So You Want To Do Your Manifolds DO You?

Here is my experience with taking off the manifolds of my 2004 Tundra.

My 2 cents if you do not have 12 hours or you can afford it,pay someone to do it.
If you want to save a lot of money keep reading.

There is a 30 minute video of it on Youtube ( Helps a little but you probably wont be lifting your whole vehicle so you cant get the same angles as her)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9abiyEnR-Y&t=1449s

Passenger side
- Remove Intake completely
- Loosen power steering fluid and push to the side
- You will need a universal joint ball socket
- Heat Shield 4 bolts 10 mm all snapped toss it
- All 4 top manifold studs are removable from the top side of truck ( do these before you lift your truck!!) 14mm sockets
- 2 Bottom end studs are reachable with 1/2 extension bars underneath wheel well
- Now we get to the 2 center studs located above the motor mounts ( this is where you will lose all your time
- You will need a 14mm box end wrench that has a bend to it ( my ball joint socket was to fat you have about 2 cm from bottoming out on the motor mount. I placed a 2x4 on the wrench and smacked it with a hammer to loosen off the stud.
-DO NOT LUBE SPRAY ANY NUTS OR STUDS ( I did this on the first few and all the locking nuts came off the stud, i had to go back and tighten 2 nuts on the stud after the manifold was removed to back the studs out. If you dont lube spray them the will just come right out.
- Remove the 3 locking nuts that attach to your catalytic converter to the manifold
- Unclip your 02 censor and your done
- EASY SIDE START WITH THIS

DRIVER SIDE
- Remove Heat shield again
-Remove oil dipstick 1 nut and pull up pops out
- Undo battery
- undo fuse box nuts and lift the fuse box up and tape out of the way.
- undo all the hoses in your way
- 4 Top studs are the same as passenger side easy
- Now this is where it gets tricky
- The motor mount is not in the same position as the passenger side the 14 mm bent box end wrench will not work anymore
- A 3 inch socket is to long and bottoms out on the motor mount you will not be able to put your wrench on it. A 2 inch socket is to short to reach the nut. Ball joint socket with a short 14mm is the right length but the ball socket is to fat to fit.
- I found a thin bar with a 1/2 to 3/8 14mm adapter socket which gave me an overall length of 2 1/4inch which fit snug on the nut and millimetres off the motor mount. This is a really stupid angle and you will not be able to add a extension bar to pull it from the top. So you have to use a piece of wood or metal and go from behind the catalytic converter to smack it out.

New headers come in Monday next project after work

 

I’ve done 2 left side manifolds on 4.7’s, either loosened or completely removed the left motor mount to do them. Not that hard, not that fun either.

 

Yeah driver side was not fun at all

 

In response to your PM, yes, I lifted the motor slightly with a small bottle jack to remove the motor mount. If I remember correctly, I was able to fit a piece of 2x4 in between the block and the front diff to block it in place to not rely on the jack alone.

 

Lift the motor and pull the mount. Saves a shit load of agony. If you know what you're in for and have the right tools to can be a 5 hour job, 6 with breaks.

Glad you got the old ones off. Headers on a first gen is almost a right of passage. People are scared but once you're done you know it's not that bad, it's just work.

Oh yeah, when you go to pull the driver side mount, pull the dipstick first, very carefully. I didn't pull the passenger side mount but it would honestly make things easier for the center cylinders.

 

If you had Oxy/Acy torches it would of been a whole lot easier. Soaking in PB blaster days ahead of time would of made if easier.

 

This looks like self imposed torture. My hands send respect for your tackling this!

 

AND if your going through all that I hope you installed headers..........why not.

 

It was not hard to break the studs loose just getting the right angles and yes I got gibson gp603 shorties arriving tomorrow

 

Yep, Yep and Yep. Spot on. Just remove the motor mounts. I put my JBA’s on in 2015 after reading post on TS on how to install them. Texas truck, so I did not use the hardware that came with the headers. The only thing I used was the collector gaskets. I took the advice of other users including @Darkness, remmy700p and jamesjr4750. I ended up leaving the studs, buying oem locking header nuts and using Percy seal 4 good header gaskets. I would almost recommend just putting new studs in and getting new Toyota header nuts so you don’t have to fuss with retorque.

 

Swivel sockets work great............and sometimes you can just make your own tool....been there done that.

 

Great write up. Thanks for sharing!

 

Probably some luck of the draw and regional differences for this job. Mine were relatively easy, took about 3 hours per side, mostly from having to find the best approach for several of the "hidden" ones. Live in the corrosion free south, so no rusty studs, no broken studs, no nuts that wouldn't come loose with some elbow grease and some PB blaster. Went back together great and haven't leaked since (about 7 years ago on the passenger and 5 on the driver's side). Used some aftermarket manifolds that were a bit beefier and had nice looking welds with a new OEM manifiold gasket. New nuts as well. About $350 in parts. Could have gone JBA or SS or whatever for a few more bones, but just kept it simple and factory.

 

This has always been a good DIY Thread for whenever I think about doing Shorty Headers.

 

My personal experience with pulling these manifolds was horrible. I sprayed them with pb blaster days before, used a six sided socket, and still had 5 nuts round off. 2 collector ones, which I just cut out, and 3 manifold ones. Had to take it to a shop to have it done. Never even attempted the drivers side after that nightmare.

 

If/when mine need replaced, I’ll be paying someone to do it. I know my limits and also my luck. Things rarely go to plan.

 

When I did mine last year, I was in the process of replacing the motor mounts, so it made sense to remove both mounts, jack the engine slightly and then remove the old, rusty manifolds.
It was a tough job, but not impossible. Jacking the engine up about 3-4 inches was imperative to getting the manifold bolts out, and it made installation of the headers much easier.

 

Unless it’s lighting related, then you are in your zone and THE GUY!

 

What areas did you use for jacking the engine? Technique?

 

After getting the old mounts loose, I supported the engine with a 12 inch long piece of 2X8 on the oil pan.Slowly started raising the engine to get the weight off the motor mounts, removed them and then raised the engine roughly 3 inches. That was enough to get the old mounts out, contort myself for the next 5 hours removing the old hardware, and then came back the following morning to contort myself some more and install the new headers...

 

Thank you. Did you notice any improvement with the new motor mounts?

 

I changed a few cracked manifolds on chevys but will probably never due it again there’s Local shops that do this for 150 to 200 a side unless you really want to try it or can’t afford it I definitely recommend a shop my 01 van was in and out of the shop in 5 hrs and dun right cost me just under 575 with new manifolds no swearing or bleeding just saying I do most repairs just not exhaust It’s worth every penny paying them and helps the local shop so they’ll be there next time

 

Yeah, this ain't like the cheby's. Tighter space.

 

18 years ago I paid my dealer to replace my cracked manifolds with JBA short tube headers.
The headers are functioning just fine today... I say it was money well spent.

 

I know Looks hard to weld them broken and stripped nuts mine are in pretty good shape but when they go it’ll be shop installed headers and quality stainless pipes

 

I never really drove the truck before I tore into it and started the rebuild. The drive home after I purchased it wasn't memorable other than how soft/floaty everything felt.
The mounts were 20 years old and ready for replacement when I pulled them out. I did notice a lot of cracking in the rubber and they were noticeably softer than the new mounts.

The headers on the other hand.....

 

Looking for some small clarification as I do not want to remove the Cats etc. Basically will just be installing the Short Headers.

The FSM shows exhaust ring style gaskets around the 3 Bolt Collector Flanges. JBA provides these triangle paper type gaskets (my intention is on buying either Remflex or Percy).

Do I use both OEM Ring Style Collector and the Triangle Gasket at the Collector or just one of the type?

Read JBA Paper Gaskets suck so those won’t be used. Instead will use Remflex or Percy.

Looks like I can buy a sheet of Remflex and make my own custom gasket out of it using the JBA cheap Triangle Gasket as a template if needed.

Which collector style gasket is best: The Triangle or the Ring OEM Style? Or, use both together?

 

Pretty studied up on this job now thanks to this Thread and the A1 Video.

The A1 Video shows Sue (from the Nath who does a fine job btw) with Collector Ring Style Gaskets on her install.

I’m still open to reccos if the Flat Gasket will work better and/or in conjunction with the Ring Style.

 

It takes 6 hrs and you do not have to do anything to the motor mounts. Swivel ratchety wrenches and you are set.