blufftonman

Hi. I have a 1970 442 W-30 convert. I have an exhaust leak on the passenger side. I had the exhaust system replaced recently and was hoping the leak was at the exhaust pipe. I need to remove the right side exhaust manifold. I've removed manifolds from my Corvette, but the Olds looks like a real challenge. Any suggestions on how to remove it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

billmerbach

first of all it would be wise to soak up the bolts in penetrating fluid

blufftonman

thanks. will do.

billmerbach

yea you don't want to have a bolt break esp while the engines in the car that'll be one huge hassel

oldcutlass

Are you sure the leak is between the manifold and the head? There are no gaskets there. Basically it's the same as removing them from any other car. Your at the mercy of rusty bolts.

redoldsman

Maybe he has a cracked manifold.

MDchanic

Remember, if they've never been off, they will be retained by sheetmetal safety retainers, the little flaps of which are usually bent against the bolt heads in ways that make them impossible to unbend from any human angle.

- Eric

nsnarsk65cutlass

Ya not a lot of access room if you do break a mounting bolt it would be easier to remove the engine to extract-drillout the offending bolt-s.Nick

blufftonman

thanks for all your replies. the usual advice is to soak the bolts with penetrating oil for a few days. that's the first thing to do. if that doesn't work for me to loosen the bolts, the car goes to my mechanic. I used to do all the work myself when "I wore a younger man's clothes."

oldsguybry

lol I remember those friken things ! I was cursing up a storm saying whoever came up with that idea should be hung

Oldsguy

I remember those days. I am going to do some work on the rear suspension of my '77 next month and my girlfriend asked me "Am I sure I am young enough and up to it?" Hmmmmmm. Something to consider. Welcome to CO.

Oldsmaniac

Always use a 6 point socket or wrench. Also some times the heads of the bolts have rusted to a smaller size and the 9/16 socket will just slip. Here is where metric sockets come into play, with a 14 or 13 mm sometimes doing the trick. At times these come right out and then at other times....

blufftonman

Glad I came across this site. I have gotten quick and many responses tom my post. Goes to show you, Olds guys are the best . I've had Oldsmobiles all my life. I bought the first 442 in 1964, a silver coupe. Also owned a 1963 turbo Jetfire, red coupe. A 1956 Olds 88 convert. A few 1970-1972 Cutlass converts. 1979 Cutlass Broughm and a 1987 T-top Maroon 442. Loved them all. Restore them, don't destroy them.

oldsguybry

Well I'm slowly destroying mine . My wife's car is ready to break , can't drive that . I let her drive my Buick to work today , so I'll have to drive my 72 CS in the snow & salt for the next few days until I can get her car fixed .... Now my cars all full of salt


edit .... I drove my wife's car to work yesterday to see how bad the problem was , and .... I really didn't think I was going to make there or back for that matter . I can't believe she was even driving this thing . The wheels are pointing in two different directions , which made it quite interesting driving in the snow last night at midnight trying to get back home . The car was real hard to keep on the road at 15mph . I have an appointment Friday to take it in and get an alignment done , and whichever tie rod is ready to pop replaced .


sorry if I ventured off the subject here .

joe_padavano

A few comments. First, locate and pry open the lock tabs on the four outboard bolts on each manifold Second, spraying penetrating oil on the head of the bolt is worthless - in fact, it's less than worthless since it promotes the socket slipping on the bolt. The four outboard bolt holes are open on the backside. Use a small tube (like a WD40 can tube) to spray in the open end of the manifold bolt holes in the head. Also spray the threads on the fasteners that hold the head pipes to the manifold outlets. Use an impact wrench on these if possible to maximize the chances of getting them off without breaking the fasteners. Finally, the W/Z manifolds are prone to cracking, so inspect closely.

blufftonman

first of all, thank you guys for your advice. I think I know what I have to do. Now , it's just luck to see if I can get the bolts off without any problems.
second, to the guy who has to drive his olds in snow and ice and salt, do what I did. Move down to South Carolina. No snow, ice or salt down here. For the most part it's mostly dry and sunny. Up in New York I didn't take my classics out much. But down here I am putting on the mileage. Thank God for the southern states.

oldsguybry

If I had money to do that , I wouldn't be in the predicament I'm in today .

QMaster

Welcome to the site, and good luck!

Macadoo

I had the foresight to soak my bolts what ended up being weeks before I got to them (with the motor out of the car). X2 on the bolt heads rusting and needing the slightly smaller metrics. Some of mine needed them, others did not. Every bolt felt like it was bending until it "popped" and then they came out. Didn't break a single bolt. I was lucky. The manifold to the exhaust pipe bolts were another story. I broke all but two.
Good luck and welcome to the site.

Macadoo

Oh, just remembered, when a bolt felt like it really wasn't going to come, I put a torch to it for about 5 minutes (oxy/mapp). I think it helped.

oldsguybry

For sure . I broke a bolt in my exhaust manifold a couple summers ago and had to buy a few good drill bits and drill it out .... what a PITA

Macadoo

Engine was out of the car I hope. My back hurts just thinking about the alternative.

billmerbach

I'd hope so too my back gets to where when I'm bent over so long I can't want upright for 5 minutes lol

Yellowstatue

'French locks'

dopey107

How did u get the bolts out

MDchanic

Perseverance.

- Eric

Ozzie

Most will probably agree that dealing with exhaust system fasteners can raise levels of stress and cursing and lower levels of revenue and leisure time. Whether you use PB, acetone/trans fluid, hot wax, heat/cold combinations or whatever, I hope that you are successful. After doing it, I would also hope that upon reassembly you take measures to minimize any future grief. As a minimum put some anti-seize compound on the threads.