Replace Exhaust Manifold For $2300

[irishgal]

I had my 2001 Lexus LX470 in for routine maintenance 93,000 miles and I had Lexus service investigate a little extra engine noise...worse in a.m. and when accelerating, better as engine warms a bit. They tell me both exhaust manifolds have holes, warped areas that need to be replaced. This will cost with labor $2300!! First, tell me is this reasonable? Can I do it somewhere else with used Lexus parts/have it done elsewhere (not Lexus dealer)? I asked is it just a noise, can I live with it...he said over time it will not only get louder, but damage the engine? I also was thinking of trading the car in for a used RX 330, because I had that car for 7 years before this one...is this a better option? This car is in good condition, one very small ding on the back upper panel next to the window, what do you think? Thanks!

[LXPearl]

A bunch of LX engines prior to 02 had the exhaust manifold problem. It tends to crack in an area that is not easily seen, and it gets worse with age. Lexus replaced the ones that went bad during the warranty period. The replacements do not seem to have the problem. If you find a used one, be wary - it may have the same inherent weakness. Ordering the replacements should give you the updated parts - whether from Toyota or Lexus. If you know of a good mechanic, they can replace the manifolds. I just would not get a used part for fear of getting one of the faulty ones.

[parnoren]

Somebody just changed the passenger side manifold himself in under an hour on the IH8MUD.com forum for less than $300.

Exhaust manifold replacement

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I have had an exhaust leak that has been getting worse for about a year now. With a little spare time this weekend I decided to see what I needed to do to fix it. I have read a lot about this issue here and was confident that I could do it myself and save some cash.

Let me start by saying that I was lucky that it was the passenger side had gone bad. After replacing o2 sensors on both sides, I think that this story would have been a little different if I had to work in the driver side. I will try to attach a few pictures that I took along the way.

I decided the leak was coming from the passenger side just by listening under the hood. Seemed very obvious. I got online and started searching for the parts I needed and found the best deal from a site called "DiscountToyotaParts". I ordered a manifold and gasket on Monday, they said it should arrive Friday. When Friday came and went, I checked on the status and saw that it was at least in town and would be delivered the next day.

Saturday I went out to the garage early in the morning, removed the right front tire and splash guard. I soaked the bolts down with PB Blaster and let it sit. My truck came from Texas and is very clean without any rust. By the way it is a 2000 with 2" OME, diff drop and 295's.

At around noon I went back outside and started removing the manifold. I have a decent collection of hand and air tools but only need basic wrenches to take it apart. 30 minutes later I had the bad manifold in my hand and was looking for the source of the leak. As expected. the flange around the front cylinder had cracked about a third of the way around the pipe.

Fedex finally showed up at 6pm. The parts had actually come from a dealer in Round Rock, Texas. What I got was brand new Toyota parts in the box. I paid $207 for the manifold and $15 for the gasket. When I opened up the packages I was surprised to see that it did not come with the studs for the collector. No problem, I'll just jamb nut the old ones and reuse them...or so I thought. The studs finally came out but the threads were destroyed. Ran down to the local hardware store and got some stainless bolts and threaded them into the new manifold and was back in business.

The installation also took about 30 minutes after I had sourced the hardware that I needed. Buttoned the splash guard back in and reinstalled the tire, fired it up and was quite pleased to have a brand new sounding truck!

I guess the reason I am writing is for any of you that need to have this work done, but don't want to spend whatever the dealers are charging, it is a very easy and in expensive way to fix a very annoying problem.

[Jim_Chow]

Cracked manifolds are a well-known problem on the landcruisers. I've only heard of them happening on the older ones, typically around 80-100K mi. I guess the metal stress fractures after enough cold-hot cycles. I would guess that if you take many short trips, it will happen sooner than later. To my knowledge, all the Landcruiser 100's and LX470's are suceptible to this. I believe the dealer charges around $1500 EACH to replace. The driver's side one is really tight. There are some tricks that allow an experienced mechanic who has done it before do it in about an hour though they'll likely bill you by the book (probably like 3-4 hrs).

[NicLX470]

Cracked manifolds are a well-known problem on the landcruisers. I've only heard of them happening on the older ones, typically around 80-100K mi. I guess the metal stress fractures after enough cold-hot cycles. I would guess that if you take many short trips, it will happen sooner than later. To my knowledge, all the Landcruiser 100's and LX470's are suceptible to this. I believe the dealer charges around $1500 EACH to replace. The driver's side one is really tight. There are some tricks that allow an experienced mechanic who has done it before do it in about an hour though they'll likely bill you by the book (probably like 3-4 hrs).

Why can't they just weld the holes shut like you can on any other exhaust part? And how would I know if mine are going out also. I've got 88k miles on mine.

[hoser]

You can try to weld them but access is difficult. You can get the manifolds for like $225/ea so why risk having to take it apart again down the road. The problem is first noticeable as a ticking sound (exhaust leak) on cold start.

[Leroy]

I have the same tick with my LX470. I have 120k but it has been doing it for some time. I think I will try my local shop instead of the dealer on this one.

[Leroy]

Local garage changed my left side out today for $490. He said it was very difficult as steering shaft goes through there also. He tried to weld it but could not. I cannot believe how quiet it is now! Right side is ok.

[organicwaves]

I am at 140K and have had problems with the exhaust manifold for ~20k miles. I am finally getting around to doing it. As far as I can tell, it is only on the right (passenger) side. Does it make economic sense to switch both out at the same time, seeing how this is a known problem on the landcruisers?

Thanks