the big tube to the intake has about a 1" gap because he raised the carb...

most of that heat crap sounds like cripe... I got no such thing on aggie, just open element filter, headers, and plugged crossover thru the carb... no trouble to speak of, even when crazy cold.

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » June 15, 2008, 8:30 pm

Someone used to make copper gaskets for those. May have to search the net.

DV65CustomCab · Post by **DV65CustomCab** » June 16, 2008, 5:56 am

blackagatha wrote:Nothing!

my dad's 68 LTD still has the thing, but the big tube to the intake has about a 1" gap because he raised the carb...

I don't think you're on the same page.
FE truck heat riser valves don't have any tubes going anywhere. It's just a flapper valve with a bimetal spring stuck between the manifold and the Y pipe.

dotcentral · Post by **dotcentral** » June 16, 2008, 7:32 am

DV65CustomCab wrote:Ok, if you get rid of the heat riser, what goes in that big empty space you have left over?

Probably require some work at an exhaust shop. I don't know if you would want to get a small piece and weld it to the end of the existing exhaust, or just get that whole section of the exhaust redone. Not sure what it would be called, sort of a Y-pipe I guess?

blackagatha · Post by **blackagatha** » June 16, 2008, 7:54 pm

DV65CustomCab wrote:
blackagatha wrote:Nothing!

my dad's 68 LTD still has the thing, but the big tube to the intake has about a 1" gap because he raised the carb...

I don't think you're on the same page.
FE truck heat riser valves don't have any tubes going anywhere. It's just a flapper valve with a bimetal spring stuck between the manifold and the Y pipe.

er, yeah...
perhaps so... haha I guess I'm thinking of the intake heat shroud around the manifold.

so what is the purpose of this flapper?
Mine never had one, Ive seen them on occasion, but dont know what they're for...

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » June 17, 2008, 2:22 pm

blackagatha wrote:so what is the purpose of this flapper?

The flapper valve closes when the engine's cold, diverting a portion of the exhaust through the passage in the intake manifold (located just under the carb), instead of down the pipe. It's to help bring the carb up to operating temperature in the winter...makes the engine not so cold-blooded & helps keep it from icing up in cold, humid weather.

In your climate, no engine really needs them much.

Oh & this also explains what that funky extra port in in your heads & intake manifold is for.

rider307g · Post by **rider307g** » June 17, 2008, 4:10 pm

I work over at Doug Thorley Headers and we offer a set for the 352FE. We are going to try a set on my 65 F100 and I will let you know how they work.

blackagatha · Post by **blackagatha** » June 17, 2008, 5:14 pm

yeah, I know about that passage I plugged off. I didnt know that the valve was to divert flow thru there, My manifolds didnt have the flapper, I figured it would just allow some heaat up in there, but not really flow... that makes sense though...

Garbz · Post by **Garbz** » June 17, 2008, 8:34 pm

Dwight

Just purchase a set of repop FE manifolds and get rid of the riser for good. the repops do not have a riser. There is a set of these on my 69 360.

Garbz

DV65CustomCab · Post by **DV65CustomCab** » June 17, 2008, 10:06 pm

Huh, how 'bout that?
Where do you get 'em?

rider307g · Post by **rider307g** » January 19, 2009, 2:21 pm

Alright it has been a while since I last posted but we put the headers on my truck and I wanted to put some miles on it before I said anything. My main concern was that the starter would get smoked due to the header being close to it, but I opted for ceramic finish and it has not been an issue. I will post some pictures, but I have been very happy with the headers. I did smach the oil pan while doing the install, but that was me being stupid:( Let me know if anyone wants to get a set, Nick told me he would give a discount on them for guys on the forum.

[/url]

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » January 19, 2009, 3:21 pm

DV65CustomCab wrote: I'm sure JC's solution would be to put a 300 six in it.

Actually I am not a big six fan, esp. straight sixes, they always remind me of Chebbys and I do not like the way they sound. In my warped and twisted world fords are supposed to be V8's, my recommendation would have been to put a 351W in it's place

66 POJ · Post by **66 POJ** » January 19, 2009, 6:54 pm

rider307g wrote:Alright it has been a while since I last posted but we put the headers on my truck and I wanted to put some miles on it before I said anything. My main concern was that the starter would get smoked due to the header being close to it, but I opted for ceramic finish and it has not been an issue. I will post some pictures, but I have been very happy with the headers. I did smach the oil pan while doing the install, but that was me being stupid:( Let me know if anyone wants to get a set, Nick told me he would give a discount on them for guys on the forum.

Did they clear the crossmember under the trans? I have a set of Heddman ceramic coated and they exit in front of the crossmember so the exhaust has to be bent over it as soon as it leaves the hedder. I just hate the look of it.

rider307g · Post by **rider307g** » January 20, 2009, 3:45 pm

The header does exit before the cross member but it shoots out over the cross member. Due to some clearance issues on other applications the passenger side points a bit toward the transmission but the collector just has to be positioned correctly on the exhaust pipe to clear everything well. Also, I have the cruiseomatic and I had to add a 90 degree elbow for one of the cooling lines.

I hate my FE exhaust manifolds

I hate my FE exhaust manifolds

Re: I hate my FE exhaust manifolds